Ruby English - A Coalmont Women

Ruby is the wife of one of our Veterans, Jim English.

What a delight to talk to this tiny, soft spoken lady with a big smile on her face. Who takes life as it comes.

Ruby was born on July 19th, 1927 in Kindersly Saskatchewan. Ruby lived on an old homestead with her father, mother, one brother and two sisters. Ruby was fourteen years behind her other siblings. They were farmers and they had horses. Ruby loved horses and rode horseback to school for ten years.

Ruby was only three years old when her mother passed on. Ruby was mainly raised by her soft spoken, kind hearted father. With the help of a kind neighbour, who had three girls of her own, Ruby was always included in their outings.

In 1945 Ruby moved with her sister to Vancouver to finish high school. After graduation she worked a few different jobs but liked the jewellery store the best.

In 1947 Ruby went on a blind date with a tall, good looking young man by the name of Jim English. Things went along the way they were supposed to and were married one year later.

Mr. and Mrs. Jim English moved to south Burnaby and together had two children, a boy named Patrick, and a girl by the name of Lynda. Their family was now complete.

Jim worked construction and was out of town alot.

Ruby heard from a friend that the fishing was good up near Coalmont. So Ruby would bring the children up any chance she got. They would pitch a tent on the very spot they ended up buying in 1978. Ruby can remember sitting on the bank cleaning up to 100 tiny fish at a time. Life was good. This was the early sixties. Jim would come whenever he could. Those were the good old days when you could come up and back for five dollars a tank of gas.

The children graduated and in 1978 Ruby and Jim bought the very piece of land the family used to pitch their tent on. Ruby always had a love for that piece of land, her dream had come true. They had up to thirteen horses at one time. They would hire themselves out to round up cattle for the ranches in Princeton. Up at four a.m. back at 6 p.m. Ruby as tiny as she was would ride right along with the men.

Ruby had a menagerie of birds, until the coyotes moved in. She now feeds the wild birds that she can see from her kitchen window. It cost about twenty-five dollars a week but she loves watching the birds feed.

Ruby and Jim have have been members of the Legion for many years. They also loved going to the Coalmont Hotel for a few beers, swapping stories with all the other old timers. They had many a good laugh there, lots of good memories that they cherish, now that their old friends have gone.

Ruby and Jim have been married for 58 years on the same piece of land they bought in 1958.

Their daughter lives in Coalmont and has two daughters. Patrick lives in Chilliwack and has four children. They also have four great grand children. They are truly blesssed.

Judy Wallace