Obituary of Ruth Travis

Kathleen Ruth Travis, a long time resident of Cotillion, AB, passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2024, in Dawson Creek, BC, at the age of 94 years.

Kathleen Ruth Hambly was the first child born to Lylie and Rae Hambly on August 18, 1929, in Calgary, Alberta. Just before the market crash and the beginning of the Depression. The Waste Not Want Not ideal made a lasting impression on her. She kept everything, just in case it was needed.

Shortly after mom was born, the Hambly family moved to the East Wellington area of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Ruth was joined by her brother Rae, and sisters Irene, Anne, and Mary.

In 1947 Ruth married Alger Rae Travis (Art). Together they raised nine children: Barbara, Margret, Russel, Clifford, Tracy, Patrick, Michele, Shelley, and Annette. Their children brought sons- and daughters-in-law, twenty-one grandchildren, twenty-seven great- grandchildren and at last count 14 great-great-grandchildren. Five generations of love.

Ruth and Art had the first three children, Barbara, Margret, and Russel, while living on Vancouver Island. Art joined the Air Force which took them to many Air Force bases: Moose Jaw, Comox, Germany (where Clifford was born), and Namao to name a few. There were times that Art went to posts without the family and Ruth was essentially a single mother. At the end of his service, the Travis family ended up in Cotillion, Alberta to homestead. Here Tracy, Patrick, Michele, Shelley, and Annette joined the family.

Ruth spent a lot of time crocheting. All of her children received Afghans upon their marriages and the births of their children. She also loved to garden. When she still had a large family, she and Art had a massive vegetable patch. In her later years, she focused on her flowers, taking great pride in the beautiful blooms. She spent many an hour saving the dahlias from weeds that always grew well in the tough Peace River clay.

Ruth was also adventurous. The summer she turned 70, she and her good friend Kay Davies drove an RV across Canada, documenting names and dates from gravestones for the church files while they took in the sites of our nation. Ten years later, at the age of 80, she went on another epic cross-country journey with her sister Anne.

Ruth had a genuine thirst for knowledge. She would want to know the facts of any situation. She listened to news programs and loved politics. She had four complete sets of encyclopedias and would get them out if some topic came up that she was unsure of. She would not play Trivial Pursuit when the kids played but would call out answers often to the frustration of the other team. When asked, “How do you know that?” she’d reply, “I lived through it!”

She was patient and kind. She remained stoic and rarely showed emotion. Mom could walk and cuddle a crying baby without becoming rattled at all. She welcomed everyone into her home and treated them like family. Grandchildren remember spending the summers at the farm, always welcomed and free to roam. She called the CJDC birthday line daily to wish everyone she knew a happy birthday. Many birthday balloon bouquets were awarded to people who knew Ruth.

Also important in mom’s life was her faith in the Lord. She was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and her life was a testament to the church and its teachings. She always had scriptures close to her and read them extensively. She attended services faithfully and found refuge and peace within the walls of the church with her LDS brothers and sisters.

Ruth Travis passed away peacefully after a brief stay in hospital on the morning of January 7, 2024. She was 94 years old. She was seen as the matriarch of the Dawson Creek LDS branch and of the Cotillion/Bonanza area. All who knew her think of her kindness, her mandatory hugs, her open door, her sharp mind, and her big heart. She leaves a legacy of love.

The family want to thank the staff at Northview for their care for mom and Laura Peterson whose extraordinary care for their mother often exceeded what was called for. They would also like to thank Dr. Hargreaves and the hospital staff for their care during mom’s last week of life. Thank you all for making mom feel loved and cared for.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 2:00PM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 10901 13 Street, Dawson Creek, BC. Bishop Nathan Campbell will officiate. Interment will be held at a later date.

For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Ruth to the LDS Humanitarian Aid Fund, 10901 13 Street, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4E5, or https://donate.churchofjesuschrist.org/contribute/church/humanitarian-services/humanitarian-aid-fund?cde2=475

Very Respectfully Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium