Obituary of Ruby Charise Clifford
Our courageous, caring mother and grandmother, Ruby Clifford, passed away on the evening of December 21, 2024 at the Red Deer Hospice Society.
She was born on September 20, 1958, to Marian and Richard Sheppard, in Terrace, British Columbia. She was the fourth of five children, including siblings Shirley, Rick, Roger, and Mary. Her gregarious and playful personality was evident early in her life. She was an incredibly strong and independent person at a young age.
She met her future husband and love of her life Donald (Don) Clifford at the age of 21. A few months later she moved to Vancouver, B.C. to complete her Hairdresser training. With their relationship going well and new careers starting up, Ruby and Don moved to Prince George together in 1981. As a young woman, Ruby enjoyed spending time with her friends, playing cards, and socializing.
Ruby’s life in Prince George was always busy and full of new adventures. Her first home was in a mobile home park, where she lived for 10 years. Ruby and Don married in 1988 and were blessed to have two sons, Trevor and Adam.
This was an adventurous time for Ruby and Don, they purchased several properties which they renovated themselves. One was five acres of unimproved land, where they spent 2 years clearing trees and building a house, all while taking care of two young children and working full time. They spent the first summer living in a school bus which was retrofitted into a motorhome, with no running water. True to rural living, there were a lot of sponge baths and regular usage of an outhouse. Ruby’s life was anything but boring.
Don and Ruby moved with their family to Grande Prairie, Alberta, in 2001. While in Grande Prairie she started her job as a residential cleaner, a profession she would continue until retirement. The family moved to Red Deer, Alberta, in 2007.
Her joy for life was amplified in 2018 with the birth of her first grandchild, Finley, born to Adam and his wife Brittney; then again with their second child, Weston, born in 2020. Her third grandchild, Simon, born to Trevor and his wife Shauna, was also born in 2020. Ruby spent her final years being a passionate Grandma to her three grandchildren. Always a natural caretaker and someone who loved being around children, Ruby would light up whenever her grandchildren were around.
Ruby was the type of person who was friendly and easy to talk to: she could strike up a friendly conversation with almost anyone. She adored children, and provided a stable, loving home for her two boys. Christmas was a special time of year for Ruby, whose house was always immaculately decorated for the festive season, where she would host with ample food for everyone and presents for the kids.
Ruby’s death was brought on by a relatively unknown and rare condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This condition caused irreversible scarring of her lungs, which, over time, decreased her ability to utilize oxygen. She was first diagnosed in 2018. Ruby encouraged her loved ones to take good care of their health and lungs, and be aware of and minimize exposure to chemicals and airborne pollutants.
Ruby is survived by her siblings Shirley (Rob) Aussant, Roger (Florence) Sheppard, and Mary (Natino) Bellantoni. She is preceded in death by her brother Rick.
A celebration of Ruby’s life will be held at later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on Ruby’s behalf to the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at cpff.ca/donate/. Condolences to Ruby’s family may be emailed to meaningful@telus.net. Please indicate “Clifford” in the subject line.
Arrangements in care of
Meaningful Memorials Funeral Service
A locally owned cremation and funeral provider
serving Red Deer and all of Central Alberta
587-876-4944