Ruby Nicklefork

Our anchor, Ruby Nicklefork, passed away surrounded by loving family on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 at the age of 81.

She will be lovingly remembered by her son, Jeff (Holly); grandchildren, Thomas and Ella; daughter, Deena; and bonus daughter, Olivia (John).  

Ruby was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Tom; father, Isaac; mother, Katherine; and sisters; Janet and Bernice.

Ruby grew up the 5th of 8 children on a small farm near Steinbach, Manitoba, and later moved to Maryfield, Saskatchewan. She attended school in a one room school house before heading to Briercrest Bible Institute. After BBI, she made her way to Winnipeg. There she worked as a telephone switchboard operator and then as a secretary. It was in Winnipeg where she met Tom and after a whirlwind romance, they married and moved around the country before finally settling down in Carstairs, AB, where they made their home for 42 years. 

Ruby honoured her Mennonite heritage by becoming the consummate homemaker. Their home was often filled with the smells of butterhorn rolls, cinnamon buns and her famous rhubarb dessert. She loved tending to her yard and spending time in her lush garden, often giving away her vegetables to friends and family as she always grew far too many. She was a fantastic seamstress which led to her making a lot of her own clothes, and was always very stylish.  

After Jeff and Deena were both in school, Ruby became a frequent volunteer. You could find her in the resource room, helping out in elementary classrooms, the library and eventually running the canteen. If there was a field trip or camping trip, Ruby would be the first to volunteer. 

Ruby had a deep faith in Christ. Raising her family in the Church, you could find her sitting every morning in the same spot, reading her well studied and worn out Bible. She always had a list of people to pray for, which was updated regularly. 

When not keeping house, you could find Ruby walking the town with one of her rescue dogs. Her love of animals and nature ran deep. She would often pick up and discard downed tree branches to keep pathways clean, and would also drive her daughter crazy by stopping to pull weeds as they walked. She always wanted to leave the world a better place.

Family was incredibly important to her. She maintained good relationships with all of her 23 nieces and nephews throughout her life. After her eldest sister passed away, leaving 4 young children, Ruby made it a priority to reach out and form deep relationships with all of them. This also extended to Jeff and Deena’s friends. Ruby made it a point to be a safe haven for anyone who needed it. The door to her home was always open (if the house was clean - which it always was). 

Ruby and Tom shared a deep appreciation of music, and Ruby was never one to miss a concert. She would even insist on going State side to see bands that weren’t touring in Canada. Somehow, often quite inexplicably, they would end up meeting the very performers they were there to see. On one such occasion while attending a Josh Groban concert, he called them up onto stage and sat them down for all to see, toasting their long standing marriage.

She also supported her children in their musical endeavours. While Jeff and Deena attended college, Ruby would make Tom drive her the 7 hours each December so that she could sit through all 4 Christmas concert performances. She flew to Toronto no less than 10 times to support Deena in her various opera performances (even sitting on a hard Church pew for 4 hours of Wagner), and would never miss an opportunity to see Jeff’s band if they were on tour.

The last concert they went to together was Gordon Lightfoot, her favourite. 

Ruby and Tom were determined to show the kids the world. As a family, they took many road trips around Canada and the United States. They also took the kids to Mexico, England, Australia and Hawaii. Once they were empty nesters, Ruby dragged Tom around the world and came back with stories that will be told for generations. 

Ruby's gentleness and kind spirit led in everything that she did. She lived her life in a way that inspired people to have patience, led with love, and to be generous. She had a zest for life and a twinkle in her eye. In her later years, her beautiful laugh rang throughout her home. Bubbly to the end, she laughed freely and joyfully. 

Ruby passed away from complications due to stroke after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

The family would like to thank Dr. Karen Brunner, the entire loving staff at Airdrie Care Community and the caring folks at A Friend Indeed (special thanks to Laurette!). They would also like to thank the many friends and neighbours that helped in the initial years of Ruby’s illness, including but not limited to, Brent and Marilyn Moss, Bob Peel and the Friesen family.

Gone too soon, forever in our hearts, finally free. We love you, we love you, we love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ‘Lei la lei’. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ruby’s name to a local animal shelter or any Alzheimer’s foundation.