Born in 1933 in Litchfield Park, Arizona, to the late Trinidad and Isidora Lopez Gem, she fell in love with, exchanged a library of love letters with, and eventually married the love of her life, Emilio Terre Juarez. They were married for 57 years.
Ruth worked alongside Emilio as owners of Banner Construction, building it from scratch into one of the largest and most successful contracting businesses in Arizona.
Faith in a loving God was the pillar of Ruth’s life. She was a longtime member of Christ"s Church of the Valley. She loved gardening, singing, cooking delicious Mexican meals... and eating them. She was famous for never letting a leftover go to waste.
Ruth spent her final decades in her beloved adobe home in Cave Creek - dreamed, designed, and hand-built by Emilio, one mud brick at a time. She adored sitting long hours on the front patio, among the palo verde, listening to the trickle of the fountain and watching the quail, cardinals and doves.
But more than anything, she loved her family.
Faith and family are her two precious and enduring gifts, living on in her large and loving family: her children Sylvia DeVries, Renee DeVries, Rebecca Tritz, Alex Juarez, and Melissa Juarez Borden; her siblings Petra Soto, Steven Gem, Trinidad Gem and Yolanda Gem; her grandchildren Jesse DeVries, Juliet Pyles, Dawson DeVries, Tyler Tritz, Michael, Alexa, and Joseph Juarez; and her great-grandchildren Grace, Jayden, Elise, Addie and Walker DeVries, Alessandra and Aria Pyles, Aspen and Ainsley DeVries, Scarlett and Tanner Tritz; and many other loving family and friends.
She is remembered - and celebrated - by them all.
