She was born in Lomita, California and raised by Claybourne and Gladine Davis. She later met her husband, James (Jay) W. Moore, who was stationed there for a time during WWII. They married in 1946 and moved to Colorado, Jay's native home, where they raised five children. The family split time between Denver and their beloved cattle ranch in the Laramie River Valley (Rainbow River Ranch).
Ruth learned the value of hard work at an early age. Too young to reach the counter at her father’s grocery store, her job was to stand on a box behind it and in her head, tally the customer’s grocery bill as they checked out. Her Father proudly claimed that she was very seldom wrong. As a result of this upbringing, she was known throughout her life for her work ethic and her math and retail sales expertise. She worked as a comptometer operator and was a clerk and consulting buyer in various retail shops including the May D&F in Denver, and Joslins and Dillard’s in Longmont. For a time, Ruth and Jay owned and operated their own business, Medical Personnel Pool, with offices in Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque, incorporating regular commutes to these places into their busy lives.
Never one to be limited by traditional gender roles, Ruth equally excelled in the home and in the hayfields. No matter what, she did her best and gave 100% to every task, small or large.
Ruth enthusiastically decorated for every holiday and hosted large family dinners for any celebration. She eschewed pre-packaged food and boxed mixes and her homemade pies and birthday cakes were legendary. She could cook any kind of meat so that it melted in your mouth, including the wild game that was the mainstay of many meals. To further supplement feeding the large family, her pantry was always fully stocked with her canned fruit, vegetables, pickles, and homemade jams and jellies. She was an amazing seamstress - sewing and often creating patterns for pleated living room drapes, matching Easter dresses for her girls and their cousin, tiny doll clothes to match her daughters’ outfits, prom dresses, bridesmaids’ dresses, wedding accessories and even a couch that unfolded to a double bed that she made from foam blocks and upholstered in corduroy.
Additionally, during the summers at the ranch, Ruth worked from sunup to sundown mowing hay. True to form, she named her tractor “Daisy” and covered it with flower decals. At a time when few women were truck drivers, for a few years she even drove a 22-foot flatbed truck, hauling hay from the ranch to Denver. Famous for her “can do” attitude, she never hesitated to attempt fixing a toaster, TV set, or even her car.
Ruth loved travel, crafts, antiques, the Denver Broncos, and dancing with her husband.
She never saw a garage sale she didn’t want to check out, a seashell or rock she didn’t want to collect, or an angel figurine she didn’t want to purchase. Her daughters remember her as always busy, calm in a crisis, never resting or complaining about her workload, but always up for a good time or hearty laugh.
The family lore includes one particular escapade when she was exploring the countryside with her children and ended up on a road cut off by a shallow river. The road was so narrow and steep that she couldn’t safely back up or turn around, (the kids later discovered it was a designated jeep trail!). She calmly had her oldest daughter help her make a path of stones across the river, drove the car over the stones to where she could safely turn around, then re-crossed the river and disbursed the rocks so the land looked undisturbed. The only casualty was a gigantic lump in the floor of her husband’s brand-new sedan and a car full of wide-eyed kids just beginning to understand the extent of her adventurous spirit.
Her greatest joys in life were spending time with her family and those dear to her whom she considered family. Until her health began to fail, she traveled as often as possible with many of these people. She crisscrossed the continental U.S., visited Mexico, and as a widow, toured Hawaii, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Austria, France, and Italy with her oldest daughter. New places and adventures delighted her, and just like the jeep trail described above, she could never pass a dirt road without exploring where it led.
We lovingly send her off down that final unmarked road.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents Claybourn A. Davis and Gladine (Gibbs) Davis, her sister Violet (Davis) Childs, husband James (Jay) W. Moore, and her son Robert T. Moore. She is survived by her daughters Diane C. Moore, Jackie L. McCormick (Michael), Elizabeth C. Moore, Kim K. Moore (Anthony Gonzales), 13 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild. In Ruth’s memory, give your loved ones a big hug, enjoy a laugh with a treasured friend, go on an adventure, see where a dirt road leads, or donate to the charity of your choice.
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