Obituary: Ruth Day Hamby, 106, Kirkland's Oldest Woman

Ruth Day Hamby was born on Oct. 20, 1906 and passed away on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013.

Born in Earlington, KY, Ruth was a resident of Kirkland in her later years, but lived and raised her family with her husband Earl, in Vancouver, WA.

In honor of Hamby's 105th birthday in 2011, the city of Earlington declared Oct. 20 "Ruth Hamby Day," and her family submitted the following biography to the Pennyrile Plus in Kentucky:

Ruth Hamby was born on Oct. 20, 1906 in the little town of Earlington. She graduated from Earlington High School and was a member of the high school girls’ basketball team despite her short stature. Ruth married Earl Hamby, also from Earlington, in 1927, and together they bought their first house for $200. Ruth and her husband moved to Vancouver, Wash. in 1941, following Earl’s oldest brother, who got him a job at the Kaiser shipyards. Earl continued working for Kaiser during WWII, and Ruth helped christen one of the naval war ships that was built there.

In 1946, when Ruth was 40 years old, her only son, Jack, was born. In 1952, Ruth began working for the Vancouver School District and enjoyed a 20-year career there before her retirement in 1972. Throughout her life, Ruth has been an enthusiastic participant in many bridge groups and women’s organizations and was a 50-year member of the Vancouver Presbyterian Church. She always enjoyed walking, gardening, antiquing (her son says she was addicted to garage sales) and cooking. Her excellence in the kitchen was renowned in Vancouver and Jack’s friends always wanted an invitation to his house for dinner. They especially loved her pies.

The family said in the biography that Ruth enjoyed being a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister. At her home at Emeritus in Kirkland, she enjoyed socializing at the happy hours, playing Bingo with  friends and competing in spelling bees.

According to the Kirkland Reporter, Emeritus is planning to hold a celebration of life for Ruth Hamby Friday, March 8, at 3 p.m. Hamby is interred at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver.