September 21, 1952 – November 5, 2011
On Saturday, November 5, 2011, the world lost a bright, funny, irreverent soul and we lost a mother, sister, and aunt. Ruth died peacefully in the Intensive Care Unit of the Royal Jubilee Hospital at 3:01 pm after spending three days in a coma, following a cardiac arrest at home. Her son, Tyler, and her sister, Margaret, were with her, and together with Dr. Polson and the wonderful nursing staff of the ICU, we said our good-byes and let her go.
Ruth was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, one of three daughters of George and Shirley (Heald) Taylor. When she was four the family moved to Winnipeg and it was there that Ruth’s intensely sociable nature asserted itself. She made daily “visits” to neighbours and it was through Ruth that her mother met almost everyone on the block. When Shirley’s multiple sclerosis became increasingly incapacitating, the family moved back to the Lakehead, where Ruth attended Westgate High School and worked in the hospitality industry. Popular and intelligent, Ruth did well in school, but left before graduating. She worked in various restaurants and clubs and at one point took a job with a local construction company as their first female to operate the pavement roller – an oddity that made it into the newspaper, with pictures.
In 1974 Ruth and her infant son, Izak, moved to Vancouver Island, settling first in Sooke, then in Sidney, and eventually in James Bay. Seven years later her second son, Tyler James Rory, was born to her and her partner, Jim Robinson.
Apart from a few trips back to Ontario to visit family, Ruth never left Victoria. Life wasn’t easy, but she faced her challenges with humour and a feisty independence that both helped and hindered her. She loved music and people and inherited her father’s ability to turn almost any stranger into a friend. Right to the end she enjoyed crosswords, murder mysteries and games; the night before she went into a coma, she played Scrabble with friends at a local James Bay coffee shop.
Ruth is survived by her beloved son Tyler, her older sister Margie (Ken), and her younger sister Patricia (Dave). Kelty, Sarah, Jill, Jesse, and Cody will always remember their smart, funny aunt with fondness and she will be missed by her former partner and friend, Jim, her long-time friend Steve, and the many friends, neighbours, social workers and health care workers who knew her and cared for her over the years. A celebration of Ruth’s life will take place next year in James Bay.
In lieu of flowers, you may send a donation to James Bay Community Project, 547 Michigan St., Victoria BC V8S 1S5, or online at http://jbcp.bc.ca.
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