Date Posted: 2012-05-30
Maiden Name: Wycoff

Mrs. Ruby Frances (Wycoff) Crandall died Wednesday evening, May 30, 2012 at the Mount Carmel Home Keens Memorial at Kearney. Her age was 92 years, four months and one day.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, June 3, 2012 at the United Methodist Church in Wilcox with Pastor Virginia Fleharty officiating. Interment will be at the Wilcox Cemetery in Wilcox. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Saturday from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the family greeting callers from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. and before service time Sunday at the church.

Ruby Frances Wycoff was born the second child of three children to Mrs. Ima Leila (Ruby) Wycoff and Ray Sheppard Wycoff, M.D. on Jan. 29, 1920 at Wapello, Iowa.

At the age of one and half years, Ruby moved to Hunacao, Puerto Rico with her parents who were medical missionaries. They returned to the United States when Ruby was four years old making their home in Lexington where her father set up his medical practice. Her parents had returned to the states to care for her three cousins, who were her mother Ima's brother's children, whose parents had passed away. She attended schools in Lexington where she graduated from high school with the class of 1937. She then attended and graduated from the Nebraska Wesleyan University with a B.A. degree in music.

On Nov. 2, 1940 Miss Ruby Frances Wycoff was united in marriage to George Rogers Crandall at the Methodist Parsonage in Sidney, Iowa. To this union four children were born: Georgene Kay, Robert Ray, Richard Keith and James Bert. The family made their home at George's current home west of Wilcox in 1941. After raising her children, Ruby attended Kearney State Teachers College where she received her teaching certificate. She taught the fifth grade for 20 years at the Wilcox Public Schools. She also gave piano lessons for many years. Ruby enjoyed playing the piano and the organ at the Wilcox Methodist Church for over 50 years. She also played the organ for a great number of funerals.

When Ruby's health began to fail, she moved to Northridge Assisted Living in Kearney in September 2009. She had been a resident of the Mount Carmel Home Keens Memorial since April 2011. On Nov. 2, 2011 George and Ruby celebrated their 71st Wedding Anniversary.

Ruby was a member of the Wilcox United Methodist Church and the Nebraska State Education Association.

Ruby leaves to mourn her passing her loving and devoted husband George of their home west of Wilcox; one daughter, Georgene (Dale) Smidt of Wood River; three sons, Bob Crandall of rural Overton, Dick (Lani) Crandall of Alpine, Calif., and Jim (Leslie) Crandall of rural Holdrege; seven grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; other relatives and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her father; her mother; two brothers, Raymond Wycoff in childhood and Keith Wycoff and one granddaughter, Lori Smidt Webster.

Memorials are suggested to the Wilcox United Methodist Church or to the Wilcox Community Foundation.

Banta-Torrey Funeral Home of Wilcox is in charge of the arrangements.