Ruby Morrow

    Ruby Lucile Morrow, 86, of Ganado, passed away at her home on Thursday, March 5, 2020. She was born on March 11, 1933, in rural Ganado, Texas to the late John Alvin and Mable Hicks.     Ruby was a cotton-top kid born during the Great Depression. She was the middle child in a family of three girls. Ruby somehow managed to end up being the boss of both of her older sisters, Dorothy, and her younger sister, Gladys. They both learned early in life it was just easier to do what she said. Ruby and her sisters attended elementary at Little Kentucky School and although Ruby’s grades were nothing to brag about, she managed to graduate Ganado High School in May of 1951.     A few months later she married her high school sweetheart, Marvin Gene Morrow. They married on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 1951 at the Ganado Baptist Church, when Marvin was home on a short leave from the Army before he had to go overseas to Korea.     With Marvin’s return, he and Ruby lived in Ganado, where they raised their two daughters, Phyllis Elaine and Susan Faye. Ruby was a busy bee, always doing something. She worked at various jobs throughout her life. When the girls were very young, she worked at the Ganado Telephone Company as a switchboard operator. She said that often people would call in and just ask to be connected to their mothers. Without asking their name, Ruby knew who the caller was and who they wanted to be connected to. Other jobs followed, including The Fabric Shop, Housson’s Clothing Store, and Express Finance.     Ruby was an outstanding seamstress and she made all of Phyllis and Susan’s clothes. Despite the fact that they looked nothing alike and were born 14 months apart, she dressed her girls as twins until they were finally old enough to put a stop to it. She sewed everything from baby blankets to the matching two-piece pant suits of the 70’s, and fully-lined women’s suit jackets and even several wedding dresses.     Family and family dinners were always important to Ruby and she taught her girls to cook by making them do it. Her chocolate chips cookies, dill pickles, Thanksgiving cornbread dressing and even her pimento cheese sandwiches were just a few of the family’s favorites. Football season always meant eating her cheese dip in front of the TV.     Ruby’s favorite pasttime was being chauffered by Marvin on their evening tours around town and trips to Dairy Queen for ice cream cones. She loved watering her plants and collecting seeds. The family can now divvy up all those seeds that never got planted and be surprised at what sprouts.     In 1973 Ruby was blessed with her first grandchild, who, because he could not say grandma, gave her the name she has been known by for the last 46 years, “Ma.” She would do anything for her five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In her eyes, they could do no wrong.     Ruby is survived by her daughters, Phyllis Elaine Kowalik and husband, James, and Susan Faye Thomas and husband, Jon; sister, Dorothy Baker; grandchildren, Heath J. Thomas, Jana L. Ricketts, Brian E. Thomas, April D. Thomas and Jake A. Kowalik; great-grandchildren, Tyler A Surber, Katlyn P. Thomas, Maren T. Ricketts, Sadie L. Ricketts, and Maxwell Cooper Robles; many nieces and cousins and many, many friends.     The best gift she gave her daughters was she taught them to always put others first.     Ruby is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Marvin Gene Morrow; and sister Gladys Wedemeier.     Pallbearers were Heath Thomas, Brian Thomas, Jake Kowalik, C.J. Robles, Brent Burttschell, and John Rickets.       Visitation was at 9 a.m., Monday, March 9 followed by a funeral service at 10 a.m. at the Ganado Funeral Home with the Rev. Ryan Carpenter officiating. Interment followed in the Ganado Cemetery.     Services have been entrusted to Russell Todish of Ganado Funeral Home, 771-8313.