Obituary of Ruby Ann Young

Ruby (Davidson) (McKenzie) Young passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 30, 2017.  She was born in Wichita, Kansas on April 27, 1922 to John and Beulah Davidson. The family moved to Three Oaks, Michigan in 1926 where she grew up and eventually graduated from Three Oaks High School. From there she moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan to attend, at the time, Michigan College of Education (WMU). Ruby worked hard to put herself through school, nannying for two separate families. In 1945 she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and began her life as a teacher. Throughout her career she taught high school in Hartford, elementary school in Vicksburg and Kalamazoo, and for thirteen years, was a homebound teacher. Teaching was an enormous part of Ruby’s life, helping to care for and nurture the minds of not only her students, but her friends and family as well. She was a member of the American Business Women’s Association and won Woman of the Year in 1975. After retiring in 1983 she moved back to her childhood home in Three Oaks, where she began focusing on her hobbies and building a home well-suited for family visits. Ruby loved gardening and was a member of the River Valley Garden Club. She was an avid reader, noted crossword puzzle solver, superb cook, and lover of classical music. Preserving family history also became an important task, which she accomplished through photo journaling.

Her survivors include her sister, Jacquelyn (Bonnie) Davidson; stepbrother, Ray (Joann) Davidson; son, Greg McKenzie and daughter, Rochelle Young; grandchildren, Sean (Claudia) McKenzie, Wendy (Bill) Whitmore, Emily (Justin) Sapp, and Amanda Lentz; great-grandchildren, Jasmine, Sydney, Dominic, Elijah, Jaxon, Xavier, Jaycen, Hendrix, and Eidan; great-great-grandchildren, Calvin, Jaylynn, and Zayden; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her granddaughter, Dawn Williams; son, Jack Young Jr.; siblings, Lola Bower and Charles Davidson; stepsiblings, Bette Noah, Richard Davidson, and Robert Davidson; husbands Jack Young Sr. and Grant (Bud) McKenzie. A cremation has taken place, and a memorial service will be scheduled for a later date. Contributions in Ruby’s memory can be made to a charity of choice.