Ruby May Thurston Aman

1/5/1927 – 12/5/2023

Ruby May Thurston was born in Danbury, Nebraska to Lee Orin & Eva Thurston plus one elder brother, Burdell – all of whom preceded her in death. Her childhood was family centered, enjoying strong bonds with a large extended family in & around McCook, Nebraska. Her young life was heavily influenced by the experience of the Great Depression and her family resorting to living in an abandoned dirt floored “dugout” house in Danbury for a period of time.

She consistently earned top grades in school, including a year of Junior College. Coming from a musical family, Ruby was an enthusiastic member of the high school band.

She met Walter S. Aman at McCook high school as soon as he arrived there from Kearny. They began dating shortly thereafter. They were married in Oberlin, Kansas in 1945 while Walter was serving in the US Navy. Ruby then moved to Chicago while Walter finished radar training at Navy Pier.

Following Walter’s Navy service, he became a radio repair technician for the Guy James Construction Company of Oklahoma City & worked on various dam projects in the Midwest. Ruby gave birth to eldest son, Robert, in 1948 – who was quickly followed by Stephen in 1949. By 1952 they were living in Chester, Montana, where youngest son Walter Lee was born. The couple decided moving from job site to job site was not an ideal life for a young family. Walter had become proficient in bookkeeping & they decided their future lie further West in the Portland, Oregon area. They settled in Beaverton, Oregon – Ruby remained a Beaverton resident until after Walter’s death in 2005.

Ruby led a busy life raising three growing sons & supporting her husband’s evolving career. They were active in Bethel Church & Ruby participated in community life including the local musical concert series where she volunteered. For many years she was active in the Pittock Mansion society.

In 1965 the family founded the Snix Snax shop in Valley Plaza. Ruby managed the carmelcorn, candy & ice cream shop – employing her sons & daughter-in-law Mary Jane. They closed the business following a successful three years, the couple turning their energies to managing The Carousel restaurant, a fine dining establishment in the plaza – jointly managing the business for two years. Throughout their life together, Ruby was regularly called upon to assist Walter with various accounting and administrative tasks. She played an active role in the family’s swimming pool businesses from 1973 – 1981.

The family’s leisure time was devoted to boating the Columbia & Willamette Rivers in a series of boats ranging from 26 to 60 feet. Offshore salmon fishing was a key element in their marine life. While never a big fan of ANY water, Ruby gamely accompanied her family on boating outings for decades before putting her foot down around age 70, her husband agreed she had sacrificed enough. They turned to motorhoming – travelling across the USA many times – Walter at the wheel and Ruby as a VERY adept navigator. The couple enjoyed a series of leisure homes on the Oregon Coast in Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita and Lincoln City. In the early part of this century they fell in love with Lake Coeur d’Alene, where they owned a waterfront home, two condos & multiple boats and watercraft for the enjoyment of their extended family.

Grandchildren played a huge part in the couple’s lives. Ruby is survived by her three sons, Robert (Gayle) of Beaverton, Stephen (Jeanne) of Lone Tree, Colorado and Walter (Cynthia) of Marana, Arizona; 17 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She & Walter’s lives were always, consistently, family centric.

In 2008, Ruby decided she was no longer tolerant of winter in Oregon, moving to Denver Colorado to join her son Stephen. They shared a home for 8 years, Ruby remained living independently until a home accident and broken hip compromised her mobility & she moved to assisted living.

Our Mother was an optimist with an openly happy and upbeat outlook on life. She was a patron of the arts and an avid collector of a variety of art forms, particularly paintings. She loved music while her hearing permitted. She read extensively and stayed abreast of current events. She & Walt travelled the world together, and her son Stephen kept her road tripping with him for many years throughout the Southwestern US for as long as her mobility permitted.

Enjoying a comfortable spiritual life, death held no fear for Mom, she looked forward to a peaceful departure from this long and very full life – we are truly thankful that she was allowed that comfort. We would like to extend warm and sincere thanks to the management and staff at the Inn at Greenwood Village, Colorado for providing consistently warm, loving and professional care to Mom through her last years.

A celebration of life for our Mother will be held at 1:00PM, Saturday, February 24. Pilgrim Lutheran School gymnasium, 5650 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton, OR.