Chugiak resident, Ruby Anna Karaffa, 87, died April 5, 2018 at Alaska Regional Hospital surrounded by her family.

Ruby was born March 6, 1931 in Ketchikan, Alaska to George & Edith Eaton.

Ruby met her sweetheart, Paul, in Ketchikan in the summer of 1949 and married June 8, 1950. In the Spring of 1962, they moved their family to Anchorage. Ruby traveled with her sweetheart and their six children throughout Alaska due to Paul's many projects constructing and installing water and septic systems in villages. They moved to Chugiak where they lived for 40 years. During these forty years, she worked as an administrative assistant for the Office of Environmental Health & Engineering from 1975 to 2000 at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

Ruby was a full-blooded Tsimshian Indian. She loved her native heritage and watched the dances of the annual Alaskan Federation of Natives convention. She belonged to the Eagle clan and Beaver sub-clan. She loved to travel to Ketchikan and Metlakatla where she visited her family and friends. She loved watching ice skating on the television. Her hobbies included reading, crocheting, and embroidering. Ruby's favorite computer games included solitaire, mahjong, and hidden pictures.

Ruby volunteered in many organizations in Ketchikan and Anchorage from 1945 to 1964.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Peter Karaffa, Sr; grandchildren- Karl, Hailey; sisters- Mary Pendleton, Dorothy Hrvatin, Edith Shedlosky; brother- Henry Ecklund.

She is survived by her children: Paul III (Bud) Karaffa, Mike and Diane Karaffa, Millie Karaffa-Beckman, Mark Karaffa, Berni and Rick Moore, David and Pam Karaffa; daughter-in-law- Anne Velardi.

Grandchildren: Kim Fulton, Kurtis Karaffa, Valerie and Robert Kuhn, Tim & Jo Karaffa, Chris Karaffa, Jason Karaffa, Stephanie Bowman, Leonard (Lenny) Wallner III, Isaiah Wallner, Shaun and Tia Wallner, Levi Wallner, Nicholas Karaffa, Justin Karaffa, Andrew Karaffa, Jacob Karaffa, Jana Gallagher, Ricky Moore & Kris, Nicole and Drew Dewberry, Kyle Scheibe & Tracy Carter, Kayla and Matt Vukich .

Great-Grandchildren: Delorian, Destiny, Kailey, Dante, Railynn, Zoey, Dusti, Mikey, Justin, Jaxon, Aattai, Ozzie, Trenton, Marie, Aidan, Amber, Mikkie, Kaitlyn, Julie, Auna, John, Abrielle, Landon, Cohen, Caisen.

Sister: Isabelle Banhart.

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Ruby Karaffa is also remembered in the Bayview Cemetery.

Ruby's relationship to U.S. Shock is inferred due to the DNA relationship between her daughters and the descendants of his children.