POWERS, RUBY EVELYN, Ruby Powers loved family, gardening, and traveling. She was a very patriotic person and a Pearl Harbor Survivor. She retired from Sears at age 65 after 37 years. She loved to participate in employees activities, skits, and special events, and enjoyed taking her homegrown oranges to friends at work. After retirement, she traveled extensively to various parts of the world, Born in Cordele, Georgia, she was orphaned by age 3 and was raised by her brothers. At age 13, they moved to the Orlando area. She graduated from Orlando High School in 1930 as an honor student; in 1936 she married Grover "Cotton" Powers at the Knowles Chapel, Rollins College. Grover had played baseball, football, and basketball at Winter Park High School and later on joined the Navy. "My mom and I were in Pearl Harbor when it was bombed and she was pregnant with my sister at the time," said daughter, Elinore Ross, of Winter Park. "She left me in a culvert while she took my dad and other officers to board their ships. She saw the bombs dropping, the ships exploding, soldiers on fire, and a Japanese plane flying so low she saw the pilot's goggles. Later, the Navy took over a passenger/cargo ship belonging to the Matson Line with a capacity of 500-- we had 1475 women and children, 250 wounded men and the crew. We arrived in San Francisco, zig-zagging all the way to avoid Japanese torpedoes." From there, we returned to Orlando. She always had a lot of stories to tell. After her return to Orlando, her second daughter, Evelyn Callaway of Orlando, was born. In 1948, the family built their own home on Lake Inwood in the Conway area. Ruby and her husband both had green thumbs and grew camellias, coleus, crotons, day lilies, azaleas, and a few citrus trees. They cross-bred day lilies and people from all over Central Florida would come to see them, in their magnificent colors as well as to see their beautifully "landscaped to perfection" yard under 100 year old beautiful oak trees and lined with palms. Ruby played an active role in Conway Elementary and Cherokee Jr. High PTAs, helping with festivals and fund raisers. She loved being a ghost in the Haunted House and managing the Go-Fish booth. She always took part in the community's fund raising, collecting for March of Dimes, etc. Ruby was active at Conway United Methodist Church for many years and was instrumental in getting the clay for the play- ground built by the church for the Conway community. She donated lots of plants to the church over the years for landscaping. She loved to play the piano and have her daughters sit and sing gospel and patriotic songs. After her retirement and until her health failed, she attended many events having to do with patriotism and the military. In 1986, she moved to Winter Park and became a member of Aloma United Methodist and the Friendship Sunday School class. She was also a member of the Retired Officers Assn. Wives Club, Pearl Harbor Survivors Assoc., the Day Lily Society and Sears Retirees Club. Besides her two daughters, she is survived by five grandchildren, Pam Peterson of St. Augustine, Jack Foster of Spartanburg, Debbie Fleri of Atlanta, Jim "Bo" Callaway and Ike B. Ross, Jr. of Orlando. She is also survived by five great-grandchildren. A gathering of family and friends will be held at Carey-Hand Cox Parker Funeral Home, Winter Park, on Thursday, May 1, 2003 from 6-8PM. Memorial Services will be held at Aloma United Methodist Church, Winter Park, on Friday May 2, 2003 at 10AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Aloma United Methodist Church, 3045 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, FL or Conway United Methodist Church.
Published in the Orlando Sentinel on May 1, 2003
Contributor: Lizzy (50302002)