Ruby May Stanley
Ruby May Stanley

Ruby May Stanley passed peacefully from this life on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 surrounded by family and friends in Wilmington. Born on May 26, 1936 in Middletown, DE, Ruby was the daughter of the late Norman Walker Kumpel and the late Ruby Reynolds Whitlock, and was raised by her aunt, the late May Kumpel, upon the early passing of her parents.

Ruby graduated from the University of Delaware in 1958 with a degree in Mathematics, later earning her Master's Degree in that field. One of the first technical women to be hired by DuPont Engineering, she was a software developer, teacher and programming consultant for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1993. She wrote programs for estimation and modeling of statistical data and quality long before any commercial software was available.

Ruby was an integral part at the Wilmington Drama League since 1968 and held various positions on the board of directors (including president from 1993-1998). She was also a director, costumer and actress. Her most recent principle role was the lead in "Driving Miss Daisy".

Ruby was preceded in death by her mentor and companion, Bob Withers.

Ruby is survived by her family, including the children of her lifelong friend, the late Jean Birch. Ruby counted as her family Cynthia Shields and her fianc‚, Patrick DeSmet and her daughters, Angela Cannon and Jacqueline Shields and their sons, Jacob Cannon and Andrew Martin; Christopher Birch and his wife, Linda and their son, Christopher Jr.; Steven Birch and his companion, Virginia and family, Joey, Jimmy and Grace; Gregory Birch and daughter, CJ, son Brendan and grandson, Hayden; Marcel Forestieri; Ted Whitlcok (Betty), Howard Whitlock (Andi), Rodney Whitlock, Helen Alexander, Olive Jane Shallcross; Lisa Whitlock-Merenda (Jay), Ruby Merenda and Griffin Merenda. Ruby is also survived by countless friends from DuPont, the Wilmington Drama League and others who shared her love of theatre, travel, crafts, jewelry and shopping, including longtime friends, Esther Steele, Mary Jenkins, Shirley Stanley and Margaret Sarner.

Friends and family are invited to visitation at the DOHERTY FUNERAL HOME, 1900 Delaware Ave., Wilmington on Saturday, January 22 from 9:00 - 10:30 am, with funeral services beginning at 10:30 am. Interment will be in Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery immediately thereafter. A reception will follow at the Wilmington Drama League.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Ruby's honor may be made to the Wilmington Drama League, 10 W. Lea Blvd., Wilmington, DE 19802 or the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, 4755 Ogletown Stanton Rd., Newark, DE 19713. To offer online

condolences, please visit

www.dohertyfh.com




Published in The News Journal on January 20, 2011