Ruby Joyce (Rutherford) Doyle, age 91, passed away peacefully at St Francis Manor in Grinnell on Saturday, June 3, 2023.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. A luncheon will follow the interment in the Heritage Room at the Smith Funeral Home.

The family will receive friends for visitation held from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Wednesday, June 7th at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell.

Memorials may be designated to the St. Francis Manor Activity Fund or to Care Initiatives Hospice and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Ruby's family online at www.smithfh.com.

Ruby was born August 14,1931 in Pilot Point, Texas to Will and Ara (Lawson) Rutherford. Her mother passed away when she was 16 months old and she was raised by her Aunt Ella (Granny) and Uncle Jodie Tidmore of Flagg, Texas.

Ruby was united in marriage to James Joseph Doyle on September 28,1946 in Selina, Kansas. They eventually made their home in Barnsdall, Oklahoma and Albuquerque, New Mexico before moving to Grinnell in 1949, where they planted their roots. She began working for GTE phone company as a telephone operator until 1952, when Jim went off to the service. She followed him to Kansas and on to Newport News, Virginia, where she worked in the office of a department store until Jim was sent overseas. She then went to California and stayed with her brother Buster and his wife Dee. While living there, she worked in a factory where they made missiles until Jim's return in 1954. Later that year, they returned to Grinnell and she went back to work at GTE until the summer of 1956, when she became a mother and homemaker. At that time, she babysat, ironed, became a beauty counselor consultant, did tax work for the offices of Tomasek & Vogel, and also Goodrich Insurance. In 1970, she went to work full time as the bookkeeper at Hy-Vee until she retired in 1993.

Ruby was a member of the Rebecka's Lodge in Malcom and a small group of ladies that got together and played cards once a month. She enjoyed doing crafts and hand work and loved to travel with Jim. While traveling, she enjoyed stopping at antique shops. After Jim's passing, she did extensive traveling with her sister, Margaret and husband Glenn.

Ruby is survived by her children, Cheryl Ann Doyle of Anchorage, Alaska, Vickie (Kevin) Grimm of Keswick, Iowa, and Donald Doyle of Grinnell; an honorary daughter, Faye Woodhead of Anchorage, Alaska; seven grandchildren, Nicholas (Krista) Thompson of Celebration, FL, Derek (Katrina) Felton of Lexington, SC, Ryan Grimm of Deep River, Donnie (Tara Neal) Doyle of Grinnell, Meredith Doyle of Grinnell, James Doyle of Marshalltown ,and Karlee Katchatag of Hilo, HI; 9 great-grandchildren, Shantel Doyle, Natasha Doyle, Shaylynn and Shyann Doyle, Ella Neal, Laykin Neal, Alexis Clark, Dakota Hale, and Connor Thompson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim in 1996; her brothers, Lewis and Buster Rutherford; sisters, Juanita Bigheart, Mattie Lee Smith, and Margaret Smith; as well as several nieces and nephews.