Obituary: Ruby Eva (Jonas) Graf

May 23, 1923 – Feb. 19, 2020

Ruby E. Graf, 96, died in Sturgeon Bay. She was born in West Jacksonport to Fredrick Karl and Esther Emily (Honold) Jonas. Ruby attended Farview Grade School and Sevastopol High School, and later attended Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Sturgeon Bay.

Ruby married Walter J. Graf on Sept. 20, 1941, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Baileys Harbor. He died May 9, 1992. She and her husband farmed in West Jacksonport and operated a cattle-trucking business. Ruby was also employed at Kangaroo Lake Lodge and Cottages for many years. After retiring from farming in 1984, they moved to Sturgeon Bay. 

Through the years, Ruby enjoyed making patchwork quilts, knitting, crocheting, making jewelry trees, baking, gardening, playing cards, dancing, rosemaling and oil painting artwork. She was a member of the West Jacksonport Homemakers’ Club for 40 years and a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Ladies Aid.

Survivors include her daughters, Yvonne Hipskind, San Francisco, California, and Janice Washburn, The Villages, Florida; her sons, Dale (Wendy), Fish Creek, Don, Polson, Montana, Wesley, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Randy (Katie), Sturgeon Bay; brother, Glenn (Mary) Jonas, Cedarburg, Wisconsin; grandchildren, Terry (Sara) Daubner, Alyssa (Brent) Rozmenoski and Tammee Graf; great-grandchildren, Jasmyn Somarsingh, Aleksandar  Rozmenoski, and Caleb, Ethan, Micah and Finn Daubner.

Ruby was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sisters, Irene Flok/Vertz, Jeanette Jonas and Cora Knutson; brothers, Carl and Harvey; many sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law; sons-in-law Louis Johnson and Douglas Washburn.

The family will hold private services later. Inurnment will be at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in West Jacksonport. Simply Cremation assisted with the arrangements.