Ruby Conatser Fitzgerald
Ruby Conatser Fitzgerald, 98, of Choteau, passed away on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at a local care facility. Arrangements have been entrusted to Croxford Funeral Home. Ruby will be entombed with her loving husband, James, at Arlington National Cemetery later in the Spring.
Ruby was born on February 27, 1918 in Glasgow, Montana to William J. Conatser and Mercedes Hibbett Conatser. She was raised on a farm at Tampico, near Glasgow, MT. She was very proud of her Montana heritage and the diverse cultures of the area. Her Native American name given to her by a friend of the family was "Born By The River". She graduated from Glasgow High School and was always ready to go to a basketball game that involved the Scotties. On June 25, 1949, she married James Fitzgerald. After she and Jim were married, she accepted a position with the Forest Service on a fire lookout offering Jim peace and quiet while he studied. In 1956 Jim won a Fullbright Scholarship and later accepted a position in the foreign service, where they were both involved in assignments, traveling around the world as ambassadors from the United States.
Jim's work with the American Embassy took them to locations all over the world including Kenya, Japan, Indonesia, Columbia, and Nicaragua. While Jim was on job assignments, Ruby did volunteer work in the communities where they lived. In Indonesia she taught English as part of a dual culture program. In Columbia she did volunteer work in a Columbian prison. In 1986 they returned to Alexandria, VA. There Ruby continued her volunteerism where she worked with the Alexandria Police Department for over 15 years. She helped organize Red Cross blood drives, worked with Crime Prevention, and Neighborhood Watch programs. She continued to do volunteer work after moving to Choteau in 2005, assisting with the Food Pantry and providing snacks for Lions Club members as they worked on projects.
She was an artist, working with pottery and painting.
She is survived by her sister, Esther Wall of Glasgow; nephews, Jack Conatser, Tim Wall, Duaine Wall, Robert Thomas, Larry Thomas, and nieces Elaine Unrau, Connie Osgood, Sharon Osgood, VernaDee Osgood, and Peggy Osgood.
In addition to her father and mother, she was proceeded in death by her "Uncle Charlie" Conatser; brother, Charles Conatser; sisters, Margaret Osgood and Bedelia Thomas.