Ruth E Colby October 24, 1928 – December 07, 2018 Share this obituary Local Florists View/Sign Guest Book| Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card RUTH ELISABETH COLBY passed away at home on Dec 7, 2018, while taking a nap with her beloved dog Rosie. She had recently celebrated her 90th birthday. She enjoyed many family gatherings her final years.
She particularly loved seeing grandchildren and great grandchildren, some of whom had to travel great distances to be present. She was born in Seattle on October 24, 1928 to Danish immigrant parents, Martin and Ellen Nielsen. Ruth was proud of her Danish heritage and loved visiting her relatives in Denmark.
Danish flags are still required on all family Christmas trees. Ruth approached life head on. In her words, she wanted to go, go, go!
And go she did. She once celebrated one of her Toyota’s passing the 300,000 mile mark by pouring champagne into the radiator. She took up skiing as an adult and went on to work in the industry for 10 years where she befriended some of skiings great.
She was a lifelong sailing enthusiast. In 1970 she skippered a Cal 36 sailboat from Maui, Hawaii to Everett. She was also a crew member on a Danish sloop in the Sjaelland Rundt in 1990, billed as the “Largest sailboat race in the world”.
In 1974, Ruth married Dwain Colby and started an exciting new chapter. After a 79 day honeymoon sailing Vancouver Island’s leg of the inside passage to Alaska, Ruth and Dwain headed to England. They bought a white Leyland van and crossed the channel.
During the next, nearly two years, they visited every European country but Russia and Finland then threw in Egypt for good measure. Ruth loved her beautiful Camano Island home which she helped Dwain build. She collected antique doors, light fixtures, windows and plumbing fixtures, all of which she expected Dwain to incorporate into his design.
She, of course, got her way. After Dwain’s retirement as Island County Commissioner, and Ruth’s retirement from her sonin-law’s medical practice, they were free to travel even more. They Rounded the Horn and crossed the Arctic circle.
They made numerous visits to Europe. They climbed the Great Wall of China and cruised the Yangtze river. They enjoyed all the fun of a grandson’s wedding in Hong Kong.
They went to New Zealand twice for The America’s Cup races. They took many cruises, the last one of which was part of their round the world adventure in 2012. She suffered a heart attack in Singapore.
Despite the very best of care, her ability to travel was afterward limited. However, she continued to delight her family with creative retellings of her numerous escapades. Ruth will be dearly missed by her husband of 44 years, Dwain Colby, daughter Debra Wescott (Stephen), son James Parker and stepdaughter Kristine Arney (Christopher).
She leaves behind 7 grandchildren: Lily, Eva, Kaitlin, Nathanael, Zachary, Noah and Clare. Eleven great grandchildren are scattered across the world in Washington State, Alaska, Maryland, British Columbia, Alberta and England. Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, her great granddaughter Beatrice and several canine companions, whom she considered to be family; most notably, Annie Colby.
The family would especially like to thank Dr. Laird Findlay and Dr Vinaya Chepuri for their years of compassionate care. A private family gathering will be held later.
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