Ruby Nell Smith Stogsdill was born December 29, 1923, in Marked Tree, Arkansas, to Daisy Belle Hedrick Smith and Walter William Smith and was the tenth of 16 children. She was a woman of incredible wit and, as her last months demonstrated, extraordinary resilience and strength. Ruby Nell spent much of her life in Imboden, Arkansas, where she met the love of her life, the handsome football player, James Albert Stogsdill. On May 30, 1942, shortly before James left for Europe to protect his country, the two married. They held hands and clung to each other in good times and bad until James\u0027 death from cancer in 1989. Finding a new mate was not an option; no one would ever, could ever, replace her beloved "T". During the war, with her new husband thousands of miles away, Ruby moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she worked at the Bell Telephone Company. Not much time had passed when she and a friend saw an advertisement luring women to exotic, sunny Southern California to work at one of the military aircraft factories. She packed her bags and headed off for a new adventure, working as a "Rosie (Ruby) the Riviter". After her 18-month stint as a California girl, she regaled us for decades about her invitation to Shirley Temple\u0027s birthday party and a close-up glimpse of Humphrey Bogart (he was short, she reported; there\u0027s her wit again). When James returned from the war, they began building a family. Her mother had 16 children but Ruby Nell and James stopped at four: James Albert Jr., Carol Ann, Michael Wayne and David Alan. Ruby later became a stay-at-home mother for many years in Rockford, Illinois, where she was also active on the school board and her childrens\u0027 lives and activities. In 1963, Ruby, James and their children moved back to Imboden where she was a nurse\u0027s aid at the Pocahontas Nursing Home. Her vivacious personality kept the doctors, nurses and residents in stitches with her many entertaining antics. Ruby ended her career in Heber Springs as an office manager for her brother, Dr. Wayne Smith. She leaves behind many good friends and family. Surviving family members include four brothers, her four children and their spouses, six grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Ruby Nell would want her children to give a special shout-out to her brother Wayne, who, along with his wife Helen, faithfully visited her, attended to her and showered her with love throughout her illness. Funeral service will be held Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel of McNabb Funeral Home with Russell Smith officiating. Burial will follow in Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be held Saturday night from 5-7 p.m.