Ruby Sobolik

Ruby Della Sobolik, 86, of Grand Forks passed away on September 24, 2007, at Woodside Village, Grand Forks. Ruby Della Hinds was born on Feburary 16, 1921 in Kramer, ND, the daughter of William J. and Alice Pearl (Motz) Hinds. She graduated from Kramer High School in 1939 and on October 11, 1939, she married Claude W. Sobolik in Pisek, ND. Claude was stationed in the Kramer area with the Civilian Conservation Corps when Ruby and Claude met. Those were post-depression years and Ruby often talked of having five silver dollars to their name when they started married life. Throughout her life she kept and treasured one of those silver dollars. During the war years, Claude worked on military construction projects and they traveled throughout the Midwest in a mobile home, living in North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona and Colorado. Their two oldest children, Doug and Bonnie, were born during this time and their life style became difficult once the children reached school age. In 1950 they settled permanently in Grand Forks where their youngest son, Ken, was born. Claude worked for Congress, Inc. and the City of Grand Forks Water Department. Ruby was a homemaker until she attended Aakers Business College and went to work in the University of North Dakota Housing Office in June, 1957. For the next nineteen years she worked as administrative assistant to Loren Swanson, who became Vice President of Operations during her tenure. It was a period of tremendous growth for the University with the student body more than doubling during this period. Ruby was actively involved in the implementation of new auxiliary services for the institution including not only dormitory housing but food service, married student housing, vending, telephone, duplicating, parking, landscaping, plant services and transportation. By the time of her retirement there were nine full departments in the Division of Operations, plus the accounting for all of them. At her retirement in 1976, Vice President Swanson declared there were two words that contributed immensely to the growth and success of the Division of Operations at UND, and those words were "Ask Ruby". For the first ten years of their retirement, Ruby and Claude purchased an Airstream Trailer and traveled throughout the United States visiting virtually every state and national park in the country, eventually becoming "snow birds" in Apache Junction, Arizona. They were members of the North Dakota Good Sam RV club. After Claude's death in 1987, Ruby continued to make her winter home in Apache Junction until 2003. For the past four years, she has made her full-time home at Parkwood Place in Grand Forks. She was always ready for a trip and visited Europe several times. Ruby was known as a wonderful cook and her family loved to gather for special meals. Playing cards and Scrabble were popular pastimes. Fishing and camping were among favorite family activities and they owned a lake home at Maple Lake for many years. But clearly, Ruby's greatest joy was her family. Ruby will be deeply missed by her family. Three children, Douglas (Judith Graham) Sobolik, San Mateo, CA, Bonita "Bonnie" Sobolik, Grand Forks and Kenneth (Mary Wilhelmi) Sobolik, also of Grand Forks; Six grandchildren, Sylvie (Mike) Dugas, Sturbridge, MA, Jessica Sobolik Willey, Burlingame, CA, David Sobolik, Fargo and Michelle, Ryan and Kellen Sobolik, all of Grand Forks; Four great-grandchildren, Morgenne, Ayden and Tristan Dugas, Sturbridge, MA, and Jonathan Douglas Willey, Burlingame, CA. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and brothers, George and Francis W. "Fritz" Hinds; sisters, Alice Hinds, Olivia Thorenson, Leona Lloyd, and Evelyn Speare.