Ruby Reinhard

Ruby McDevitt Reinhard passed into the arms of Jesus at 3:45a Wednesday August 5, 2021.Ruby lived life with a song in her heart, a fiery wit and a deep steadfast love for her family and friends. 

For 10 years Ruby had cancer, but refused, REFUSED, to be defined by it.  She kept singing, sewing and smiling, and squeezed every last drop of life from the body that ultimately failed her.  But Ruby was also a firm believer that her “body” was not “her.”  And those she leaves behind believe too, that Ruby still lives in every ear that heard her sing, every friend who felt her deep loyalty, every heart soothed by her loving and compassionate spirit.  Even today, though her earthly years are over, she lives among us in beautiful memories of kindnesses rendered, laughs shared, melodies hummed.  

Ruby was a gifted singer who always made sure others knew that gift was from God. She loved nothing more than to praise Him with her voice. Her ability to tell stories with her songs created deeper understanding of lyrics all too often sung but not appreciated.  Her music left lasting impressions on more people than she ever knew, whether it was heard through her travels across the world as a member of the University of Tennessee ‘Singers’ group, in community theater groups or in church choirs across Charlotte.  She loved gardening, her husband’s cooking, winning at games and – above all – time with the people she loved. 

Ruby was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she graduated high school.  She attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and worked in radio news in both Chattanooga and Memphis. She met the love of her life, Brad, when he moved to Chattanooga for a job as a TV news reporter.  They eventually moved to Charlotte and stayed for nearly 40 years.  

Before starting her family, Ruby worked in computers for Ingersoll Rand.  She then built a business as a seamstress working with designers to furnish homes across the city.  Her skill and talent can be viewed in the draperies, pillow and slipcovers that adorn houses all over Charlotte.

But her most cherished role was that of a mother to her three daughters, Paige Reinhard, Kelsey Fuller and Blythe Meyer, and grandmother to her beloved granddaughter Lena. In Ruby’s final days, she told them all repeatedly how much she loved them.  And they told her too. 

Ruby will be missed by many people. Her family is grateful to the many friends who have expressed how much Ruby not only meant to them but also how she impacted their lives. 

She will be missed beyond measure. But while her body is gone, her spirit lives on because of her faith in the promise of new life, restored life, whole life, healed life, complete life through Jesus Christ.