February 5, 1920 – October 7, 2024
Ruby Chizuko Inouye passed away in the early hours of October 7, 2024 at the golden age of 104 years.
Ruby was born in North Platte, Nebraska on February 5, 1920 to Kin and Kunikiyo Nabeta. She was the second of seven children. Her early years were spent in Salt Lake City, Utah; Shizuoka, Japan, and Los Angeles, California. She was sent to Topaz, Utah during World War II where she met her husband, Hirosuke Inouye. They were married on Christmas Day in 1943. She moved to Redwood City in 1945 and has lived there ever since. She is survived by all six of her children, all of whom have retired – Margaret Renn, principal and school teacher; Jeanette Muzac, nurse/case manager; Donald Inouye, businessman/auto mechanic; Bette Matsuoka ,fashion designer/business analyst; Gogo Heinrich, architect/project manager; Kenny Inouye, mechanical engineer. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren, eight great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter.
Ruby’s husband, Hirosuke was a graduate of Stanford University. Her children and grandchildren are graduates of Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCSF, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Jose State, San Francisco State, Sacramento State, University of Colorado-Boulder, Lesley University, University of Portland, Canada College, Cabrillo College and California Western School of Law. Ruby believed in education and twenty years ago she began the Ruby C. Inouye Scholarship for young Buddhists. She herself attended Woodbury College in Los Angeles and she continued taking various courses at Canada College throughout her adult life.
Besides being a full-time mother, Ruby worked in the greenhouses of Sequoia Nursery alongside her husband and husband’s family. When it was apparent that six children were going to go to college, Ruby began working at Lenkurt Electric Company then on to Philco Ford/Ford Aerospace starting as a secretary and then as a numerical control programmer, running the computer programs for the machinery making equipment used in satellites and defense systems. She retired from Ford Aerospace after 26 years and after her last child was out of college. In 1995 she was honored at the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival as an outstanding Senior Citizen.
Ruby loved to travel. She had been to Japan, Hawaii, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. A few years ago she even went around the world. Well, sort of – in Las Vegas she went to Paris, Bellagio, Venice, Rio, Luxor, and New York-New York. Always looking towards the future, she renewed her passport which expires in 2028.
She had a lot of advice for longevity. “Be strong.” “Eat what you want.” “Enjoy your family and cherish your friends.” “And when everyone around you is taking turns dying, skip your turn.”
In memory of Ruby, donations can be made to the “Palo Alto Buddhist Temple – Ruby C. Inouye Scholarship,” Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, 2751 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303.