Ruby Ella Nash

Ruby Ella Miles Nash, registered nurse extraordinaire, was born Sept. 20, 1953, in Los Angeles, Calif., the younger of two children and the only daughter of Elbert and Mary Ella Drake Miles. Ruby passed away June 15, 2015. Ruby spent her childhood and early adult years in Los Angeles. When she was 8, her mother passed away, and she and her only sibling spent their remaining childhood under the care of her grandparents, Ruby and Lockhart Drake. It was her namesake, Grandma Ruby, who became the influential figure that shaped Ruby's life. Her grandmother was all-nurturing and inspired Ruby to help those in need. Ruby modeled her grandmother's spirit with a will of steel, heart of gold and the soul of an angel. As a career nurse, Ruby's inclination was to aid particularly "the least among us." During her early professional years, she took on more challenging responsibilities, often caring for patients with life threatening critical illnesses. In the 1980s, during the AIDS epidemic, Ruby often volunteered to help nurse those patients afflicted. In the early 1990s, after moving to Lake Charles, La., Ruby found passion in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Lake Charles Memorial Hospital where she dedicated more than two decades caring for premature babies. When news of her passing spread, heartfelt tributes on Ruby's Facebook page poured in from NICU patients' parents praising her unique touch. Young nurses that worked with her also paid respects, lauding her steadfast professionalism. Family and closest friends remember Ruby, The Nurse, most famously for her bravery in 2005 during the devastating events of Hurricane Rita. Ruby stayed behind during the city's mandatory evacuation, hunkering down with her preemies and her husband, Lake Charles native Michael James Nash, in the hospital shelter-in-place area until every patient had been rescued. Amid the chaos of the storm, Ruby boldly told him: "We are NOT leaving my babies!" Ruby was known for her lighthearted spirit and direct though respectful manner. She had a zeal for travels with Michael, her husband of 15 years, and collected thimbles from their trips abroad and in the USA. Her intense use of strategy in Words with friends, Candy Crush and Farmville virtual game rounds was legend. Ruby was preceded in death by her daughter, Valisa Mays; her parents; grandparents; brother-in-law, Samuel M. Nash; and her nephew, Marvin A. Nash. To keep her in their hearts forever, Ruby leaves behind her husband, Michael; her brother, Lockhart Miles of Mobile, Ala.; four brothers-in-law, Ezickiel (Linda) Nash of New Orleans, Abraham (Marva) Nash of Lake Charles, Carl Nash of Dallas, and John (Kiesha) Nash of Lake Charles; two sisters-in-law, Jean Nash (Michael) Johnson of Carrollton, Texas, and Debra Ann Nash of Lake Charles; five stepchildren; and 13 step grandchildren; four nieces; and two nephews; her best friend, Kathy Jones of Northern Missouri; and a host of other friends and colleagues.