Ruby May (Richards Heffern) Laurenzana
Ruby May (Richards Heffern) Laurenzana, 94, of Springfield, IL died Friday, August 20, 2021 at Villa East Health Care in Sherman. She was born January 6, 1927 in Springfield to Harry D. and Ina May (Smith) Richards. Ruby married Jerome M. Heffern on February 17, 1947. He preceded her in death on October 4, 1975. She married Joseph F. Laurenzana on October 18, 1980. He preceded her in death on August 8, 1993.
Ruby and Jerry had five children: Christine (Don) Udstuen, Ellen Steinmetz, Mary Ann (Chris) Motley, Teresa Frazier, and Michael (JoAnn) Heffern. Ruby was preceded in death by her daughter, Christine. Ruby had 12 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. She had one sister, Alice Riecks; one brother, Donald Richards; and several nieces and nephews.
Ruby was a 1945 Lanphier High School graduate. She worked as a clerk typist at the Illinois State Senate, in continuing education at the Illinois State Bar Association, and as a secretary for the County Department of Schools. Ruby also worked as a bookkeeper for Chapman’s Laundry. She retired after 27 years as a secretary for the American Cancer Society. Ruby was a Samaritan for
St. John’s Hospice for 21 years. During that time, she also served as their Cookie Chairman. Ruby was an associate of the Third Order of St. Francis for 12 years and was a member of St. Aloysius Church.
Private services were held.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
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Julie Ann Rchards posted on 8/28/21
There were many sides to Ruby, but I wanted to share a side I knew and loved. She took her hospice work very seriously. I always thought it was more like a second career for her instead of volunteering after retirement. She availed herself of any lecture/training/workshop and spent many hours with ill patients and grieving loved ones. I always thought she was dismissive of her knowledge, but she understood a great deal. As a nurse practitioner, she was my go-to on all things death and dying. I would ask for her advice regarding a grieving family member or a patient with a catastrophic illness. She would always give me useful suggestions I could use in my own work. She read many books on these topics and would pass them along to me to read when she was finished. We'd have great discussions about the Jesuit versus the Buddhist perspective, the Hindu ceremony of cremation, or the lovely Jewish tradition of sitting shiva. She found great meaning in her work and used to say that she had no fear of death. I'm grateful for that. I'm also grateful for all she taught me - I'm a better woman for it and a better nurse.