Ruby Lewis

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the funeral services will be private, but we invite all who are able to participate via the web stream on Thursday, September 17 at 11:00am. A public visitation will be held Wednesday, September 16 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary located at 495 South State Street in Orem. Masks will be required during all services.

Ruby Jo (Zundel) Lewis, age 67 of Orem, Utah, passed away Friday, September 11, 2020. She was born September 18, 1952, in El Paso, Texas to Nelle Brown Zundel and Ivan Eberhardt Zundel. Ruby Jo was married and sealed to Stephen Charles Lewis on June 15, 1974, in the Provo Utah LDS Temple.

Ruby Jo loved to learn, and even more, she loved to teach others what she learned, so she appropriately earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Brigham Young University. She worked at various times through the years as a substitute teacher and as a teacher’s aide in elementary school classrooms—kindergarten through second grade was her favorite.

Outside the classroom, Ruby Jo loved to learn in any way she could, through books and articles, documentaries, or discussing topics of interest with other people. Special loves were astronomy, birds, and flowers—she always wanted to identify every whistle heard from the trees or unusual bloom of wildflower seen on the side of the road. Fiction and music were her great escapes, across a wide variety of genres, and she passed these loves on to the rest of her family.

Though most times she was a calm, reserved and shy person, Ruby Jo could get animated when she wanted to—especially when it came to BYU football games. Even when watching a recorded game that already happened, she knew deep down that cheering loud enough from her couch could make a difference in the outcome.

Ruby Jo had a great love for her country, celebrating the service of her Uncle Bobby in World War II, and honoring many others who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the country. Many in her family find comfort in her passing on Patriot Day.

Ruby Jo loved the gospel and greatly valued the faith and knowledge that came from her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loved singing hymns in the choir, playing piano for primary children, attending the temple, and telling stories of her pioneer heritage.

Preceded in death by her own parents, Ruby Jo is survived by her husband Stephen; her three children Michael (Cari), Rachel, and Kerstin; her four grandchildren Melanie, Braden, Christopher, and Haelie; her brother Ivan Brown (Linda) Zundel and her sister Dorothy (Eugene) Furniss; and her mother-in-law Mary Eileen Lewis.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to Friends of Multiple Sclerosis, which was a cause close to Ruby Jo’s heart, or the charity of your choice.

Please join us for the services on our Facebook Live Video