Ruby Leonard Toon

Ruby Leonard Toon was born on September 13, 1889 in Fancy Farm, Kentucky. He was the son of George William and Annie May Toon nee Hobbs. He had four brothers Odie, Roy, Orville, Leon and five sisters Luetta (Thomas), Opal (Wulfers), Bertha Toon, Lela (Greenwell) and Sylvia (Mattingly). After his family relocated to the St. Louis, Missouri area, he met and married Ila Corrine Ballard who was formerly from Fancy Farm also. They exchanged vows on January 28, 1918 at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Collinsville, Illinois. They setup a home there and raised a son, William Bertram (Ruth) and daughters, Mary Juanita (Nord) and Pauline Ann (Hempe).
Ruby worked at many jobs farm laborer, auto repair, lead smelting plant, coal mining and barkeeper. He was a member of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and in his spare time he enjoyed working in his vegetable garden. After his first wife, Ila passed away, he met and married Lydia May O'Keefe of Dyersburg, Tennessee. However not long after their marriage, she was killed in an automobile accident. Ruby returned to Collinsville to be near his family.
Ruby passed suddenly at St. Mary's Hospital in East St. Louis, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, brothers, Roy and Leon, his sister Etta and grandson Edward Nord. Ruby is survived by his son, daughters, brothers, Odie and Orville, sisters, Opal, Lela, Sylvia and Bertha (Sister Ann Vincent), seven grandchildren and one great granddaughter.