Ruby grew up in Athertonville. About 1927 she met Virgil Howard of Howardstown, Ky. and they married. They were the parents of 3 daughters & 1 son. Ruby was an accomplished business woman and was a realtor in the Chicago area in 1964. In January 1968, her only son was killed in an auto accident returning to Fort Knox, where he was stationed. This tragic loss for she & her husband gave her the determination to strongly petition the state legislature to place a center roadway barrier on a stretch of highway near Muldraugh Hill. A barrier was put up. She did not want anyone else to suffer loss due to crossover accidents or possible loss of control when roadway there was icy. Ruby and her husband are buried near their son, and also one of her brothers and a sister.