Ruth Theresa Brophy

Ruth Theresa Brophy, 96, died peacefully in La Grande, Oregon amidst family and friends on January 1, 2011. Viewing is scheduled from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Wednesday, January 5 at Daniels Knopp Funeral Home. A recitation of the rosary will be held at 6:00 p.m. the same evening.

Ruth was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 17, 1914 to John and Mary Ann (Spinnenweber) Karrenbauer. Ruth married Joseph E. Brophy on July 4, 1939. The couple made their home and raised their family in Pittsburgh.

In 1965, Ruth returned to school to earn her LPN. Subsequent to achieving her goal, she worked for eight years in Pittsburgh area hospitals and care centers. In 1973, she moved to Tucson, Arizona and spent the next two decades living in Arizona and California where she continued her career until retiring in her seventies.
In 1991, Ruth moved to Oregon to live with her daughter's family in La Grande. In La Grande, she found fulfillment in helping raise her grandchildren, being a member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church where she participated in the Women's Alter Society as a member of St. Bernadette's Circle, and working as a Hospice volunteer. Her work with Hospice was central to her life and she continued in this caregiving role into her nineties.

Ruth took great delight in travel and being with family. During her years in the Southwest, she loved introducing her children, grandchildren and other family members to the beauty of the desert, the Grand Canyon, and the cultures of the region. She also looked forward to returning to Pennsylvania each year to visit her grandchildren, and catch up with life-long friends. She was grateful for the opportunities to celebrate both her eightieth and ninetieth birthdays with family and friends in her hometown of Pittsburgh as well as in her adopted city of La Grande.

Ruth is survived by her sister, Sister Anna Maria Karrenbauer of Allison Park, PA; her children and their spouses, Joseph T. and Anita Brophy of Tucson, David J. Brophy of Pittsburgh, and Anna Maria & Dwight Dill of La Grande; six grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe; and her youngest son, Timothy G. Brophy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grande Ronde Hospital Hospice, P.O. Box 3290, La Grande, OR 97850 or Shelter from the Storm, P.O. Box 173, La Grande, OR 97850.

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