Ruby L. (Cole) Via

Ruby L. Via, age 88, resident of the Arlington Community and wife of the late Fred D. Via and former wife of the late Herman G. Boggs, departed this life to be with her Heavenly Father on Monday, January 5, 2015.

A Celebration of Life Service for Mrs. Via was conducted at 2 P.M. Tuesday, January 13th at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland with Bro. David Reeves, pastor of the Midway Baptist Church in Whiteville, officiating. A Private Interment was in the Somerville City Cemetery. Arrangements were provided by Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes & Cremation Center - West Chapel at Oakland.

Mrs. Via was born March 5, 1926 in Palestine, Arkansas. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gilbert Lamar Cole and Eula Ann Bennett Cole. She received her education in the Shelby County Public School System and attended Humes High School in Memphis. Her very first job was at Thompson Cafeteria on Main Street in Memphis. During the years, she was employed as a telephone operator for Bellsouth and as a hostess and cashier at the former Lakeland Café. She was a resident of the Arlington Community and a longtime member of the Chambers Chapel Methodist Church.

Mrs. Via had a special love for her family, her children and especially her granddaughter, Mandy. She enjoyed preparing food, gardening, reading, listening to music, playing cards and fishing. She always had a strong work ethic, either for the public or on the farm, and Peggy and Gloria have many fond memories of riding to the cotton gin in Arlington and Eads with their mother, taking trailers of cotton in to be bailed at S.Y. Wilson’s and going late to Buckeye to take daddy’s soybean crop in. They always loved their small bottles of Coca-Cola, cheese and crackers and bologna that they get at Don Anderson’s Store and their little hands were always reaching in the cookie jar at Mr. Carl Riggins’ Store. Even though she had moviestar looks, she was a tomboy much like Elly May Clampett. Mrs. Via stated that she always “loved a good joke”. She loved her dog, ‘Cautious’, who appeared on her doorstep one day. She spoiled him rotten and made him bologna sandwiches and smiley faces on bread with mustard.

Mrs. Via is survived by her three daughters, Peggy Strickland of Somerville, Gloria Hines of Gold Canyon, Arizona, Joyce Sneed of Murphy, North Carolina; and her granddaughter, Amanda “Mandy” L. Fulton (Todd) of Lakeland, Florida.

The family requests that memorials be directed in Mrs. Via’s honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Department 142, Memphis, TN 38148 (901) 595-3300 or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 5341 Estate Office Drive # 2, Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 755-4900.

Condolences may be left on our online guestbook at www.PeeblesFuneralHome.com or any sympathy cards may be addressed to Peggy Strickland, 1755 Country Club Road, Somerville, TN 38068.