Ruth Carnes

Ruth Carnes (Emma Ruth Queen) passed away on Sunday March 3, 2013 in Watsonville, CA at the age of 85. She was born in Loving, OK and moved to Watsonville in 1945. Ruth was an entrepreneur ahead of her time, starting a trucking company in Watsonville in the late 1940s, and a second Trucking Company, "Little Choctaw Trucking", in 1975, also in Watsonville. In the 1960s and 70s, Ruth was involved in real estate, both in California and Nevada. Ruth met her future husband, Harold Carnes, in 1946 and the couple married in 1949. The Carnes' had four children that they raised in Watsonville until moving to South Lake Tahoe in 1959. The couple owned and operated "Economy Lumber Company" during the 1960s in South Lake Tahoe. Ruth loved to travel and many of her traveling adventures took her all over the world, and to every state in the United States. She was also an avid photographer and loved sharing pictures of her trips and adventures. Ruth also enjoyed genealogy and spent many years researching her family roots, as well as her husband's. Ruth was a member of The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and was very proud of being half-Choctaw and a quarter Cherokee. She understood and spoke some of the Choctaw language and encouraged her children and grandchildren to learn it as well. Ruth's Native American name was Mee-ka, which means Queen, and was coincidently her Maiden name, too. Ruth will undoubtedly be remembered for her love of her family, her kind heart, caring personality and insatiable sense of adventure. Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Pearl Queen, her husband Harold, their son Ronald as well as her three brothers: Vester, Clifford and Jimmy Queen. Ruth is survived by her son Gary and wife Susan (Eastman) Carnes of Gilroy, CA; daughter Regina (Carnes) and husband Rick Stephenson of Genoa, NV; daughter Rita and husband Don Martin of Watsonville, CA; Daughter-in-law Christine Carnes of Mi wuk Village, CA and ten grandchildren, Brian Carnes of Gilroy, CA; Lance Horton of Minden, NV.; Sherry (Stephenson) and husband Steven Bruce of Corralitos, CA; Jennifer (Carnes) Westcott of Watsonville, CA; Jennifer Campbell of Mi Wuk Village, CA; Aaron Carnes and wife Amy of San Jose, CA; Thomas Campbell and wife Mia of San Jose, CA; Nathan Jelken and wife Vanessa (Cantu) of Turlock, CA; Shenea (Stephenson) and husband Christopher Strader of Reno, NV and Matthew Carnes of Gilroy, CA, as well as ten great grandchildren: Sara Campbell of Mi Wuk Village, CA; Christian and Emma Westcott of Tracy, CA; Caleb and Luke Bruce of Corralitos, CA; Jenna Carnes of Gilroy, CA; and Brandt and Bryce Horton of Minden, NV, a sister Jan Daggs (Edward) of OK, brothers Wayne Queen (Ruth) of CA and Don Queen of AZ, as well as numerous nieces and nephews in addition to her long time friend and companion, John Colburn, of Watsonville, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to the Keep Memory Alive foundation ( https://www.keepmemoryalive.org/ways_to_contribute/opportunities_to_give/donate_online ). CHI HOLLO LI, MEE-KA!