SANTA YNEZ, Calif. – Ruth Arlene Loper passed away July 21, 2025, at the age of 100, at her home in Santa Ynez, Calif. She was born Nov. 30, 1924, on a farm at Quenemo, Kan., at two pounds, to William and Mabel (Blair) Yockey. The doctor left a note: “Infant Yockey girl not expected to survive.” Ruth’s mother didn’t give up and placed her in a shoebox on the oven door to keep warm. Two years later she received her birth certificate, when it was apparent she was here to stay. That’s only the beginning of Ruth’s headstrong journey through life. She was raised on the values of hard work and family, and continued to embody those values throughout her century of life.
Ruth was the youngest of seven children. She worked side by side with her father on the farm, farming and raising cattle during the height of the Depression. Ruth brought her mother to California in 1940 to get help for several of her brothers, who had already resettled. She graduated from North Hollywood High School in the summer of 1942. During the war, Ruth worked for Vega Aircraft, and was a special ship-to-shore telephone operator.
She met and married navy veteran Frank Lopushonsky (now Loper) at the end of World War II. Frank transferred from the border patrol to the California Highway Patrol, and they relocated to Van Nuys, Calif., where they raised two sons, Frank William Loper and Don Michael Loper. The entire family was baptized declaring saving faith at the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys. They moved to Santa Ynez in 1965, where Ruth continued as a phone operator for Pacific Bell, commuting to Ventura. She then worked for the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District as a bookkeeper and secretary. She and Frank were very active in valley life. She enjoyed many years of traveling to Vassar, Kan., where she and Frank bought a log cabin near her family’s farm, in the heart of “Tornado Alley.”
Beginning a 13-year lineage search before the age of computers, Ruth loved genealogy and spent her free time studying her family tree, which she discovered led to the family of King Robert the Bruce, who came to the colonies in 1620. Her family fought under George Washington, and one relative, Robert Morris, was considered the financier of the Revolution.
Ruth was a 40-year member of The Daughters of the American Revolution, where she served as regent, treasurer, and parliamentarian for the Mission Canyon Chapter and as an associate member of the Refugio del Cielo Chapter. She was also a member of Colonial Dames of America, Daughters of the American Colonists, Daughters of the Cincinnati, and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War. She was very proud of the ladies who would become her close friends and active leaders.
A shrewd businesswoman and a pillar of the community in the Santa Ynez Valley, Ruth and Frank started Loper Funeral Chapel in 1972. She continued to operate the business after his passing with her, Don, as well as her grandsons, until a fall left her homebound for the last year and a half. Well into her 90s you would have found her driving herself to work every day without fail in high heels, a smart outfit, and a no-nonsense attitude.
She was preceded in death in 2000 by her husband, Frank, after a 55-year marriage; and her son, Frank William ‘Pitter’ Loper.
Ruth is survived by her son, Don, and her grandchildren Timothy, Jennie, John, Amanda, Jacob, David, and Peter, eight great-grandchildren, and several cousins and nephews.
Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, August 9, at the Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church, 1825 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang, CA 93463. A barbecue luncheon will follow in the family center. A private family burial was held at Oak Hill Cemetery, Quenemo, where Ruth was laid to rest next to Frank.
Special thanks are extended to her friends Joy Chamberlain, Alice Olla, RN Jordan Moon and family, and the many round-the-clock caregivers she delighted telling stories to.
Arrangements are with Loper Funeral Chapel, 2465 Baseline Ave., Ballard CA 93463.
