Phyllis Martha (Bryant) Ruff

Missoula - A beautiful soul entered the gates of heaven on April 12, 2025 when Martha Phyllis Bryant Ruff, 93, completed her earthly assignment. Phyllis was born December 10, 1931 in Great Falls, MT to Victoria and Grant Bryant, the fifth child of eight. Phyllis was raised in rural Cascade County. She married Bennie Ruff in 1951 in Great Falls where they started their family before moving to Shelby which became “home”. Five children, Gary, Randy, Bonnie, Brenda, and Kendra made a busy home that provided Phyllis her dedicated purpose and greatest joy. Family was the center of her world as she remained close to her parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. She was thrilled when grandkids became part of the picture and always said grandkids were great because she could spoil them and then send them home. Weekends and holiday breaks were often spent visiting relatives in Great Falls or her sister’s farm in Geraldine. Many memories were made during these visits. In addition to being a committed wife and mother, Mom was an excellent cook, seamstress, and crafter. She made clothing, jewelry, purses, quilts, towels, blankets, dolls, and much more. She loved making gifts for her kids and grandkids. She possessed a creative energy and may have been known to over embellish on occasion; however, the workmanship was always excellent as she was a perfectionist and would rip out and start over if she made a mistake. She loved bling and believed you could not have or wear too much jewelry. She even had her own kiln and made many beautiful ceramic items that we have as treasured keepsakes. Christmases were always special with Mom making “ALL” the things. Cookies, fudge, divinity, caramels, caramel corn, popcorn balls, and peanut brittle! Mom enjoyed bowling league, playing cards, and ladies bible studies as her social outlets. She was often the victim of a son’s, brother’s, or nephew’s practical joke as they loved to hear her scream, but she could also be the instigator such as the time she traumatized her children by playing out a UFO disappearance. Mom often snorted when she laughed which is a shared family trait and got quite wild if you had her and her sisters in the same place together. Some reading this know exactly the snort sound mentioned and will carry that on whether they want to or not. It is very difficult to capture Phyllis’s spirit with words as she holds such a big place in the hearts of all who were close to her. She was truly generous, selfless, kind, strong willed, loving, creative, fun, and most of all grateful. Gratefulness radiated from her always as she considered herself “Blessed” and continually gave thanks to God for those blessings. Even though we lost part of Mom too early to dementia her love and appreciation for her family was steadfast. We love you always and forever! A big thank you to Logan Health Assisted Living in Shelby for years of dedicated care for Mom and a huge thank you to Edgewood Missoula for the specialized care Mom needed and treating her like family. Graveside services will be May 3, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., at Manchester Cemetery, 11 Loch Ln, Great Falls with a reception to follow at 511 Event Center at 511 Central Ave, Great Falls, MT.

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