Obituary of Ruby J. Scardato

Ruby Jordan Scardato Irondequoit-died September 27, 2021. She was married to Anthony “Tony” Scardato for 52 years. She is survived by her son, Michael A. Scardato, of Charleston, South Carolina, grandchildren, Steven M. Scardato, of Sunnyvale, California, Liza Scardato Cunningham (James) of Holden, Massachusetts, great grandchild, James Cunningham, Jr., nieces, nephews and many friends. She was part of the Greatest Generation, experienced great achievements, tragedies and change – throughout it all, she made the world a better place by supporting good causes and treating all, no matter their station in life, with respect, common courtesy and southern charm. She will be missed. She was born January 5, 1924, in Greenwood, South Carolina, the daughter of L. M. and Sadie Strom Jordan and had two sisters and three brothers. Greenwood was a small mill town with what was claimed to be the widest main street in the world, due to the four railroad tracks running through its center. There she attended high school, started college, when her life, as all America, was forever changed by the start of World War II. Her brothers were drafted and the South became the center of the war efforts with the influx of people from all over the United States. The war brought her future husband, an (involuntary) Army draft conscript, Tony, South as part of the Signal Corps to Camp Gordon (not yet a Fort) in Georgia. Tony, an Italian Catholic from Rochester and Ruby, a Southern Baptist, an unlikely combination to say the least, met and ultimately married on January 16, 1946. They went on a month-long honeymoon in their newly acquired used Buick convertible to Florida and returned to Rochester to live with Tony’s parents on Thomas Street. A trip to visit family in South Carolina turned into an excursion to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and California, when they sold the convertible, bought a house in Burbank and lived there for seven years. Ruby had worked for Taylor Instruments in Rochester and later, Safeway stores in California. They moved back to Greenwood with Ruby expecting in 1952, and then back to Rochester in 1953, where they stayed. First, they lived in an apartment above Tony’s brother’s hardware store on Norton Street and later moved to East Irondequoit. Ruby was Tony’s moral compass and worked in his businesses, Allen Beef Co. and later, Braemar Country Club. She was most appreciated by the Allen Beef co-workers who loved to get her homemade desserts which made the bad coffee there tolerable. Ruby made the best pie crusts in the world. While her eyesight and body failed as she grew older, her mind remained sharp with an amazing memory and compulsive attention to detail and ever meticulous in her appearance. She was a gracious host to all with a jug of cold sweet tea always available, long before it became popular in the North. Tony and Ruby’s home became a place to gather for neighbors and Michael’s friends. While she covered great distances, Ruby came with her southern accent, charm, impeccable manners and graciousness, which she never lost. “Always leave a place better than you found it,” she would say. She did this with grace, humor and dignity. Calling hours will be Friday from 5-8pm at Dierna Funeral Home 2309 Culver Rd. Her Funeral Service will be held Saturday 11am at White Haven Memorial Park-All Seasons Chapel. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in her memory to the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association or a charitable organization of your choice.