Although students at Canyon Ridge High School see them five days a week, how often do they overlook who their hardworking school staff is, instead focusing on what they can do for them? One especially hardworking woman’s life has been full of service, dedication, and roles in the shadows, supporting those around her: Ruth Conway.
Ruth was born in May 1971, in Spokane, Washington, to Daniel and Christine, but moved to Columbus, Ohio, where her father, who was in the Air Force, was stationed. Her mother battled health issues, causing her doctor to recommend she leave Ohio’s weather and move to Idaho when Ruth, an only child, was 8 years old.
Growing up in a family of hardworking service members, it was only fitting that Ruth felt she wanted to follow in her grandmother’s, mother’s, and aunts’ footsteps to become a nurse. In fact, taking a test in high school, her top career choice was nursing; she even became a candy striper to help those in need without a degree. As her mother’s health issues progressed, she was the one who stepped up to help take care of her. Because of this, she always thought she would go into the medical field, but life changed, and drove her in a different direction.
As interests transformed and she realized nursing wasn’t her calling, her love of planes, flying, and traveling inspired her goals and next steps in life. “I wanted to be a stewardess, and travel, and take care of people on the planes,” Ruth mentioned. And while this goal didn’t pan out quite as her childhood dream suggested, her role in plane service was far from over.
At fifteen years old, Ruth worked at the airport, helping to restore WWII airplanes for shows. Gary Wolverton owned a hangar and took care of planes, preparing them for air shows. Ruth had the opportunity to detail and preserve the soldiers’ writings on the planes using special chemicals. “They wrote to their girlfriends and their mothers, which was amazing… I got to see a little history,” she expressed.
It’s thoroughly apparent that Ruth always loved helping people and never backed down from a challenge. In 1988, during her high school years, aside from preserving history and helping the sick, she was a member of the cleanup crew. This group of teenagers worked at the potato plant, once called Universal Frozen Foods, now better known as Lamb Weston, Twin Falls. Ruth experienced working in research and development with scientists at the plant. At this point, batter french fries had not yet been developed, but with her help as a Quality Assurance technician, they succeeded in producing them.
When the day came for the developing scientist to demonstrate the product for the president and general manager of the company, he suffered a heart attack and was unable to present. Fortunately for the future batter fries consumers, the formula was locked in his safe in the scientist’s house, and Ruth was the only other teenage scientist who knew the formula. She had to run the line and produce the product, but with her help, the demonstration went smoothly. Years later, in 1998, she was promoted to Research and Development in Richland, Washington, Lamb Weston Conagra.
Ruth is deeply devoted to service, but her work didn’t stop at food. “Something that not very many people know that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience was that I was an extra on a movie that was produced [in Idaho],” she revealed. The film in question is a dark drama starring Scott Glenn, Kyle Gallner, Alison Elliott, Brad William Henke, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Will Estes. The original script, titled The Buhl, is now produced as Magic Valley.
In 2015, while catering at the Red Lion, she was asked by the film’s crew and the writer during his stay at the hotel if she’d like to participate as an extra.“That was amazing. It was so much fun. It was something I never ever thought I would ever do in my lifetime… I had a chance and just a day in the life.” Ruth had two parts in the film, received her own dressing room, and had her hair and wardrobe done by the staff.
After years of raising her two sons, she was able to do something she had wanted to do since her thirties, but had pushed aside because of her dedication to her family. On July 17th, 2017, at 7 pm, she tandem jumped from 16000 feet in Caldwell, Idaho. She described everything as being very quiet as she jumped with the sunset on a day which reminded her of the angel number 777, a symbol of divine alignment, spiritual awakening, and good fortune.
Through her many walks of life, applying for the Kitchen Manager position at CRHS was not on her bucket list. “I’ve always loved to cook. I did not see this one. This was something,” she confessed, “I’ve done a lot with different things…I love taking care of the kids and just preparing food. I want high-quality, good food, but want it to be stuff that the kids will like.”
Work in the kitchen is day-to-day. Her team has to be prepared for the uncertainty of how many students need to eat. “You’ve got to have a team to make it work. We all have our part,” Ruth explained. The job is extremely taxing; lifting heavy items, inventorying everything needed for meals, working with and handling multiple personalities, and trying to keep things fun are all tasks she must juggle each day. “[It takes] focus, being prepared, knowing what you have to do, and staying on top of it,” she further describes.
“When you’re in a position where you are overseeing a kitchen, it’s hard to leave it at work. You think about things and are always contemplating different [recipes and ideas],” Ruth describes, “It’s important [students] get a healthy and balanced meal and not just junk food, to make sure the kids are eating, and to make sure we’ve fed them at least twice in their day.”
To maintain a work-life balance, Ruth looks forward to going home at the end of each day, sitting on her patio when the weather allows, and doing crafts, woodwork, puzzles, and painting with friends.
Ruth truly has dedicated her life to serving others. She describes her purpose in life: “I am here to take care of people. That’s what I like to do. I get joy out of that. It makes me happy to be able to take care of someone and put a smile on their face.”
Ruth Conway’s service and dedication to others is truly inspiring, and she is infinitely more than an undercover operator. Her work behind the scenes has cultivated an environment for healthy, happy living as she plays a major role in students’ education and is a true asset to Canyon Ridge High School.
