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Word was just recieved that Ruby Sorenson 86 of Holland, Minnesota, and the author of Rubys Gems in Hawkeye Racing News lost her life in anautomobile accident near Holland .

Ruby was a regular visitor to the KNoxville Nationals and to the Jackson Speedway, and her stories were all of a human interest nature.

Rest in Peace Ruby from your friends in the racing community.

Duane Davis

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Duane Davis

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Marshalltown, Iowa 

sad news

i will never forget ruby i met her when i first started going to jackson, she had alot of spunk, and racing and human knowledge.

RIP RUBY

jim

Wow...that is devastating to me. Ruby was a huge mentor of mine and she will be greatly missed.

Very sorry to hear this. I never met Ruby but received every issue of Hawkeye Racing News for about 30 years before I got on the internet. I always read and enjoyed her column. RIP Ruby.

Carl Collins

Sorry Duane, I was going to email that to you not post it here for everyone...I am deleting it now

I got to meet ruby at Jackson a few years ago and was introduced to her by a friend. Very nice person who has alot to share about the racing in the area throughout the years.

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=0,57401

Does not release name, but was told tonight at Husets that it was Ruby Sorensen.

Rubys daughter reported the accident to me, and yes Ruby did drive a minivan she called a car.

Also there is a chance that Ruby was reported as Rudy, thus the gender issue.

Ruby and I spent time together on the bottom of a pile of people at a chicken BBQ at knoxville one night when unruly drunks shoved the line for a free chicken wing.

Ruby and I were also at the Last of Lakeside, the final night of the old track.

RIP Ruby, thanks for the memories.

Save your butt, get a colon screening TODAY

For complete line of Sponsor Awards check out 
MarshallTownLaser.com

Duane Davis

Laser Engraving 
641-751-7777
101 N Center
Marshalltown, Iowa 

  How tragic....

We met Ruby at Jackson, many year ago. Each year, we would stop  by and chat with her and she would take notes.

We last talked with her at church  Christmas services at Holland this winter.  Again, she took notes.

What a great lady.

RIP, Ruby

Never met Ruby, but this is so sad to hear. Just want to send my condolenses to her family, friends, and the racing community. Will be in my thoughts and prayers. R.I.P. Ruby Sorenson.

I'm saddened to hear of Ruby's demise. I first met this quaint, polite but sprint passionate lady back at the 1991 Knoxville Nationals: a time well before the intrusion of corporate America, where a period of innocence remained.

One where no fairground police prevented Karl Kinser from riding the bus, when campers in the Marion County Fairgrounds belonged to fans not drivers and sponsors.

Back then the annual media luncheon at the golf club saw a much smaller contingent of scribblers ride there and back in the yellow school bus! Those present were so few that we each got up to introduce ourselves and state our qualifications. Having an Aussie twang was a novelty, even more so being a journalist from Australia - my how times have changed!

Seated at my table was Ruby who coped with the down under accent and my obvious ignorance of all things uniquely Knoxville. Her ever present notebook and propensity to write about the personalities and atmosphere marked Ruby as more than just a fan.

I never did get to thank her for her kindness in looking after a newcomer who will now be a veteran attending his 16th Nationals this coming August. Hope you are up ther enjoying chatting to your racing heroes, Ruby, Godspeed...

Jon Evans

Oval Express Magazine

My name is Diane Sorensen-Umeda and I am Ruby Sorensen's niece. I live in Hawaii. I just heard tonight about her demise (June 5th). This is very sad for me, as I just gave birth to a son in March. I would have loved for Ruby to meet him. Ruby was the last living aunt on my father's side.

I thank all of you for your kind comments about her. I knew she loved sprint car racing, but I had no idea how well known she was in the community. It's hard to lose someone, but especially when they pass on so suddenly.

She was a spirited lady, very young at heart. Ruby introduced my parents when they were single. She and my mother were attending art classes together. As a result, my parents started dating and 2 weeks later, my father asked my mother to marry her. She loved the clothing I wore in high school, and even asked me at my brother's wedding how I did my eye makeup. So I showed her later on. She always took an interest in people.

My husband likes to watch all kinds of racing (sprint, funny car, top fuel, NASCAR). He met Ruby once and they talked about sprint car racing. He thought she was a neat person.

Aloha and RIP, Aunt Ruby. We will miss you!

My name is Inez Johnson, and I am the daughter of Ruby L. Sorensen. I would like to thank Duane for posting the news of mom's accident. Mom was a wonderful lady, and she was always amazed by how many people read her column and knew of her. She loved racing folks and always talked about how they inspired her. I will miss her more than I can say. Thanks for being her friends.

Like Jon, who posted above, I met Ruby at a press lunch at the golf club. I think, in my case, it was 1988. I was amazed at how much of the history she knew, and how excited she was about the sport. She was very interested in the fact that I was filing my stories over the phone line. (This was before there were any provisions for that, and I had to use my little tool kit to make it happen.) I went back every year for the next 13 or 14 years, and always made it a point to spend some time talking to her.

She was a great person, and I'm glad I had a chance to know her, just a little.

Dick.