Ruth Pavey Botel was born in Vancouver, trained as a teacher and came to Winter Harbour in 1955. She married Carl Botel and became the mother of four.
The family moved so the children could go to high school, first to Richmond and then to Courtenay. They moved back to Winter Harbour where Ruth became Postmaster and looked after the books for her fisherman husband and sons.
Predeceased by her husband Carl in 2015, she leaves sons Ronnie and Gerry, daughters Mary and Sandra, as well as twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.