Ruby Gail Tougaw, age 79, of Valparaiso, Indiana, passed away on October 21, 2026 at the Life Care Center in Valparaiso.
Ruby Gail Tougaw, age 79, of Valparaiso, Indiana, passed away on October 21, 2026 at the Life Care Center in Valparaiso. She was born to Wilbert and Irene Rigg on January 2, 1947 in Olney, Illinois. She is survived by a son, Paul Douglas Tougaw (Cindy) a daughter, Laura Leanne Sanders (Jon); Five grandchildren—Alex, Isabel, and Abby Kaariainen and Leanne (Alex) Illes and Jenni Sanders. An older brother, Lee Rigg, 5 nieces and a nephew also survive. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Paul Tougaw, who passed away in 2017, as well as her parents and a brother, Kenneth Rigg.
Ruby graduated from St. Francisville High School and Eastern Illinois University with a degree in Dietetics and a Master’s degree in Health Program and Facility Administration from Indiana State University. After being a stay at home Mom until her children were in school, she worked as a substitute teacher before taking a full-time position at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana as a Dietetic Technician in 1978. She updated her credentials and became a Registered Dietitian in 1984. In 1992, she was promoted to Coordinator of the Welch Diabetes Education Center and became the first Certified Diabetes Educator at the hospital. She and a fellow educator and friend, Donna Lance, created the Center for people with diabetes to learn how to live well with the disease. Ruby retired from the hospital in 2003 after 25 years. She and her husband then moved to Valparaiso, Indiana to be near their children and grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at the Bartholomew Funeral Home in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Monday, October 26th from 5-7 pm. A second visitation will be held at Cunningham Funeral Home in Bridgeport, Illinois on Wednesday, October 28th from 5-7 pm. A graveside service will be held at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery in St. Francisville, Illinois at 10 am on Thursday, October 29th.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the Valparaiso Public Library. Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.cunninghamfuneralhomes.com.
