Cora Jane Ruhr

Dr. Cora Jane (Brabazon) Ruhr, 82, passed away on April 4, 2017 in Sedona, Arizona, following a 4 year battle with melanoma.

Cora was born in Chula Vista, CA, and received her B.S. degree in Physics from San Diego State University. While she was a student at SDSU, she worked at Convair as a draftsman on designs for the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile. She then received her Doctor of Optometry degree from UC Berkeley. Her passion for travel led her to join Northwest before settling down to start her own optometric practice in White Bear Lake, MN in 1962. At that time, she was the only practicing woman optometrist in Minnesota. In 1972, she was appointed President of the Minnesota State Board of Optometry by Governor Wendell Anderson.

Cora was an active outdoorswoman from an early age, becoming an accomplished surfer, scuba diver, and skier, and an avid hiker. She later became an enthusiastic private airplane pilot, owning and flying several planes with her husband Chuck Ruhr, whom she married in 1962. Their first home after marriage was a boat, a retired 80 foot, 80 ton, river cruiser and retired World War II patrol boat that recently had been moved to a lot in the woods near Marine on St. Croix, MN and then abandoned. She and her husband bought and restored the boat and lived there with their two children and two St. Bernards for seven years. They later lived in White Bear Lake, MN, and then Forest Lake, MN, where they established Blueblood Arabians, which became a nationally-recognized Arabian horse breeding operation.

After retiring, Cora moved to Sedona AZ where she could hike year-round. She became an expert on the local geology, writing several publications for visiting tourists. Another retirement passion for her was buying, building, and restoring, private residences for resale or rental in the Sedona and Cottonwood areas. Cora was an active member of the Westerners hiking club, and a docent at the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Cora was preceded in death by her son, Christopher Ruhr, who died in a traffic accident in Taiwan while working as business journalist for an American publication. She is survived by her former husband and best friend, Charles (Chuck)Ruhr, daughter Ann Ruhr Pifer, son-in-law Steve Wilmot, grandsons Christopher Pifer (21), Samuel Wilmot (16), and Owen Pifer (13), and dear friend and companion John Shiner.

A celebration of Cora's life will be held at her home at 2200 Buckboard Road, Sedona on April 22, Open House 1-4PM. Memorials preferred to the Museum of Northern Arizona, musnaz.org.