When Manorville jogger Ruby Schwartz died this week after being hit by a car, she left behind a hearbroken family and scores of devastated friends.
In lieu of sending flowers for Ruby Schwartz, her family has asked that donations be made to the American Cancer Society or Austism Speaks; her funeral arrangements were private.
To donate to the American Cancer Society, click here. And to donate to Autism Speaks, click here.
Schwartz, 43, left her Manorville home Tuesday morning to go for a jog and died after being struck by a teenage driver; the 17-year-old was not charged after the accident.
Police say the 17-year-old driver was in a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier heading south on Chapman Boulevard when his vehicle swerved to the right and struck Schwartz, who was jogging northbound at 7:35 a.m., police said. Schwartz was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Her husband, Michael Schwartz and his son, Brandon, 12, and family members are "devastated," he said. "It was the worst day."
Remembering his wife, Schwartz said Ruby was always smiling and upbeat. "She would light up a room," he said, his voice breaking. The couple were married for 17 years before moving to Manorville from Baiting Hollow.
Ruby worked as a fitness instructor and personal trainer at Debbie Neuberger's "To the Core Pilates" studio in Westhampton Beach.
Ruby Schwartz is remembered, first and foremost, as a mother to her son, Brandon, loved ones say.
"He was her life," Schwartz said. "He was everything to her."
Neuberger echoed Schwartz's thoughts about her love for her child. "She was my good friend and right hand," Neuberger said. "The world is a better place because of her."
If you would like to pay tribute to Ruby Schwartz, share your memories in the comments section. Patch offers heartfelt condolensces to Ruby's family and friends.
