Garden Grove : Firefighters Celebrate Friend’s 90th Birthday

Ruby Walsh has become a regular visitor and a special friend at the Garden Grove Fire Department, and Monday the firefighters showed her just how much they appreciate her weekly visits.

Ellen Covey, a spokeswoman for the department, and another employee treated Walsh to lunch to celebrate her 90th birthday. Then they brought her back to the main fire station on Acacia Avenue, where the firefighters had prepared a surprise birthday party.

“I’ve had a lot of birthdays,” she said, “but this is the best one I’ve ever had. There’s no word to describe it. I was more than surprised. I was just overwhelmed.”

Walsh started appearing at 2 1/2 years ago at the Acacia Avenue station when her blood pressure rose enough to concern her physician. He asked her to have it checked weekly, so Walsh decided to come by the station every Monday to have it checked by paramedics.

“And she’s been coming faithfully just about every Monday since then. She’s become a real friend,” Covey said.

Walsh was treated to birthday cards, a cake and a special firefighter’s hat, complete with white lettering spelling “RUBY.” But she turned down a free ride home on a fire engine. She said the surprise party had been enough:

“That place is like my second home. My blood pressure is fine now, but I’ll never quit going there. All those people there . . . they are just wonderful people. I just love all of them.”

Covey said Walsh has never forgotten her friends at the fire station. On Mondays, when she comes in for her weekly blood pressure test, her arms are usually full of fruit or other delicacies for her firefighter friends.

“She’s a remarkable and interesting lady,” Covey said. “She’s been a special blessing to everyone around the fire station.”