Ruby L. Burns

Ruby Lord Burns was born on February 14, 1919 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and died on June 28, 2019 in Austin, Texas. Ruby left her family home in 1942 to attend Jackson Commercial College in Jackson, Mississippi. She returned home soon after to begin work in an office of the Aponaug Manufacturing Company in Kosciusko, MS. In Kosciusko she married and had four children. Her first child, Barbara, lived only eleven months. Ruby went on to work as a clerk at Selective Service Systems of Miss. from 1956 to 1967. During that time, she divorced, cared for her three children, and prepared to move to Texas. In 1967 she moved her family to Austin. She worked as a manager at the Internal Revenue Service until her retirement in 1989.

Ruby loved the Texas Longhorns and held season tickets with her younger sister Libby for wom-en’s basketball, men’s basketball, baseball, and football for many years. She made good friends at these games and looked forward to seeing them each year. Her family cherishes memories of the sounds of Longhorns or Dallas Cowboys football in her home, from the television broadcast and the raucous cheering. Ruby and Libby were traveling companions for decades beginning in their 30’s, visiting 47 of our 50 states (including Hawaii and Alaska) and Canada. The two sis-ters have left behind hilarious photographs of their vacation antics which remind Ruby’s family of the vibrant woman with whom they were blessed.

Ruby nurtured friendships whether life-long or new and remained close with many of her rela-tives. She was very loyal, strong, and independent through times when many women found it difficult to be. She took great care in all that she did, no matter how small or large a thing. She cared for her home on Sunshine Drive, her family, her beloved friends, and importantly herself. Ruby probably would not have recommended living to be 100, but she made certain to enjoy her life. Her home was a gathering place for her family who loved her greatly, and she will be forev-er missed.

Ruby was preceded in death by her two sisters Irene Lord Cochran and Annie Elizabeth “Libby” Lord; her infant daughter Barbara Catherine Burns in 1949; and her daughter Karen Burns Dai-ley in 2012. She is survived by her daughter Donna Haley (and husband Mike Haley); son David Burns (and wife Kathy Burns); niece Sarah Fuchs and her family; her four grandchildren Laura Johnson, Benjamin Haley, Emily Beasley, and Rebecca Shelley and their families, including eight great-grandchildren.