Ruby Jean Reeves

RUBY JEAN FEATHERSTONE was born on October 20, 1943 in Indianola, Mississippi. She was the baby of 5 children of Asberry and Bertha McLeod Featherstone. Ruby was a very creative person and developed a love of music, dancing and singing at a very young age. She was also an extremely talented seamstress, a phenomenal cook and one of the first extreme couponers! She had a deep love of family and enjoyed helping and spending time with her grandchildren, in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends.

Ruby’s family moved to Chicago, Illinois when she was three years old. She grew up alongside her two oldest nephews, Al and Ernie. Being closer in age to Al, she thought of him as her little brother. She often recalled fond memories of growing up in her uncle’s large house on Ellis Avenue on the south side of Chicago, playing with Al and going to see cartoons at the movies on Saturdays. She also loved telling stories of the interesting renters who shared the house. Her older sister, Sarah made sure that Ruby and Al had things that their parents couldn’t always afford, like a new television set! Sarah continued to look out for Ruby as she grew older, and made sure she had things that she needed and wanted, like a dress, shoes and jewelry for graduation. This is a story that Ruby would fondly tell many times over the years.

When Ruby was 15, she began researching a church called the Worldwide Church of God (later Grace Communion International (GCI)). Her interest started after her older brother, Melvin, began attending. Ruby did not like the fact that this new church did not celebrate Christmas (which is one of her favorite holidays) so she set out to disprove its teachings and to prove her big brother wrong! By the age of 16, however, she was converted and started attending the church regularly. Later, her mother and Sarah also joined and began to attend.

Ruby thrived in church! She loved to attend social gatherings and go out to various events with other young people. At church her singing blossomed and she decided to join the church choir. It was in the choir that she began to showcase her beautiful alto voice that was like golden honey by singing solos. She also enjoyed singing songs by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Nat King Cole and Minnie Riperton, to name a few. She made many friends at church and one in particular, Margrett, would become a lifelong friend. They were very close, like sisters. So close that their birthdays are just 13 days apart! She would also later find love at church.

As she entered young adulthood, Ruby began working at a local bindery but her favorite and most memorable job was working for Time, Inc. She was working for Time when she started dating fellow church member, James Reeves. She always told the story of how their eyes met one day and they both knew the other was “the one”. They married in March of 1972. After she became pregnant, Ruby decided to leave Time so that she could be a full-time mom. Their daughter Bethany was born in January of 1973.

In November of 1980 Ruby and James moved to Tennessee with Bethany and bonus daughter, Tahisha, whom she and James had begun helping raise. They decided to move the girls away from the growing violence in Chicago, and Tennessee was a logical choice because James’ family was from there and it was a safer environment.

Ruby continued her active involvement in church when she moved to Nashville. Always independent and motivated, in the 90’s she became an entrepreneur. Ruby started White Roses, Inc., a wedding business, with her husband and girls – one creating cakes, and one creating drinks. James had no choice but to help create flowers and be the tester for both of the girls’ specialties! Ruby did the wedding planning and catering while together they provided wedding services for many clients over many years.

In 2005 Ruby found rewarding work as an at-home customer service representative for West at Home. She loved the job. She would go on to work for the company almost 10 years until she retired to care for James. In this job she was able to use her golden honey voice again. She was an excellent speaker and communicator. As a result she always received good reviews from managers and customers.

After James passed away in late 2015, Ruby moved in with her daughter and son-in-law in Huntsville, Alabama. There she enjoyed full retirement and relished her role as grandma. She remained a member of the Nashville GCI Church even though she no longer physically attended. She loved her small church and she loved its members! She considered them her extended family.

Ruby was very formal and was big on protocol and decorum. She enrolled her girls in ballroom, ballet and tap dancing. She also taught them etiquette, sewing, how to properly set a table, and most importantly, how to behave like Ladies. If things were not precise and pristine, she was known for cutting her eye at you. If you got “the look”, you knew you better straighten up! If you didn’t, you would get a stern lecture or, in the case of the girls when they were younger, “the black comb” (the girls can tell you all about that!). However, like a lot of ladies, when she became a grandmother, she mellowed out and spoiled her grandchildren often.

Ruby (Jean or Jeannie to most of the family) will be remembered for many things but most significantly as a strong warrior, fighter, a woman of tremendous courage and for her unwavering faith. She battled multiple cancers and a host of other ailments in her later years but always with a positive outlook about her diagnosis. She was consistently pleasant and optimistic which left quite an impression on the various team of medical professionals that helped managed her health over the years.

Ruby leaves to cherish her memory her daughter, Bethany Lewis (Daniel) of Huntsville, Alabama, grandchildren Daniel Lewis, II of Plano, Texas, Dasia Lewis and Derek Lewis, of Huntsville, Alabama, bonus daughter, Tahisha Scott, of Antioch, Tennessee, bonus grandson, David Dixon of Antioch, Tennessee; her devoted sister who was like a mother, Sarah Poston of Hermitage, Tennessee, and lifelong friend Margrett Williams, who was like a sister, of Homewood, Illinois; sisters-in-law Barbara Reeves of Chicago, Illinois, Vinnie Fenrick of Tucson, Arizona, Evelyn Brown (John) of Cleveland, Ohio and Catherine Washington (Nate) of Mt. Morris, Michigan; a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, in-laws and other close friends and relatives; her fur babies that she loved and who brought her joy, comfort and therapy with lots of snuggles and loving nibbles; Jake, Mace, Lizbeth, Raven, Butterfinger and Mocha.

Ruby was preceded in death by her loving husband, James; parents, Asberry and Bertha Featherstone; siblings Talmadge Whitehead, Melvin Featherstone and AD Featherstone, and nephews Al Featherstone and Edward Lias.