Ruby Jean King

1928 - 2019

Ruby Jean King

Nashville - Ruby Jean King, age 90, of Nashville, passed away peacefully on the morning of January 15, 2019. Jean was born August 22, 1928, in Sheffield, Alabama; and, although she lived the last 15 years in the Crieve Hall community of Nashville, she will be missed greatly by those who knew and loved her from her many years not only in Nashville but in the Oak Park village of Chicago.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Harold King, Sr., her daughter, Rita King Perez, her brother, Rev. Frederick Anderton, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Anderton. She is survived by five children Jean King Tidwell (Gene), Carol King Jasiak (John), Teresa King Mincy, David King (Kelly), and Harold King, Jr. (Dianne), 16 grand-children, 16 great grand-children and her dear and caring 100 year old brother, Rev. Lee Anderton.

From her earliest memories Jean was making music at a piano. As a ten year old girl she played for church revival meetings led by her oldest brother. As a college student she accompanied her soon-to-be-husband on church assignments and played for youth and evangelism meetings across northern Alabama and Tennessee. And, then for a lifetime, she served as organist and pianist at Nashville's Radnor Baptist in the 1960s and numerous churches across greater Chicagoland for more than 35 years until the death of her husband when she returned to Nashville.

Jean spent nearly 15 years helping to edit Sunday School material for the Baptist Sunday Board in Nashville and over 20 years guiding the administrative work for chemists and executives at the corporate offices of Glidden Paint in Chicago. However, Jean's greatest accomplishment may well have been how she learned to live, and to model for others, a wonderful and gracious sweetness, a deep abiding gratitude, and the willingness to take on the hard things in life without complaint.

Right up until she became ill a few months ago, Jean could be found teaching her Sunday School class at Crievewood Baptist Church, driving her red car through the neighborhood, saying "yes" to friends and family wanting to visit, searching for a Chicago Cubs game on television, and, still, on occasion, sitting at her mother's piano and playing the songs she loved.

The family extends appreciation to those who were part of her life for so long; and, especially to Virginia Cole who provided loving and attentive help, care and friendship in the last months of her life. And, finally, let it be known that Lee, the big brother who shared so much of her early life in Alabama, was an extraordinary brother, traveler and friend to her in the years following the loss of their spouses.

Visitation will be Thursday, January 17, 2019, from 4:30 to 7:30, and Friday, January 18, 2019, from 1:00 until service time at 2:30 at Woodlawn Roesch Patton Funeral Home, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tennessee. Burial following Woodlawn Memorial Park. Please visit the online obituary www.woodlanwroeschpattonfh.com