Ruby Mae Estes Wells

1941 - 2024

Ruby Mae Estes Wells entered peacefully into eternal rest on March 29, 2024, in her home in Faber, Virginia with her beloved husband, George, faithfully at her bedside. Now resting in the arms of Jesus, Ruby has claimed victory over Alzheimer's disease and has received the gift and blessing of eternal life.

Her earthly life began on June 8, 1941, when she was born in Albemarle County, Virginia to the late John and Isabel Estes. She was the fourth child and only girl of five children. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by three of her brothers: John Estes, Merles Estes, and James Estes. She also was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Terence Quarles, Sr.

The Estes family were members of Union Ridge Baptist Church. It is there where Ruby received her faith formation and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

She was educated in the Albemarle County Public School system, graduating from the historic Jackson P. Burley High School in 1961 when it was a segregated school for African American students in Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville. In her schooling, she exhibited an innate and unique ability to express herself through the literary form, where she penned a poem for her high school's graduating class titled "Farewell, My School Beloved." She also excelled in French and was an overall gifted student.

Following high school, Ruby began working at Murray Manufacturing for several years before marrying the love of her life, Deacon George Wells, in 1965. As newlyweds, they lived in Charlottesville for two years, renting a basement apartment from Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Williams on Ridge Street. During their time there, they were blessed with the birth of their first daughter, Teresa. They soon built and moved to their forever home in Faber, which was followed by another blessing, the birth of their second daughter, Tamera.

Ruby was a homemaker throughout Teresa and Tamera's childhood, where she was a loving mother who doted on her daughters and who, with her husband, provided a home filled with love for each other and a love for God. She was a devoted wife with a special way of saying "George" that signified her deep and abiding love for the man God ordained to be her husband through sickness and in health.

Ruby not only nurtured her family, but she also cultivated the land on which they lived to provide bountifully for her household. An avid gardener, she grew vegetables annually until her health began to decline. She also planted flowers and shrubbery to help beautify the home. She did these things with a special touch, just as she did with other hobbies that included knitting, crocheting, and scrapbooking.

When Ruby resumed working outside the home, she held various positions. Her background included working on the staffs of General Electric, Morrison's Cafeteria, and the Colonnades Assisted-Living Facility in Charlottesville. While at the Colonnades, she periodically wrote poems about some of her experiences there supporting the needs of residents with dementia, where she was sympathetic to those suffering from a disease that years later would affect her. One particularly poignant poem was "My Lobby Friend," which describes a woman who goes on to live forever in a mansion.

In each capacity Ruby worked—through her retirement from the Colonnades in 2004—she served with dignity, humility, and gratefulness no matter the position. She was a good and faithful servant in every aspect of her life. She also faithfully adorned her crown with stylish hats, regardless of the occasion, no doubt trusting that because of her faith, she would one day wear a crown over in glory.

Drawing on the faith formation from her childhood, Ruby would go on to serve alongside her husband as a Deaconess at Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Faber. Before her illness, she also served as Cedar Grove's Sunday School teacher. There was a time where she could immediately cite and/or recite any Bible verse as well as offer an inspirational word about the meaning of Biblical texts. She frequently was invited to be the keynote speaker on church and other programs to deliver custom-written words of praise about the Lord.

She leaves to cherish her memory her beloved husband of nearly 59 years, George H. Wells; daughters, Teresa Quarles and Tamera Wells-Lee (Kenneth); four grandchildren (Chante, Terence, Jr., and Loretta Quarles and Madolyn Lee); one great-grandson, DeWayne Quarles; one brother, Phillip Estes, Sr. (Doris); two brothers-in-law, Rev. B.G. Wells (Vanessa) and Donald Wells (Anne); two special nieces, Heather Estes-Henderson (Edward) and Tawanda Bowles (Melvin); and a host of other nieces, nephews, and relatives. She also will be missed by caregivers from the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA), the Hospice of the Piedmont, and others who cared for her with love and compassion.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Cedar Grove Baptist Church, 61 North Stage Lane, Faber, Va. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

She will lie in repose from 12 to 7 p.m. and the family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024, at J. F. Bell Funeral Home Chapel, 108 6th St. N.W. Charlottesville, Va.

Arrangements by J. F. Bell Funeral Home Inc. Condolences may be expressed to the family via the guestbook at www.jfbellfuneralservices.com