Ruby Reese Moone

A life poured out in service, justice, faith, and fearless love has come full circle. Reverend Dr. Ruby Reese Moone - civil rights foot soldier, educator, pastor, and community architect - peacefully transitioned on February 7, 2026, surrounded by her loving family, leaving behind a legacy woven into the fabric of communities she uplifted and generations she inspired.

Born in Sparta, Georgia, in 1938, during a time of deep racial division in the American South, she was the sixth of ten children in a sharecropping family to the late Alexander Reese, Sr. and Annie Gay Bundridge Reese. As a child, she often missed school to help chop and pick cotton alongside her siblings. She walked seven miles each way to attend her segregated school - an early and formative experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to justice and equality. Despite these barriers, she was an exceptional student and avid reader, skipping several grades and excelling academically. She became the first in her family to attend college.

She earned her Bachelor's degree from Fort Valley State College, later known as Fort Valley State University; her Master's degree from Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University; and her Doctorate from Trinity International University. Majoring in sociology and pre-professional social work, she began her professional career in 1959 as a high school guidance counselor in Georgia.

Her political advocacy emerged at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Alongside her husband, she worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She participated in demonstrations across the South, including the Selma to Montgomery March, crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in what became known as Bloody Sunday - a pivotal moment that helped inspire passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. She and her husband also organized efforts to register participants for the historic March on Washington.

After relocating to Maryland, she continued her calling as an educator and counselor, beginning at Bel Alton High School in Charles County before joining Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), where she devoted more than four decades of transformative service. Over the course of her career in MCPS, she served at Poolesville High School, Damascus High School, Gaithersburg High School, Thomas S. Wootton High School, and several other schools throughout the system, becoming the third African American guidance counselor in the county. A visionary leader, she authored the proposal that established Career Centers within the school system, significantly expanding access to college, technical, and career pathways for generations of students. She also chaired the District 17 Scholarship Committee for many years, helping to award thousands of dollars in scholarships to deserving students. In recognition of her lasting impact, parents later established The Ruby Reese Moone Foundation to provide textbook assistance to low-income college students in her honor.

Dr. Moone and her late husband were instrumental in establishing the Montgomery County chapter and the Maryland State Unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She served as Maryland State President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was the first female Chair of the Montgomery County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Committee.

She later served for twenty years as Chaplain of Black Ministries at the University of Maryland in College Park and was Pastor of The Sweet Hour of Prayer Ministry in Rockville, Maryland. She was also a proud member of the Asher Tribal Family of The People's Community Baptist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Her many honors included induction into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2021, recognition as a Montgomery County Living Legend, induction into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame, designation as a Woman of Distinction, and recognition as one of five National Women of the Dream. She was a special invitee to the White House under President Bill Clinton and an official guest at the White House when President George H. W. Bush signed the No Fear Act.

She was the devoted wife of the late Reverend Dr. James C. Moone and is survived by her devoted daughters, Ruby Reese Moone Domingue and Jamesa Moone Hunter and her husband, Erik; six grandsons; five loving siblings; and a host of nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Her life was guided by her most passionate declaration, drawn from her favorite scripture, Matthew 28:19–20, the Great Commission:

"We are commissioned to elevate all the people."

Service Information

Sunday, February 22, 2026 Rev. Moone will lie in state at The People's Community Baptist Church from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A Commemorative Tribute Service will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday, February 23, 2026 At The People's Community Baptist Church Visitation: 10:00 a.m. Homegoing Service: 11:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.