Ruby Rosalie Spears

FORT WORTH - Ruby Rosalie Callahan Spears, 95, formerly of the Waller, Texas area, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas.
A private burial will be held in the Dagg family cemetery in Houston. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dagg Cemetery Association, Inc., c/o Sherry Key, 119 Ranch Creek Drive, Azle, TX 76020.
Lovingly called "Grandma Ruby" or just "Grandma" by her family, she spent her active years as an avid gardener and skilled cook, especially of Cajun and Creole dishes. She loved to read and eat as much chocolate as possible. Her greatest joy in life was raising her children, and later enjoying her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ruby was born December 12, 1928, in Morganza, Louisiana to Thomas and Ruby (Porche) Callahan. She graduated from Morganza High School before starting her first job with the telephone company in New Orleans. Shortly after, she and a close friend decided to venture out and move to Texas, transferring to the telephone company in Houston. She never lost her Louisiana roots, but Texas would be the place she would call home for over 75 years. In her later years, she moved to Fort Worth to be closer to her daughter, Sherry.
In Houston, she met and married Ernest "Buddy" Spears in 1948 and together, they built a house on Dagg Road near his family homestead. They had four children before moving to the Waller area in 1969, where Buddy took a job managing a ranch. In 1977, at the age of 48, she was widowed when Buddy passed away suddenly from a heart attack, leaving her with her two youngest children still in high school. She started working for the Waller Independent School District in 1975 with a job in the lunchroom, eventually rising to high school secretary during her dedicated 30-year long career. She loved building relationships with students and committed herself to serving the district with pride. She enjoyed wearing her Waller Bulldog logo shirts years after she retired.
Ruby is survived by her four children, David Spears of Waller, Sally (Eric) Robinson of Park City, Utah, Sherry (Roby) Key of Fort Worth and Dale Spears of Waller; her grandchildren, Melissa (Paul Prizzi) Spears of Tomball, Weston Spears of Houston, Samantha (Ryan) Bailey of Fort Worth, David (Dana Levin-Robinson) Robinson of New York, Daniel (Courtney Chenette) Robinson of San Francisco, Emily (Michael Berkowitz) Robinson of Salt Lake City, Matthew (Jamie) Jackson of Katy, Kyle Spears of Waller, Randy (Lindsay) Key of Dallas and Jennifer (Carter) Lyons of Fort Worth; thirteen great-grandchildren; and her sister, Lydia Fontana of New Orleans. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her brother, Charles Callahan; and her sisters, Audrey Markel, Maxine Kimball, and Barbara (Bobbie) Utley.
The family would like to thank her dedicated personal caregivers, Jackie and Hyrine. As Ruby told Jackie recently, "Goodbye, it's been fun."