Ruby Lee Duff Cook

Ruby Lee Duff Cook Ruby Lee Duff Cook passed away peacefully in her sleep at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at the age of 103 years and 6 months. She was born on April 2, 1908 (her mother said she didn't want an April fool baby), the oldest of six children of John Harry and Julia (TOMPKINS) Duff in Llano, Texas. Her early years were spent in Oklahoma and Texas as her father farmed and occasionally worked in the oil fields. She married Elmo V Cook of Colorado City, Texas, on September 4, 1927 in Oklahoma. Elmo was the youngest child of a Mitchell County cotton farming family, and the only son to attend college. She would have been 19, and Elmo 22. Elmo was a graduate of Texas A&M in the class of 1927 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. His first job after college was as a vocational agriculture instructor at Coleman High School in Coleman (county seat of Coleman County), Texas from 1927-29. It was while they were in Coleman that their first child, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Cook was born on July 1, 1928. Elmo's forte was not in classroom teaching, and he soon embarked on his lifelong career as a county agricultural agent. Ruby moved with Elmo, Betty, and later Deanna as Elmo progressed up the rungs of his career serving as county agent in Bosque County (county seat Meridian) (1929-33), Runnels County (county seat Ballenger) (1933-36), Eastland County (county seat Eastland) (1936-42), Taylor County (county seat Abilene) (1942-48), and finally Travis County (county seat Austin) from 1948 until Elmo retired. Ruby was addicted to energetic activities. If these activities involved sweating, so much the better. As young marrieds in smaller west Texas towns Ruby and Elmo were enthusiastic square dancers winning awards for same. For years Ruby kept a pony and loved horseback riding. After moving to Austin Ruby and Elmo took up ballroom dancing at City of Austin Recreation Department activities. Ruby particularly loved waltzing. She continued dancing till she was forced to move to Houston in her early 90s. Both took up golf about the time Elmo retired in the 70s when Ruby was only in her early sixties. She continued golfing well into her 80s. She was happy to work in the yard raking leaves, picking up limbs, and particularly collecting pecans from the three trees in the backyard that Elmo had grafted with improved varieties. There was a time when she was in her late 80s that her daughters had to persuade her to stop climbing on the flat roof of the back porch room to collect the pecans falling there. Each deer season for many years, Ruby and Elmo removed to their deer lease on the Bierswell's ranch outside Llano to pursue the wily buck. No records were kept on the number of white-tail Ruby bagged, but it was many. Ruby and Elmo were active members of the First Baptist Church in Austin, having selected that church because of its relatively progressive social attitudes. Ruby remained active in her Sunday School class until all the other members of her class died, and the powers wanted to place her in a class of young people in their 70s. She indignantly dropped Sunday School. There came a time when money was a bit short and Ruby and Elmo were facing Deanna's college costs. Ruby determined to enter the workplace. She attended Austin high school night school courses and learned to type and take shorthand. She then worked for a number of years in the Public Water Works Department of the City of Austin. Preceding her in death are (certainly not surprisingly) her parents, all her siblings: sisters Bessie Keener, Edna Ruth Stevenson, Lolete Hardin, and Marietta Adams, and brother John Douglas, her husband of 51 years, Elmo V Cook, Elmo's parents, Hannibal and Malinda Drucilla (COLBERT) Cook, Elmo's siblings: James Colbert (Bill), Juanita Elizabeth (Nita), Bray Hannibal, Jessie Caroline, Margaret Annie, and Mary Drusilla, and her older daughter, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Cook. Succeeding her are: her younger daughter, Deanna Drusilla Cook Murphy, and husband James Charles Murphy, four grand children: Shannon Sedwick Shelton, and husband Michael Shelton, Michael Sedwick, and wife Katherine, Karen Hill Murphy Brennan, and husband Eugene Brennan, Craig Cook Murphy, and wife Patricia Paredes-Quiroz Murphy, and seven great grand children: Annie Sedwick, Rachael Sedwick, Susannah Shelton, Noah Shelton, Murphy Joseph Brennan, Christina Raphael Quiroz Murphy, and Thomas Craig Quiroz Murphy. Elmo was not only the county agricultural agent for Travis County, he was also active in his professional society, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, NACAA. His professionalism, personality, and political acumen led him up the ranks of the association, culminating in his becoming President of the national association with a membership consisting essentially of the county agent for all 3,143 counties, parishes (Louisiana), and boroughs (Alaska) in the United States. For Ruby this activity meant endless hours of Elmo working in the evening and listening to one half of an endless string of telephone conversations. It also meant attending the national meeting every year for about twenty years in a different city spread across the country. They say travel is broadening, and it certainly was for Ruby. For a farm girl from Llano, Texas with an 8th grade education, Ruby blossomed and thrived on the travel, seeing the sights, and participating with wives from every state in the union. She loved it, and had mementos from every meeting in every city. After Elmo died on March 31, 1978, Ruby continued to live in the house she and Elmo had build upon their move to Austin in 1948 at 3804 Ave. F in the Hyde Park subdivision. She became lonely and briefly married John Willard. The marriage was just not right, and they shortly divorced. After that she lived alone for a number of years until she was no longer able to drive in her 90s. After considerable urging, she moved to Houston where she remained, first at Tarrytowne Retirement, then most recently at Colonial Oaks where she and other residents with memory problems are provided with loving care, and where she died. Active to the end, she played dominos on the day before her death and read the newspaper to some of the other residents at Colonial Oaks whose eyesight was not as acute as hers. A memorial service and reception will be held Monday, Oct 10, 2:00 p.m., at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, 12955 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas, in the Friendship Court. That is between the beltway and Wilcrest. We have asked that there be no flowers sent. Contributions may be made to the "LTR Scholarship Fund" and sent to: Texas A&M Foundation, Attn: Oswald. 4222 TAMU. College Station, TX 77843 or the charity of your choice.