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OBITUARY
 Rutha
(Baxter) Shackelford
APRIL 4, 1932 – MARCH 7, 2021
Catholic Funeral Mass April 9 at 1 PM at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church
in Farmers Branch Texas.
Celebration of life memorial April 9, 6 to 7:30 PM at Rhoton Funeral
home in Carrollton. Face masks and social distancing please.
Rutha Rachel Shackelford was born to Thomas and Maude Baxter on April
4th, 1932 in Georgetown Texas. She married Jack Clifton Shackelford
(deceased), December 2, 1953, and they had seven children:
Mary
Shackelford Mikeska, Susan Gay Shackelford, Monica Jean Otis, John Mark
Shackelford, Stephen Eric Shackelford (deceased), Judy Ann Steckman and
Donna Lynn Shackelford (deceased). She had 16 grandchildren and 11
great-grandchildren (soon to be 12).
Rutha grew up in San Antonio Texas and was the youngest daughter in a
large family. As a young woman, she chose to become Catholic. Jack and
Rutha settled in Farmers Branch on Rawhide Parkway and Rutha lived there
for 54 years. She and the other ladies of Rawhide Parkway started a 4th
of July block party, which over the years morphed into a city-wide
tradition of gathering for a parade around the creek.
Family was everything to Rutha. She enjoyed singing, music, cooking,
sewing, antiques, gardening, Texas history, and early Texas furniture.
An excellent cook, her family always enjoyed the lavish spreads she
prepared during the holidays. In her early married life, she was an
outstanding seamstress who sewed many of her children’s clothes. Known
by her grandchildren as Grandma Shack, she was always willing to lend a
helping hand. She was a member of Mary Immaculate Church for over 60
years and her Catholic faith was an integral part of her life.
Self-educated in the field of antiques, Rutha opened a store called The
Pioneer Shop in Farmers Branch. Later she decided to specialize in
appraising antiques and holding estate sales. She was a member of the
Antique Appraisal Association of America. She worked for the city of
Farmers Branch as the inaugural Curator of Museums, and as such
researched and purchased early Texas furniture for the Gilbert House
Museum and the Dodson House.
She was involved in many civic organizations including Civic League of
Farmers Branch, Farmers Branch American Revolution Bicentennial
Commission, The Historical Preservation and Restoration Board of Farmers
Branch, and the Peters Colony Historical Society. Rutha was a proud
member of the Red Hat Society.
After suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for many years, Rutha went to
heaven on March 7, 2021, with family by her side. She is in the arms of
Jesus, in no pain and surrounded by her loved ones who went before her.
She will be missed greatly and never forgotten. |
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Carrollton-Farmers
Branch TXGenWeb