Carol Ruth Jones Shaffer
September 12, 1950 – August 29, 2017
Carol Ruth Jones Shaffer 66, born in Dallas, TX departed her Earthly
home on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. A visitation will be held on Friday,
September 1, 2017 at Rhoton Funeral Home, 1511 South Interstate 35E,
Carrollton, TX 75006 (972) 242-5261. A memorial service and celebration
of Carol's life will be held at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship Church, 4141
International Pkwy, Carrollton, TX 75007 on Saturday, September 2, 2017
at 1:00p.m upstairs in the treehouse (follow the signs). Jason Fanning
and Don Shelton will be officiating the service. Burial will follow the
service at Hilltop Memorial Park, 1810 N. Perry Road, Carrollton, TX
75006. Please wear maroon to honor Carol Ruth in this time to celebrate
a life of a great woman.
Carol Ruth was born September 12, 1950 to Bryan Gilbert and Doris Ruth
Jones. She attended R.L. Turner High School and studied history at Texas
Women's University, but before finishing found her love Dr. Oliver
Joseph Shaffer in 1974. Little did either of them know what the Lord had
in store for them when they purchased 4 acres, a house, and veterinary
clinic from Dr. T.K. Hardy using loans from both sets of parents in
February of 1979. This was the beginning of the Flower Mound Veterinary
Hospital in Flower Mound, Texas. Together they worked countless hours
and answered calls and pages 24/7 just the two them until the client
base was increasing and they needed help. Carol Ruth made her first and
most important hire in March of 1980 when she hired Maggie Rodriguez now
Maggie Gracia. This team of three is what made the veterinary clinic
what it is today, but Carol Ruth was the rock who kept the business
together and out of financial quagmires. Marriage can be very difficult,
but throw in the stress of managing a small business together and one
has a recipe for disaster, unless the two happened to complement each
other and work as a team. And work as a team they did and what a role
model it was for both Kristy and Jacob to follow as well as anyone else
who cared about a dedicated, hardworking married team.
A daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and the most
loyal friend anyone could ever have (Cindy Veal Richardson friend of 56
years). God called his selfless daughter home on His time and not on our
Earthly time, and this is something the human mind cannot understand,
even with faith the pain is extremely piercing like a sharp knife wound.
Carol Ruth's life goal was to be a grandmother or MiMi as she was
called, and she filled this role, like she does everything else, above
and beyond. Carol would drive 300 miles and fight a dragon if her
daughter asked her to watch the grandkids, but to Carol's surprise, she
looked up one day it was only a 12 mile journey. From Disney World to
backyard swimming pools, Carol had all the fun activities covered for
her grandchildren. If love was a number, no mathematician would be able
to count as high, as much love she had for children and grandchildren.
Being a MiMi came naturally and truly met all of her goals of being a
great wife, mother, and homemaker.
If Carol was not serving or entertaining grandchildren, hiring or firing
employees, crunching numbers for her baby brother's business, she was
selling grass fed beef and hay for her baby boy Jacob Shaffer. The
saying is, you can take the girl out of the country, but not the country
out of the girl is so true. Carol loved helping Jacob with cattle, hay,
dog training, anything that high energy boy of hers was up to. It was so
extreme Carol was even run over by a young bull calf and knocked to the
ground, but got up and kept trying to help even though Jacob told her to
get out of the pen. The dedication and love this woman had for those
around her is comparable to absolutely nothing anyone has ever seen
before. Even being around her, it is hard for the brain to comprehend
how unselfish and giving she was.
Carol also loved the U.S.A, John Wayne, Aggie Football and one better
not talk down about either or a fight was coming your way fast. The
Merle Haggard song fighting side of describes Carol Ruth, "When they're
runnin' down my country, man, they're walkin' on the fightin' side of
me." Carol was never afraid to show how patriotic she was, likewise, she
bled maroon. She married an Aggie, her older brother was an Aggie, she
sent two kids to Texas A&M who both earned Master's Degrees, and one was
a walk on track runner, whom she never missed a track meet. Carol has
been to California, El Paso, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Houston, College
Station, and Waco just to name a few locations to show her Aggie Pride.
Not to mention being a football season ticket holder for 6 straight
years. Carol could talk football or track with the best of anyone. Carol
owned over 100 John Wayne movies and could quote from any of them. Her
son was named after the movie Big Jake only because Dr. Shaffer would
not allow him to be named John Wayne Shaffer.
Carol also loved to cook and would make enough to feed a small army. She
was well known for her homemade desserts to include: apple pie, coconut
cream pie, angel food cake, lemon ice box pie, cherry pie, brownies,
homemade ice cream, and the list could go on forever. How she found time
to cook so much delicious food is beyond one's mind. And yes, she taught
her grandchildren how to cook as well.
Carol was preceded in death by her father Bryan Gilbert Jones of
Carrollton, Texas. Carol Ruth is survived by her loving and dedicated
husband Dr. Oliver Joseph Shaffer of 42 years, son who loved her more
than she knew Oliver Jacob Shaffer, daughter who respected and adored
her Kristy Ruth Dixon, son in law who loved his Mother in Law; Max
Dixon, grandchildren who loved their MiMi more than ice cream; Kellyn
Ruth Dixon 10, Rhett Micah Dixon 8, Bryan Boaz Dixon 3, and Priscilla
Hope Dixon 2; older brother Randall Jones and wife Pat Jones of Round
Rock, younger brother Doc Jones of Carrollton; nephews Scott Jones and
wife, Christina Jones of Southlake; Brent Jones and wife, Poppy Jones of
Cedar Park; Cameron Shaffer of Houston, Patrick Grady and wife, Amanda
Grady of Garland; Brian Michael Grady of Michigan; nieces Lauren Ruth
Gordon and husband, Marty Gordon of Round Rock, Brooke Brockman and
husband, Don of Houston.
The family would like to extend their sincerest appreciation to all the
friends and family who contributed time, prayers, food, calls, text,
more prayers, more time, etc.. to express their love of Carol in these
very difficult times. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a
donation in Carol's memory to Gary Sinise Foundation, or Wounded Warrior
Program; or the Youth Scholarship Fund for the Waterfowl Brigade. The
Youth Scholarship Fund pays the tuition costs for youth to attend the
summer camps when they cannot afford to on their own. Donations for the
youth camps can be directed to the attention of Texas Brigades, 3660
Thousand Oaks Drive, Suite 126, San Antonio, 78247. Or, please feel free
to donate to a charity of your choosing. |