Thelma Jean Ruther passed away at her home in Denton, Texas, on Friday, August 4th, 2023, at the age of 97, and was immediately welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus.
Jean was born on January 12, 1926, in the small farming community of Butler, Oklahoma, to Myrtle Elizabeth (Shepherd) Hargues and William Alton Hargues, Sr.
Jean attended Butler public schools, graduating from Butler High School in 1943. Upon graduation, Jean worked for 2 years as a secretary in Oklahoma City before moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she completed her freshman year at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University). In 1946, she returned to Western Oklahoma to live and work in Clinton. At a July 4th picnic, she met Laurence Ruther, a handsome World War II pilot. They must have hit it off as they were married on January 16, 1947, ultimately celebrating 61 anniversaries before his passing in 2007.
Married life found them spending their weekends farming in Hammon, Oklahoma, while traveling to Stillwater each Monday morning to attend classes at Oklahoma A&M during the week. Both graduated in 1954, with Jean receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Business, with a minor in Home Economics.
After graduation, Jean taught business classes at Hammon High School for one year, before the couple moved to Burkburnett, Texas. Both worked at Sheppard Air Force base in neighboring Wichita Falls. In 1957, Jean and Laurence welcomed a new arrival, and Jean temporarily put aside her career until 1961, when she returned to teaching at Burkburnett High School.
In 1964, the farming bug bit again, and Laurence moved the family back to Hammon, where he returned to farming full time. After taking a year off, Jean began teaching at Hammon Grade School, where she taught for 6 years. During this time, Jean furthered her education, graduating in 1967, with a Master’s Degree in Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University
in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
The year 1971 found the Ruther family moving further west to Hereford, Texas, where Laurence continued farming and ranching. In Hereford, Jean taught 5th grade at Northwest Elementary School until her retirement in 1981. Upon retirement, she remained active by sewing, traveling, square dancing, reading, and most importantly, taking on the role of a doting grandmother known as Mimi.
Jean was an excellent cook, and Laurence loved everything she made, especially her pies and cakes. He would declare that each dish was the best thing he had ever tasted!
In 2002, Jean and Laurence retired to Denton, Texas, to be closer to family and escape those cold, windy, Texas Panhandle winters.
Both Jean and Laurence were lifelong Christians, and joined First Denton Baptist Church, where they were welcomed into the “Huggers and Helpers” Sunday School class. In her younger years, Jean taught Sunday School, Missions and Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church Hammon.
In addition to her husband, Jean is preceded in death by her parents and brother, W.A. Hargues, Jr.
Jean is survived by her daughter Cynthia Schleinat, and her favorite son-inlaw, Larry, of Denton; granddaughter, Alix Travis, and her husband, John, of Argyle, Texas; granddaughter, Libby Childress, and her husband, David, of Fort Worth, Texas; great-grandson, Connor Travis; and one son, Michael, of Randlett, Oklahoma.
The family would like to express our thanks to the Visiting Nurses Association and their kind nurses, chaplains, doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers, and one very special aide, Lindsey, for their kind and loving care of Mother over the last two years.
A celebration of a life well lived will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 9th, 2023, at 10:30a.m., at First Denton, 1100 Malone Street, Denton, Texas, with burial at Butler Cemetery in Butler, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Aug. 10th, at 11:00a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to VNA at vnatexas.org or 1420 W. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 700, Dallas, TX, 75247.