Clara Ruth Redwine Burkhalter

Clara Ruth Redwine Burkhalter, 89, of Groves, died Saturday, July 8, 2017. She was born on September 17, 1927, in Mountainair, New Mexico, to Leona Fern Kaylor Gray and Ivan H. Gray.

Clara married Jerrel O’Neil Redwine on May 17, 1946. They were married fifty-seven years until his death in 2004 and were blessed with five children. Clara and Jerrel moved to Southeast Texas in 1968 where she lived until her death.

Survivors include her children, Leona Underwood and her husband, Jimmy, David Redwine and his wife, Pat, Beverly Dittrich and her husband, Bob, Brenda Barbre and her husband, Stevo, and Mark Redwine and his wife, Diane; twelve grandchildren; thirty-six great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and sisters, Merl Patterson and Joan Waites.

Preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jerrel O’Neil Redwine; granddaughter, Deanna Redwine; brothers, Howard Gray and Ross Gray; and sisters, Jinx Snead, Rhea Hughes, and Leah Gray.

A gathering of Mrs. Burkhalter’s family and friends will be 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Monday, July 10, 2017, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. Her funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at Nederland Avenue Church of Christ, 2310 Nederland Ave, Nederland, with her interment following at Greenlawn Memorial Park, Groves.

Memorial contributions may be made in Mrs. Burkhalter’s memory to Medina Children’s Home, 21300 TX-16, Medina, Texas 78055.

The following events are excerpts from a story Ruth wrote herself about her early life.

Ivan H. Gray and Leona Fern Kaylor were married in 1915. I was born on September 17, 1928, in Mountainair, New Mexico. In January 1928, Daddy moved the family to the Pacos Valley in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. We moved to the Old Fort into a mud house. Delah Abreu took care of me while Mama and Daddy built us a room up on the hill. It was a big long room.

When I started school, I was sickly and little. I didn’t get a vaccine until after school started. When I’d get on the bus, the big boys would pass me around and when I’d get to Howard, he would hold me all the way to school. The scab on my arm would get knocked off all the time.

I didn’t do good in school. I was sick so much of the time. My tonsils kept me out a lot. When I was 9 years old, Mama and Daddy had them taken out.

Daddy had a truck. He would haul beans, fence posts, etc. from Mountainair to Clovis and sell anything that was in season-corn, apples, peaches, melons, or grapes-at the depot. They called Daddy the peanut butter man because he would trade what he had for peanut butter in big cans. Life was very simple there. We had cows for milk and butter and Daddy raised hogs for our meat and lard and chickens for our eggs. We had a garden and canned green beans, corn, and tomatoes. We ate lots of dry beans.

People in the valley were poor, so for entertainment, twice a month we would have a literary. One night we had it at our house. My little brother Ross was a cute, little curly headed fellow. I decided to cut his hair. Mama was asleep and I asked her if I could use her clippers. She didn’t answer, so I used them anyway. Later that evening, Daddy asked Ross who cut his hair and Ross said a dog chewed it off. I never told Daddy and different. I did a good job! Years after Ross’ death, I told Mama and Daddy that it was me.

When I was growing up we had no phones and no television (no Nintendo)! We did have a radio but it was run by battery and Daddy would try and save it. We enjoyed listening to Lum and Abner, Grand Ole Opre, Amos and Andy, and Roosevelt with his “fire chats.”

When I was 13 years old, Daddy got me my driver’s license. Then, I was Daddy’s boy and Mama’s girl. I did everything -took horses to the field, watered the garden from the big ditch, helped pull the sucker rod from the windmill, chopped mesquite roots out of the dry land, and whatever else was needed. I always cooked, cleaned house, fixed hair, but most of all, I would stay home once a week to help Mama wash clothes. To heat the water, carry it to the washer, and wash and hang out the clothes was just too much for Mama to do alone. I would work like a horse.

Then Daddy bought 150 sheep. Oh! I dislike sheep. Mama took care of them in the day while we were at school. The sheep would run all over the 360 acres. While Mama was out with the sheep, she would read library books and then at night, after we ate and us girls did dishes, Mama would re-read the book to all of us. Daddy would enjoy Mama’s reading best of all. Rhea, Ross, and me would have a book report. Mama was a good reader.

In January of 1945, I moved to Anton, Texas to live with my sister, Jinks, while her husband was overseas in the service. I went to school there. In the Summer of that year, Jerrel came to help farm there and we started going together. Jerrel went to the Navy in 1945.

We were married on May 17, 1946 in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Mama, Daddy, Rhea, Merl, and Joan were there at the preacher’s house with us. Ross wouldn’t go.

That is where Grandma stopped her story. We have written a summary of the rest of her life.

They were blessed with five children between 1947 and 1955 while living in West Texas. Leona, then David, then Beverly, then Brenda, and the baby is Mark. In 1968, they moved their family to Port Arthur. They were blessed with 13 grandchildren. Grandma was heartbroken when she lost a grandchild, Deanna Redwine, in 1979, one day after she was born.

Grandma loved her babies-all of them- and constantly worked hard to take care of them. She was a great cook and raised all of us the right way-on homemade sweet tea! She was an excellent seamstress. She made lots of clothes for children and grandchildren and even made dresses for Beverly’s wedding. She made all her grandchildren a quilt and sewed each stitch with love.

Grandma loved to play games, especially dominos. We spent lots of time playing games and laughing when we would all get together. She also loved to sing Hymns. She loved John Wayne movies, Loretta Lynn, and ham.

Grandma was a faithful Christian and always served at her church in any way she could. You could find her at church on Gulf Avenue many times before anyone was there fixing the communion trays when she was able. After moving to Nederland, she attended on Nederland Avenue and made many friends there too. She always enjoyed worship and fellowship with her brothers and sisters in Christ. Those blessed to worship with her, loved her dearly and would always tell her family members about what a sweet lady she was. Her smile was a blessing to everyone everywhere she went.

In January of 2013, Grandma went in for a routine surgery- a pacemaker- and suffered a stroke. We were told she would not live, however, her determination and inner strength were stronger than the doctors could have known and the Lord gave us four more years with her. We all feel blessed beyond measure, for the precious time we were given.

Grandma was always loving, supportive, and there to help us when we were enduring the hardships of this life. She endured many trials and tragedies during her life and always managed to keep her spirits up. She was the glue that held all of us together. Today, we need her strength and comfort more than ever. We still have her with us. We always will. She is here in each one of us; she is a part of us. She has taught us how to be there for each other and stand together as a family. Let us honor her by keeping joy in our hearts and rejoicing because out sweet Ruth is resting with her Lord.