Ms. Ruby Ann Gaines

Ruby Ann Williams Gaines was a kind, generous, and unforgettable person. If you met her once, you never forgot her, and she never forgot you. She lived a long and meaningful life and touched so many people from Kansas City to Washington, D.C. and many places in between. She was truly one of a kind. Ruby Williams Gaines was born on February 21, 1932, in Kansas City, Missouri to the late Jule and Gladys Bales Williams. She was the oldest of two children and was raised in Kansas City. Ruby was educated in the Kansas City public schools and graduated from Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and a Master's degree in Education from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas. Ruby was a lifelong educator. She loved children and was very passionate about her role in molding and shaping young minds as an elementary school teacher. She began her teaching career in Alliance, Ohio where she was the first Black educator in the school system. Ruby then relocated to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area where she taught for 33 years in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools System, retiring in 1992. After retiring, she also taught for six years in the Kansas City Public School System while caring for her mother. Throughout her teaching career, Ruby was well-respected by her colleagues- many of whom became lifelong friends- parents, and students. Ruby loved the Lord, her family, and her friends. She was a loving mother to her two sons and daughter-in-law, and devoted grandmother to Kimia. Ruby made friends wherever she went and had many friends in Washington D.C., Kansas City, and Concord and Mooresville, North Carolina. She was an indelible presence at every family gathering and she loved to serenade her family and friends with her rendition of Getting to Know You, which was a testament to the kind of person she was. She had a huge heart and a beautiful sense of humor, and was the kind of mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend who would do anything to help a person in need. Ruby left an enduring mark on the lives of all who knew her. Ruby's faith was a very important part of her life's journey. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized at an early age. During her time in Washington D.C., she was a member of Allen A.M.E Church and First Baptist Church of Glenarden, where she was a faithful member until her passing. Ruby Ann Williams Gaines went home to be with the Lord on November 9, 2025, at the age of 93, where she joined her parents Jule Williams, Sr. and Gladys Williams Douglas, Stepfather William E. Douglas, and brother Jule Williams, Jr. Ruby will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. She leaves to cherish her memory her sons Dan Gaines, III and Dwayne Gaines (Roxanne), granddaughter Kimia Gaines, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Ms. Ruby Ann Gaines

January 21, 1932 - November 9, 2025