Ruthie Mae Blacksher's Obituary
Ruthie Mae (Johnson) Blacksher
touched and lifted thousands of lives along her path! She was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, mother-in-law, aunt, cousin, church sister, friend, and teacher. She was born on January 22, 1934, to Paul and Era (Crowder) Johnson in the small country town of Omaha, Texas, in Morris County, near Dallas, and she departed this life on June 22, 2025, at 91. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Lee Oscar and Clyde Johnson, and sister, Mozelle Johnson Carter, from the union of her mother and father; and by her half-siblings from her father, her brothers Hosie, John Henry, and her sister Lucile Johnson; and by her son, James Otis Blacksher Jr. She leaves behind a legacy of love!
Ruthie’s mother passed away when she was just three years old, and her father passed away when she was 11. She went to school at Johnson’s Chapel and attended church at Mount Moriah Baptist Church. When she was 15, she relocated from Texas to Berkeley, California, to live with her Uncle Rayfield Crowder and his wife, Maxine, and their children, Precious, Joyce, and Ronnie. Ruthie became an excellent student and a lifelong learner. She played and excelled in basketball in high school and spoke happily of those days. This family foundation led to Ruthie becoming the loving, caring, and powerful person we all knew and loved.
Shortly after graduating from Berkeley High School in the class of 1952, Ruthie married James Otis Blacksher and from this union had two children: her eldest, daughter Cynthia Gail Blacksher, and her middle son, the late James Otis Blacksher Jr. (Skutch). She later united with Roy Roosevelt Stone and from this union had her youngest son, Roy Earl Stone. As life would have it, she became a single mom, who raised her children with love, a stern hand, and a little help from her children’s grandparents. She was a pillar of strength. She loved to travel and took her children to meet her family in Mississippi, Portland, Texas, Seattle, and other places. Those are cherished family memories! She built a beautiful network of friends and family and always kept in close touch with them all from coast to coast!
Ruthie loved to visit her family for lunch or dinner, a musical, or other outings. She bought tickets for her family to attend charitable events and galas, and she participated in meaningful community events. She attended her grandchildren’s school graduations and was extremely proud of her grandchildren who graduated from college: Damond, Ryan, Natasha, and Imani.
Her grandson, Ryan, said, “It’s as if everything freezes when thinking about this loss! She was always there! When I asked her what she was most grateful for in life, she said, ‘Having grandchildren and children—a family who loved her’”! Her granddaughter, Natasha said, “One of the last conversations I had with Grandma was on my first day on my new job. She was so proud of me. I am so grateful she was a part of this journey, and she always will be. She lived her life with love in her heart, kindness towards others, and love for her family! I will continue to live this way. Heaven gained a new angel.” Her great-granddaughter, Imani, said, “She was more than a great-grandmother, she was a role model to me. She showed me what black educators look like, where they can go, what they can do, and how they can change their communities and the lives of their students. I'm so glad we had the time spent together and that she was able to meet my children, her great-great grandchildren. Always in our hearts, dreams, and memories forever.”
Ruthie would also spend countless hours in Ross and Tuesday Morning stores to buy gifts and build grab bags for her beloved family. She’d even send tea bags through the mail inside of beautiful greeting cards for special occasions or no occasion at all, and for birthdays, which she never missed. And—she insisted on leaving her birthday song on voicemail. In her later years, she belted out her song with style, grace, and soul! Those voicemails will always be cherished.
Ruthie was baptized on October 30, 1977, in the Church of Christ, and was a devout and faithful member and a pioneer in the church up until her death! She held very strong Christian beliefs and values and would always put other’s needs before her own. She delighted in sharing scriptures with everyone she talked with, and she would end her sentences for future plans with the expressive phrase, “God willing.” She led children’s Bible Studies and contributed to the church in many ways. She rarely missed church services on Sunday, and as her health declined, she listened to services and prayer lines on her telephone. Her wonderful church members, who became like her extended family, would often visit and pray with her and bring her communion. She was blessed and she was a blessing!
Ruthie was an early childhood development teacher, and she worked for over 40 years in the Berkeley Unified School District and retired in 2000. Upon retiring she received a signed Teacher Appreciation Day certificate, along with a Day of the Teacher Resolution signed by the Berkeley Unified School District. She loved working with the preschoolers at King Child Development Center, Malcolm X Elementary, Rosa Parks Elementary, and other schools. She spent thousands of hours preparing fun and meticulous lesson plans. She used a wide array of books, maps, charts, blocks, colors, and special activities to make learning fun and she made a tremendous impact on the children who called her “Teacher Ruthie.” She loved teaching so much that she went back to the district a few years after retirement and spent several years creating and running a children’s literacy program, complete with a well-stocked library filled with educational resources and activities. She stayed in touch with many of her students well after they moved on to other grades and schools and even taught some of their children and grandchildren!
From her early 60s to late 80s, Ruthie was known by many throughout Berkeley and Oakland because she loved to walk and take the bus everywhere. She walked and talked to people to spread God’s love and to lift spirits! She loved everyone and even had a group of homeless folks in Berkeley who she called her “Homies.”
In her final days her heart was full as so many family, friends, and church family members visited around the clock! It was powerful and comforting to witness Ruthie’s connection to the heavens as we read her scriptures and she would outstretch her arms towards heaven with her palms facing up in praise as if acknowledging our Father and her beloveds. We felt that they were all beckoning her to join them. Ruthie was blessed to have someone from her favorite radio station, Sylvia Chacon of 98.1 The Breeze, do a shout out for her on the radio and stop by for a very wonderful visit!
Ruthie was one of the most amazing women most of us will ever have a chance to know. As she said, “We can’t live forever,” so as you go on your individual paths, be encouraged to live your life with energy, determination, joy, and love like Ruthie Blacksher did.
Ruthie is survived by her beloved daughter, Cynthia Gail Blacksher, and her son, Roy Earl Stone (Carmen); her grandchildren Damond and Darnell Tims, and Ryan and Natasha Stone; great-granddaughter Imani Tims; great-great granddaughters, Malaya and Mailani Jordan; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
The Final Flight ~ I Am Free
Don’t grieve for me for now I am free, I’m following the path that God laid for me. I took his hand when I heard his call, I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day, To laugh, to love, to work, to play. Tasks left undone must stay that way, I’ve found the peace at the end of the day.
If my parting has left a void, Then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, Ah yes, these things surely will be missed.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow, I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life was full, I savored much, Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all to brief, Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your heart, celebrate with me, God wanted me now, he set me free.
~ Author Unknown
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