Obituary

Mary Ruby Fontenot Wilson was born to Freeman and Ella Fontenot in Basile, Louisiana on June 22, 1942. She was the eleventh of twelve children. Ruby was called home to our Heavenly Father on the evening of Sunday, August 4, 2013 at 8:24pm after a long illness.

Ruby attended W.W. Steward High School in Basile, Louisiana. She was an avid basketball player and won many tournaments, leading her team to the Louisiana State Championship in 1958. She graduated from high school in June, 1960 and attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for one year. She moved to Los Angeles, California in 1961.

Ruby assumed various employment positions during her working years. She worked as a traffic control officer in the early 1970s and later worked for Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena as a program operator from 1978 ��" 1984. Her last employment experience was with Home Depot in Gardena where she worked for 13 years in the capacity of a cashier and later as a phone service representative. She retired from Home Depot in 2007.

Ruby married her husband Ardie Wilson in 1981 and they were married for 32 years. They enjoyed entertaining. Along with her witty personality, Ruby had a very celebrative nature. She had culinary skills that gave her Southern Cuisine a distinct flavor. Her favorite pass time was being with family. She enjoyed having family over for dinner and partying to the beat of R & B and Zydeco Music. She was the life of the party!

Ruby was preceded in death by her loving parents Freeman and Ella Fontenot; three brothers, Compton, Shelton and Paul Fontenot; two sisters, Thelma Bryant and Freda Anderpont. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Ardie Wilson; one son D. William Napier (Dimika); Shanta Wesley who she raised as her daughter; grandchildren, Darius, DeAndre, Jacquese, Jamon, Aliyah, Jamaya; great-granddaughter Ade; stepsons, Brian and Ardie Jr. Wilson; stepdaughters, Tonia, Trish and Zandria Wilson. She is also survived by her four sisters, Theresa Fontenot, Rita Fontenot (Leroy), Aida Shoals (Charles) and Marjorie Shipp; two brothers, Francis Fontenot (Barbara), Freeman Fontenot and Portia Ford, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, other loving relatives and friends..