Mabel Ruth Gay was born on March 4, 1926, in the quiet little town of Dadeville, MO. She stayed with us until December 28, 2024, living a remarkable 98 years, which seems both a very long time and also not nearly long enough. It’s difficult to comprehend the changes she saw in her life, being born into a home with no
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Mabel Ruth Gay was born on March 4, 1926, in the quiet little town of Dadeville, MO. She stayed with us until December 28, 2024, living a remarkable 98 years, which seems both a very long time and also not nearly long enough. It’s difficult to comprehend the changes she saw in her life, being born into a home with no running water, no electricity, no automobiles, and then being around for the world now. Her departure from this world was as peaceful as her life was resilient, the result of a brief illness that signaled her journey home. Preceding her in death were her beloved husband of 55 years, Eugene Gay; her brother, Bill Brame; and her parents, Kib and Willie Brame, who must be awfully proud to have raised someone like her. Mabel Ruth was very proud of her heritage and happy that she had been born into a hard-working farm family that provided her with everything she needed; she didn’t look at how little they had but instead was so grateful for what they did have. Mabel Ruth is mourned yet celebrated by her devoted daughter, Jean Ann Lindsey (husband, Russell); by grandchildren Karasyn Wilson (husband, Jesse), Ryan Lindsey (wife, Christina), and Troy Lindsey (wife, Sarah); by great-grandchildren Thea and Felicity Lindsey; and by her niece, Wanda Dadds. She loved all of them so much—her family was her life.
Mabel Ruth was a faithful member of Berean Baptist Church for over 50 years, and she was a member not merely in attendance but in the kind of life she lived—a life ordered by service, care, and an unwavering generosity that bore witness to her character and trust in God. For 20 years, she also lent her voice to Southwestern Bell, laboring in a way that reflected the quiet dignity of honest work. She was a telephone operator, which meant she was quite good at helping people stay connected (and that, as anyone who knew her will tell you, was one of her best talents).
Still though, she eventually left the phone company and found that her true vocation was in the everyday acts of faithfully making a home: the sacred work of raising her daughter, loving her husband, tending to all those countless small but wonderful things that turn a house-shaped building into a home, and doing it all with a steadfast resolve that seemed to mirror the expanses of eternity itself. She loved her home of 64 years, which she and her husband, Eugene, built themselves in 1960. She never had any desire to live anywhere else, and she never had to. And as any of you who ever visited her home know, Mabel Ruth kept an immaculate house all the way to the end—her closets, drawers, and cabinets were always in perfect order (even the “junk drawer” was neat). Her care extended to people too, of course. In particular, Eugene needed a tremendous amount of care in his later life, and Mabel Ruth gave unending attention to every detail of his needs, with truly saintly joy. Caregiving genuinely gave her great fulfillment.
Aside from spending time with her cherished family, Mabel Ruth’s gardens and cards were her greatest sources of joy. As many who knew her know, Mabel Ruth was a prolific card-sender. She kept her lists of birthdays and anniversaries close at hand and diligently sent each of her friends a card on their special days. She also was very concerned about sending a get well card out to anyone as soon as she heard that they weren’t feeling well. Most impressively, she never sent a card with just a brief salutation and her name signed to it, but always wrote a meaningful, personal message inside each and every one. Her cards will certainly be missed by her friends and family. And she was as fabulous a gardener as she was meticulous a card-sender. It’s no exaggeration to say that her two big gardens were never anything short of magnificent in appearance and bountiful in yield. She gave so many of her crops away to family, friends, and neighbors, and then froze or canned the rest of what she and Eugene couldn’t eat—none of it went to waste, and her canned goods were always so beautiful on the shelves in the basement, almost having the same effect as stained-glass in the right light. In her later years, when Mabel Ruth had to be inside more than not, she still enjoyed the beauty of nature by watching the birds come and enjoy her numerous bird feeders out her back window. She was especially fond of all the Cardinals that abounded in her yard, putting on a beautiful show just for her.
And in all these little ways—the cards that drew instant smiles, the gardens that buzzed with life and color, the gifts of food that made many winter days cozier, and the attention to the flittering, chattering birds—Mabel Ruth left her mark on us and the world. Her mark wasn’t only made with grand gestures, but more often with the sort of love and care and intentional attention that lingers long after the moment has passed, leaving a legacy that calls us all to see grace in the small and too often unnoticed moments of life.
Now, it’s no surprise that Mabel Ruth’s family is overflowing with memories of her, and they would like to share some of their favorites.
- Jean Ann, Mabel Ruth’s daughter, remembers her as the best “homeroom mom.” Jean Ann’s class parties at school were always spectacular, and there were always treats that were just right and party favors that took hours of fiddling but came out exactly perfect because, well, that’s how Mabel Ruth did things.
- Mabel Ruth also took great pride in washing Jean Ann’s tennis shoes and shoelaces every night when she was little. Mabel Ruth never gave up wanting to meet all of Jean Ann’s needs, even until her last day. She was always there to help her daughter in any way she possibly could. One of the things that troubled her the most over the last few years was being unable to help others, but especially Jean Ann, as much as she wanted to.
- Jean Ann also remembers her Momma being an amazing seamstress. Very nearly everything that Jean Ann wore growing up was handmade—even her winter coats were made from the material of old coats whose time had come. She could patch any rip or hole in any piece of clothing so well that the blemish was unnoticeable; if you happened to know Eugene, you can imagine how much time Mabel Ruth spent patching his overalls.
- Russell, Mabel Ruth’s son-in-law, fearfully remembers how much Mabel Ruth did not like him at first. But what he remembers even more is how that dislike changed into a real, proper friendship filled with love, the sort of friendship that made him feel quite at home. Mabel Ruth always said, with a smile, “I don’t have a son-in-law, just a son.”
- Karasyn, Mabel Ruth’s granddaughter, has heaps of lovely memories of baking and cooking with Grandma, from when she was small right up to just a few weeks ago. She remembers the time they baked so many sugar cookies for the Ozark Empire Fair that the whole kitchen table was covered—just so she could pick out three or four of the very best ones. But what Karasyn loved most was Grandma’s endless patience, especially when it came to biscuits-and-gravy or letting her spell out her name with little bits of extra dough (which, naturally, was the best part).
- Mabel Ruth read innumerable books to Karasyn, Ryan, and Troy, as well as her great-granddaughters, Thea and Felicity. They all have memories of snuggling up on the couch or in a chair while Grandma read them book after book after book, always making sure that they accomplished their school reading goals.
- Ryan, one of Mabel Ruth’s grandsons, remembers how she always believed in him when he decided to become a teacher, and was always eager to hear about his school days. She may have even suggested visiting the homes of unruly students to discipline them herself—though, mercifully (for them), such notions were, as far as we know, never enacted. He also remembers how when he was younger and had an irrational dislike of peanuts, Mabel Ruth would always make a special peanut-free batch of her perfect party mix.
- Troy, Mabel Ruth’s youngest grandson, remembers how splendid sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa’s always were. There were games to play, books to read, and all sorts of adventures in the basement. And in the morning, there were pancakes—fluffy like you wouldn’t believe. Of course, there was always time for one or two more games before heading home.
- Speaking of games, Mabel Ruth also loved playing games with her family for as long as they can remember, especially Uno and dominos. She had the bad habit of letting her grandchildren always win when they were younger, but in her later years she developed into quite the remorseless opponent, slapping a “Draw 4” card down on the table with glee in her eyes and a subtle but stone-cold gesture to the draw pile.
- Mabel Ruth’s kindness also ended if you happened to be a dandelion in her yard (which, luckily, none of you were). She couldn’t stand the sight of them and spent hours with her trusty hoe, giving each one the stern sort of attention she thought they deserved.
- Despite how much she loved her flowers, and hated to see harm or drought come to them, Mabel Ruth, or rather, “Ma,” was always happy to let her great-granddaughter, Thea, pick one—or two or three or four—while she snuggled her other great-grand, “FeFe,” close to her chest while she napped. Thea also enjoyed making mints and putting together festive crafts with her Ma, and is very proud of the fact that the first tree she climbed was the red maple at Ma’s house. Thea also enjoyed making up the occasional fantastic tale about her Ma—“Look, Ma is chasing a snow monster!”—which surely would have endlessly amused (or confused) Mabel Ruth.
- It cannot be overstated how much delight Mabel Ruth received from her great-granddaughters, nor the amount of love she poured into them; those two girls were Mabel Ruth’s pride and joy from the moment she saw the ultrasounds. The first, Thea, arrived when she was 95—she waited a long, long time, and she got the best.
- One of the tastiest acts of service that Mabel Ruth provided for her church and friends was mint-making. She made thousands of mints for weddings and anniversaries for the members of Berean and her other friends, and for each of her grandchildrens’ weddings as well. She had even made mints for her friends that visited her for this past Christmas.
- And Mabel Ruth loved Christmas. Jean Ann remembers the season always being so special at their house, with festive decorations everywhere, an always-beautiful tree, and perfectly wrapped gifts filling the space below it. Mabel Ruth always made sure that Santa had been there to visit Jean Ann when she was younger, saying “Ol’ Santy Claus has been here!” when she passed those gifts out. Christmas always stayed special for Mabel Ruth. Her grandchildren will always have fond memories of her many snowmen decorations and Christmas Eve celebrations. She was always more comfortable being the one giving a gift rather than receiving one.
- Mabel Ruth loved strolling up and down her driveway for exercise, and then sitting in her lawn chair to soak up the sun while she rested.
- Anyone who spent time on Springfield’s North Side during the 70s, 80s, 90s, or early 2000s would almost certainly have glimpsed Mabel Ruth in her cherished 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger, a light-yellow beauty with a black top, affectionately named “Jezebel.” Her devotion to Jezebel was so profound that when her husband gifted her a brand-new Dodge Dynasty in 1990, she allowed it to sit practically unused for twelve years.
- And my goodness—Mabel Ruth’s hair, perhaps the only thing about her more iconic than Jezebel. As far back as anyone can remember, Friday at 1PM was Mabel Ruth’s hair day. She had seen the same “beauty operator,” Lindi, since the 70s. For the last three years that Mabel Ruth had been homebound, Lindi faithfully came to her house weekly to do her hair for her. Thank you so much, Lindi, for always making her feel beautiful, and for making her beautiful this one last time. Truthfully, it is ironic that she is having a Friday at 1PM funeral—funerals at this time always upset her, as she just couldn’t understand why anyone would schedule anything but a hair appointment for that time.
If Mabel Ruth were here with us today, she would love spending time chatting with all of you about goodness knows what. But after all that, she would want you to remember to lock your doors and make sure to watch for deer on your drive home.
Visitation will be Thursday, January 2, from 5-7 PM at Greenlawn Funeral Home East (3540 E. Seminole St. Springfield, MO 65809). The funeral service will be Friday, January 3, at 1 PM at the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Mable Ruth’s name to Freeway Ministries (1041 W. Kearney St. Springfield, MO 65803).


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