Ruth Keaser Jones

On Sunday, the 25th of September at 3:30pm, an Angel knocked on the door at 7839 Manet Way in Severn, MD and whispered it’s time, in the ear of Ruth K. Jones and she accepted and went home to be with the Lord. Ruth Jones, the fifth child of the late Lloyd Keaser and Almedia Keaser, was born on July 30, 1955 in Pumphrey, Maryland. Ruth was united in holy matrimony to Julius Jones on August 11, 1984 and from this union she was blessed with two sons, Julius and Shawn and a daughter Kiana. Ruth was educated in the public school system in Anne Arundel County, graduating in 1973 from Brooklyn Park High School. Prior to graduation, Ruth was handpicked by the National Security Agency to come and work for them in Operations through their Co-Op program. Ruth was never one to stand idly by and taught herself several computer programming languages a few being FORTRAN and COBOL. This ambition and potential is what caught the eye of a Branch Chief who scooped her up and brought her into the professionalized side of the agency. She continued her education through what she called the School of NSA and earned enough credits to obtain the equivalent of a Bachelor of Science through their school. Once professionalized, Ruth lead the charge and continued to be a pioneer at the Agency, serving on such boards as Equal Employment Opportunity, Equality for Minorities, Promotion and Special Working Groups for the Director of the Agency. She was the only women and African American to lead work in such groups. She continued with this drive throughout her career receiving many awards and accommodations. Ruth retired after 32 years of service as a Senior Computer Scientist in 2003. After retirement, Ruth spent a short period of time working at HR Block prior to starting her own business providing respite care. Since she was a little child, she always enjoyed caring for those in need. She took care of her Aunt Annie and Uncle Clyde while they were ill and her work came full circle back to her calling with the start of Closing the Gap. Ruth believed by providing respite care to those in need that she was “Closing the Gap” between what the medical community and what families could provide to her clients. Anyone who knew Ruth, knows that she possessed even more of that commitment when it came to her family. Family meant the most to her and nothing could come in between. She was a devoted wife and mother to her two sons and daughter. Ruth served as the rock for many people in the family and provided support, guidance and wisdom to those who confided in her. She was always willing to go above and beyond for her family and friends. Ruth unconditionally opened her house to anyone and created an atmosphere where everyone felt at home. She was known for hosting the annual Christmas Celebration in her home 17 years strong. She was the kind of woman who loved the company of her grandchildren. Every time they came over, she went out of her way to make sure they had everything they needed as far as toys, coloring books, painting materials, candy, etc. Her grandkids meant the world to her. She also enjoyed taking road trips, going to the casinos and doing pretty much anything with family and friends. Ruth was diagnosed with cancer May of last year. Even though people look at cancer as the end of the world, she remained very positive about her condition. Immediately after she found out, she began treatments to fight this disease. She admitted herself into the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Chicago, IL, a facility that is known for their breakthroughs with cancer treatment. After 8 months of treatment and treatment, she was informed that the cancer had continued progress and that the conventional treatments were no longer an option. Even with the bad news she remained very optimistic about her condition. Ruth leaves behind to cherish her many memories her husband Julius Jones, Sr., who she affectionately call “Lip”; two sons, Julius, Jr. (Chuck) and Shawn Jones; one daughter, Kiana; one adopted daughter, Zalena Harper; three grand-children, Amaia and Amani Washington, and Kayla Johnson; three brothers, Lloyd (Butch) and Cate Keaser, Michael and Patricia (Patty) Keaser and Clyde and Kristin Keaser; two sisters, Deborah and Angie Keaser; mother-in-law, Jeanette Jones; sister-in-laws, Valarie and Warren (Buck) Hill and Marilyn and William (Bee-Bop) Thomas; brother-in-laws, Darrell and Yolanda Jones and Delroy Jones; and a host of aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.

Tributes

Ruth Keaser Jones

July 30, 1955 - September 25, 2011