SUBSCRIBE NOW

Enjoy all your local news and sports for less than 6¢ per day.

Subscribe Now

Ruby May Wooten passed away peacefully on June 9, 2021, at the age of 82. She was born on May 13, 1939, in Gillespie County, the second of three children of Albert and Marie Schumann Helmers. 

She married Wordnie Boone “Junior” Wooten on May 10, 1958, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stonewall, and their reception was in her hometown of Albert, Texas.

Together, they raised three sons: Rickey, Richard, and Terry Wooten. Once Junior stopped pipelining, they settled in Llano, where she worked for Llano Memorial Hospital. While working in kitchen, she was known for her homestyle cooking, but her fried chicken was the prize dish everyone loved the most. Her biggest passion in life was caring for her husband, and after Junior had his first stroke, she retired to take care of him full time.

Her other passions were gardening, flowers, and her family. She and Junior spent many hours caring for their grandchildren, who have grown up and returned the love they were given in coming to see her and helping make her last months so full of joy.

She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January. Once she was released to come home, she had the best of both worlds. She was able to be at home during the day and would then spend her nights and weekends with her son Richard and daughter-in-law Jeanne. 

She enjoyed seeing the landscape as it went from winter to spring and watching all the baby calves as they were born. She was able to celebrate a late Christmas with the entire family. One of the Christmas presents was finding out that great-grandbaby Collin would join the family in August! She also celebrated with a large family gathering in May for her 82nd birthday.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Wordnie Boone; parents, Albert and Marie Helmers; and sister, Helen Jung.  

She is survived by her sons, Rickey Wooten, Richard Wooten and wife Jeanne, and Terry Wooten and wife Sharla; brother, Alvin “Sonny” Helmers; grandchildren, Amy and Landry Scott, Brandi Wooten, Garrett and Jennifer Wooten, Matthew Wooten and Victoria, Tara Gowens, and Brent and Kim Wooten; great-grandchildren, Bradley, Gracen, Mason, Slade, Harper Jo, baby Collin on the way, Madden, Hadlaye, Jace, and Aurora; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.  

Pallbearers are grandsons Landry Scott, Garrett Wooten, Matthew Wooten, and Brent Wooten and nephews Doyle Wooten and Arthur Jung. Honorary pallbearers are Jeff Wooten and Brent Gowens.  

Visitation is 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 11, at Waldrope-Hatfield-Hawthorne Funeral Home, 307 E. Sandstone in Llano. A funeral service is 10 a.m. Saturday, June 12, at the funeral home. Interment follows at Llano City Cemetery. Officiating the service is the Rev. Kelly Graham and the Rev. Stacey Evans.

Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice. Email condolences to whhfuneral1@verizon.net.