JENNYE RUTH HOOPER READY, a teacher at Ranger High
School in Ranger, TX during the late 1940s, passed
away in the home of her daughter Clara McSpadden on
Dec. 28, 2008, in Katy TX. Burial was at the Catholic
Cemetery in Clyde, TX.
She was born Oct. 19 1927 in Waco, TX, to Eugene A.
Hooper & Mabel Clara Brooks Hooper. Jennye attended
Abilene schools graduating from Abilene High School
in 1943 at the age of 15. She then went to McMurry
University, Abilene, TX, and was a member of the TIP
sorority. She received a Bachelor of Music in voice
in 1947.
Her first job upon leaving McMurry College was to teach
music and voice at Ranger College in Ranger, TX. Being
the immediate post-WWII years, there were many service men
returning from war and going to college on the GI-Bill.
Jennye met her future husband, Michael Patrick Ready
(RHS-1941), when Michael was a student in her choir class.
Jennye & Michael married in July of 1950 and moved to
Ft. Worth where Michael finished his accounting degree at
TCU. It was during this time that their first 3 children
were born. Upon his graduation from TCU, Michael took a
job as an accountant with Texaco Inc. and the family moved
to Snyder, Texas. They followed the oil field to Midland,
Texas where their fourth child was born . Soon the family
was transferred to Hobbs, NM & lived there from 1961-1965.
Jennye taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grades at the St. Helena's
school there during that time. The family was transferred
back to Midland, Texas in 1965. Jennye taught music, art,
and Social Studies in Midland ISD Schools from 1965-1995.
She taught at several schools during that span including
Burnett elementary, Sam Houston elementary, Jane Long
elementary, De Zavala elementary, and Crockett elementary
to name a few.
During the late 1960's, Jennye attended graduate School at
Texas Tech University during the summer months. She earned -
Master of Music Education in 1971. In the late 1970s she
attended University of Texas - Austin, TX and earned a
certification in Library Science.
A lifelong Methodist, Jennye was a longtime member of St.
Mark's Methodist Church in Midland and active in the choir
there. Additionally, she sang with the St. Ann's Catholic
Church choir for over 25 years. Her solo renditions of "O
Holy Night" and "Ave Maria" on Christmas Eve midnight Mass
were greatly anticipated by the community. Jennye also sang
with the Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale for over a decade.
In 2001, Michael's health made it necessary for 24 hour care
and he moved to the Oakmont Rehabilitation Center in Katy,
Texas. Jennye moved in with her daughter Clara McSpadden of
Katy, Texas, to be close to Michael. That same year, Jennye
was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Her husband of 53 years passed away in 2003, and soon after
that Jennye's Parkinson's disease had progressed such that
she moved into the Oakmont Rehabilitation Center in Katy,
Texas. Despite her infirmity, Jennye was a "beacon of light"
at the Oakmont facility for the next three years. She organized
games, activities, and dinners for the residents there. She
was well known among the residents and the staff for her cheery
demeanor.
Jennye is preceded in death by her husband of 53 years: Michael
Patrick Ready and her brother Eugene Allen Hooper Jr.
She is survived by her sister, Letha Lee Mauldin and her husband
Dr. Rex Leon Mauldin of Abilene, TX, her son Patrick Eugene
Ready of Ranger, Texas, daughter; Clara Susan McSpadden and her
husband Robert McSpadden of Katy, TX, daughter: Ruth Ann
Blackwell and Dr. Richard Blackwell of Lago Vista, Texas, son
Thomas Edward Ready and his wife Suzanne (Pomeroy) Ready of
Midland, Texas. She is also survived by her grand children:
Bonnie Ruth McSpadden of Houston, TX; Matthew Mark McSpadden
of Katy, TX, Drew Blackwell and Sara Cobb of Lago Vista, TX,
Lani Lea Blackwell of Lago Vista, TX; Michael William Ready
of Midland, Texas
Jennye Ruth was a loving mother and will be missed by her family.