Ruth Hartnett Truett

Ruth Hartnett Truett of Dallas died Monday, June 1, 2025, with her daughters by her side.

Ruth Evelyn Hartnett was born in Thornton, Limestone County, Texas, October 12, 1932, to James Edward and Alva Dunn Hartnett.

Her roots came from great grandfather Michael Hartnett who, at age three, left County Cork Ireland in the mid-1800s, eventually settling in Texas.

With Ruth’s father working as a guard, the family moved in the early 1940s to a home near Mexia’s internment camp for WWII German prisoners of war.

Ruth was a cheerleader for the Mexia High School Black Cats, Sweetheart for the Future Farmers of America, and a green-eyed beauty queen.

A soda jerk at the Kendrick & Horn drug store, Ruth always gave cute guy, Jim Truett, an extra scoop of ice cream. A Texas Tech University student home for the holidays, he proposed, and she accepted.

Ruth and Jim lived in married student housing on the Lubbock campus until first born Becky came along before his graduation.

Working for General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC), Jim’s early assignments had the young family town-hopping, with daughters Jamie and Kathy born during stints in Longview.

A decade in Dallas was a welcome break from frequent moves to four other Texas towns, with devoted homemaker Ruth tirelessly creating a cozy and happy place for Jim and the girls at every stop.

The corporate ladder eventually took Ruth, Jim, and Kathy to Fresno, California, a four-year stopover in a very different place.

Ruth loved having mountains and National Parks in easy driving range east with Pacific beaches, Carmel, Napa, and San Francisco to the west.

But Texas beckoned and they settled back in Dallas for good in 1978.

Ruth was predeceased by Jim in August 2024, her parents, sisters Euna Faye Alexander and husband John, Patsy Jones and husband Leonard, and grandson Jess Parker.

Ruth is survived by her brother James Edward Hartnett Jr. and wife Theresa Carroll Hartnett.

She is also survived by daughters Becky Parker and husband George, Jamie Aldredge and husband Vaughn, and Kathy Truett; grandsons George Parker, James Aldredge and wife Lauren, Justin Aldredge, granddaughter Katy Aldredge, and great grandsons Emory and Jasper Aldredge.

Family extends a heartfelt thank you to all of her caregivers and especially Kathy.

Family visitation at Stubbs-Blair Funeral Home with interment, Mexia City Cemetery June 7, 2025.