Rhuwan Clyde Rountree

Rhuwan Clyde (Rudy) Rountree was born on April 15, 1940 in Fairlie, Texas to Clyde & Sarah (Sally) Rountree who already had five daughters, Charlene King, Maisie White, Karleta Hunter, Edna Scroggin, and Jean Earls. After graduating from high school, he attended East Texas State University in Commerce where he received a BA in English and an MS in Political science.  After a few years of teaching high school and working for a book company, he started a long career in higher education at El Centro College in Dallas TX.  He was very passionate about politics, affordable education and helping others, passions that continued to grow throughout his career.  He also taught at Brookhaven College and spent many years teaching at DCCCD, eventually becoming Dean.  During the 40 years he spent in education, he developed many great friends and collected thousands of books.  In 1986 he married Aven Lacy and they made Ft. Worth their home.  Their greatest joy was the birth of their daughter Lacy Rountree Stanley, eventually welcoming Dawson their son-in-law into the family.  During their 33 years of marriage, along with their daughter Lacy, they traveled many times a year, shared and collected music, enjoyed their church community, and loved their pets. While books, education, politics and travel brought Rudy much joy, his most cherished gift was his family, whom he loved so much.  He also loved and served his God, being a deacon and an elder at his church and teaching Sunday school classes brought him much joy.  Aside from his wife Aven and daughter and son-in-law Lacy and Dawson Stanley, he will also be missed by his four nieces Sarah, Jan, Julie and Jessica and his nephews Steve and Frank as well as many great-nieces and nephews, his brother-in-law, Blu Scroggin, and other extended family members.  Rudy was preceded in death by many family members and friends who no doubt greeted him joyously in Heaven.

“What though the radiance that was once so bright, be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower; We will grieve not rather find strength in what remains behind.” –Wordsworth