Ruby Lee Neighbors

Ruby Lee (Ewalt) Neighbors was born on April 30, 1929, to William Dunkly and Effie Lee (McCurdy) Ewalt on the family farm in Sedan, Oklahoma. Ruby was the granddaughter of John Frances and Alice Morning Ewalt and Rufus Lafayette and Mollie Jane McCurdy. Both sets of grandparents were pioneer families that settled in Greer County when it was still part of Texas. Ruby spent her first years in Sedan, which is south of Mountain View in Kiowa County, at the foot of Longhorn Mountain along Saddle Mountain Creek. Her parents bought the family farm in the 1920s. In 1934, Ruby’s mother, Effie, passed away when Ruby was only 5 years old. Following her mother’s death, the family moved to McAlester where her father worked at the penitentiary. A few years later, they returned to the family farm in Sedan. When Ruby was 12, they ultimately settled in Granite after her father married Stella (McCurdy) Williams in 1940. During World War II, when Ruby was about 14, her older brother, John, left Granite High School early to enlist in the Navy. Both of Ruby’s brothers were WWII combat veterans. When John left high school, Ruby took his job at the Granite Drug Store on Main Street. While working at the Granite Drug Store, she first encountered Tom Burr Neighbors Jr. Less than four months later, they eloped on September 15, 1949 (leaving many questioning why Ruby would marry someone like Tom Burr). She soon realized that Tom had a tight-knit family of nine loud, rambunctious siblings who frequently enjoyed visiting Tom and Ruby one at a time … or all at one time. Fortunately, their marriage was the beginning of a lifelong love that continued for all of Ruby’s life. They shared 42 years farming in the Lake Creek community filled with love, droughts, laughter, respect, joy, and faith before Tom’s death in 1992. Ruby’s gift was feeding and nurturing others. She was known for her hospitality, and her door was always open. Throughout their lives, Tom and Ruby gathered friends, family members, and others from across the country, and all were welcome at Ruby’s table for black-eyed peas, cornbread, and fried okra. If anyone dropped by to see Tom during mealtime, they were handed a Mason jar of iced tea and a plate, as Ruby treated everyone at her table like family. Throughout her life, she loved serving in her church and community. Ruby’s faith was the core of her life. She became a Christian while attending a summer meeting at the old tabernacle on the corner of the Boulevard and Main Street in Granite, now the site of First Baptist Church. She was a faithful member of Lake Creek Baptist Church for 77 years. She was a dedicated reader of the Bible and seriously studied scripture. In the 1970s, she traveled to Israel to visit Biblical sites of the Holy Land. Her favorite book of the Bible was Revelation. She made sure that her children understood God’s word, and she was invested in the spiritual condition and salvation of all of her family and friends. She was a light for the Gospel and wants everyone to meet her in heaven someday. She is preceded in death by her husband Tom Burr; her parents William and Effie Ewalt; and her stepmother Stella McCurdy Williams Ewalt. She is also preceded in death by all nine of Tom’s siblings and their spouses, as well as her own siblings and their spouses: sister Dorothy and husband Clifford Faulkner; brother Adolphus “Bud” and wife Dortha Jane Ewalt; and brother John and wife Wanda Ewalt; as well as her stepbrother Leon Williams and stepsister Charlece Roberts Cothrum. Survivors include her children: Phil Neighbors and wife Cindy, Pam Neighbors Holland, Paul Neighbors and wife Janet, and Peggy Neighbors. Ruby leaves a legacy of six grandchildren: Tara Neighbors, Taylor (Neighbors) and husband Nathan Elliott, Tegan Burr and wife Kirsten Neighbors, Jordan (Griffis) and husband Thomas Hays, Luke and wife Katherine Neighbors, Candace (Neighbors) and husband Joseph Hayes, as well as “chosen granddaughter” Belle Cooper, a former exchange student to Granite High School from Melbourne, Australia. She also has twelve great grandchildren: Tyson Burr, Kinslee, and William Henry Bowe Neighbors; Josie, Hallie, and Gunnar Hayes; Addison, Declan Burr, Emilia, and Callum Neighbors; and Natalie and Ruby Hays. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Public viewing for Ruby will begin on Friday, July 17, 2026, 2:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M., People’s Funeral Home, located at 1400 W. Main. Lone Wolf, OK, 580-846-9018. Church Services for Ruby are scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2026, 10:00 A.M. at Lake Creek Baptist Church, Granite, OK, with Phil Neighbors officiating. Online condolences for Ruby can be made by visiting www.peoplescooperativefuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make memorials to Lake Creek Baptist Church, Granite, OK.

Ruby Lee Neighbors

April 30, 1929 - July 9, 2026

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Ruby Lee Neighbors

April 30, 1929 - July 9, 2026

365 Days of Grief Support

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information