May 16, 1928 – August 14, 2023

Obituary

THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF

Ruby Revis Poindexter

Ruby Mae Revis was born May 16, 1928 and departed on August 14, 2023.

Ruby Revis Poindexter was the last of ten children born to Billy Turner Revis and Hattie Elizabeth Stredic Revis; her parents, six brothers and three sisters preceded her in death.

She was born in Van Vleck, Texas, A Negro Settlement, in Bay City. Ruby was raised with a strong sense of family and community; values that she voiced throughout her life.

She attended Hilliard High School in Bay City.  From there she went on to attend Prairie View A & M University, Texas Southern University, obtaining her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science with a Minor in Spanish.  She continued her postgraduate education at the University of Southern California. Her quest for knowledge has led her to attend various educational seminars as her teaching career spanned over two decades.

Her work as a HISD teacher at Pleasantville Elementary, Miller Junior High and Hartman Junior High lasted nineteen years. A civil rights activist and matriarch of her family, she firmly advocated for the pursuit of higher education, mentored her students and positively influenced the lives of many.  

Ruby joined her husband Zeb in business by 1960 and they built The Sunnyside Clinic; the first health facility to house a General Physical Surgeon and General Dental Surgeon in Houston. Together they worked and built Poindexter Dental Inc. which she managed from 1972-1998.

Ruby was a Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a NAACP Life Member; a leader in Dental Professional organizations, Civil Rights Organization, Community Organizations, cofounded Loyal Missionary Baptist Church and participated in a host of social clubs, especially the Coterie.

For 57 years she was a fun-loving wife to the late Dr. Zeb Poindexter Jr.  They are survived by three children, Merlene Russell, Eleanor Patricia Dixon, Dr. Zeb F. Poindexter III, her daughter-in law Anna Maria Barba Poindexter, 11 grandchildren, a growing number of great grandchildren, a variety of other close family members, some close friends, kind neighbors, former students, a host of dignitaries and many admirers. 

In lieu of gifts and flowers, donations are encouraged to be made in Memory of Ruby Revis-Poindexter to: 

The Dr. Zeb  F. Poindexter Jr. Chapter of The Student National Dental Association Chapter

Dr. C.D. Johnson, Vice Chairman

Dept. of General Dentistry & Public Health

The University of Texas Dental School in Houston

7500 Cambridge Suite 6416

Houston, Texas 77054