Ruby Beatrice Rees

Ruby Rees, 87, of Williston, Florida, passed away on Thursday, August 23, 2012.

Born December 30, 1924 in Gainesville, Florida, she was the only child of Walter Dobbins and Ruby McDonald. She lived with her grandparents, Samuel DeShields McDonald and Laura Lola McDonald, spending her childhood years at the family dairy on the edge of Payne`s Prairie. She graduated with honors from Seabreeze High School, Daytona Beach, where she met and later married her childhood sweetheart, William James "Bill" Rees.

She traveled with Bill, an air force pilot until the end of the war and later obtained her own commercial pilot license. She successfully partnered with her husband in the sale and development of real estate in Citrus, Lake and Levy County and retired in 1973.

She enjoyed traveling, often spending entire summers on the road out west, at the beach with her family, cruising, or at their mountain home in North Carolina. Though small in stature, she would take on any big adventure which included hunting, boating and fishing. She spent many days on the Gulf of Mexico and at their home in Cedar Keys.

In her later years, she spent time reading, working cross word puzzles, spending time with her family and playing scrabble. She was an accomplished scrabble player on her IPAD, playing multiple games with her children online. She will fondly be remembered by her family as a warm, gentle and beautiful woman who always had a smile and a hug to share. She approached life`s difficulties with grace and courage, even though a painful and disabling illness.

She is survived by her loving husband of 69 years, William James Rees and four children, Billy (Sheila) Rees, of Williston Florida, Virginia (Steve) Long of Oviedo, Florida, Linda (David) Gurney of Fruitland Park, Florida and Carl (Kaye) Rees, Oakwood, Georgia, grandchildren, Kenny (Sonya) Rees, Dawn (Melton) Cannon, Ky-Ann (Mike) Baker, Patrick Murray, Carey Lee Murray, Tray Hiers, Matt Hiers and many great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her best friend and "sister", Carey Amelia McDonald Penners and her husband Warren Francis Penners.

Friends and relatives may visit Hiers and Baxley funeral services online www.hiers-baxley.com to sign the memory book and extend condolences to the family. A private family service will be held in the near future.