Ruth Cox Mizell

Ruth Cox Mizell was born September 19, 1922 to Ashel B. and Annie G. Gardner. She "graduated to Heaven" to meet Jesus, friends and family on March 31, 2021. She is predeceased by her parents, four brothers (Ashel, Jr., Jack, Clyde & Edwin Gardner); three husbands (Cecil E. Laws, William B. Cox, Jr & Wilmer D. Mizell); and her son, Larry L. Laws.

Ruth lived an incredible and interesting life! She was a devoted Christian, bible teacher and prayer warrior. She loved participating in the First United Methodist Church Christian Adventure Camp for many summers.

She had many opportunities to travel the world and she never turned down any. From Egypt and other parts of Africa to China to Israel and the Holy lands and on and on. Traveling both alone and with groups internationally well into her late 80s.

Active in local politics, she was an early supporter of George H.W. Bush when he ran for the United States Senate in the 1970s. From that race developed a great friendship with George and Barbara Bush. Upon his election to the Presidency, Ruth moved to the Washington, D.C. area to be active in various Republican organizations. She carried a picture of herself sitting in the Oval Office with President Bush in her passport; she thought it made customs in both the United States and foreign countries work a bit smoother for her!

Her second marriage to Billy Cox brought not only a stepson, William B. Cox III (Doris); but, also her first grandchildren (Christie, Cathy and Bobby) into her family. Billy also introduced Ruth to ocean sailing, hunting, fishing and flying. She hunted deer and birds; and fished the bays; she flew in the Powder Puff Derby with well-known flight instructor, now deceased, Corpus Christi female pilot Pauline Glasson.

After Billy's death, her marriage to Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell brought more family and connections in Washington, DC as the wife of a former Congressman. She routinely used her special access as a Congressman's spouse to take folks through the Capitol, stopping to pray in the Prayer Chapel or to ride the underground shuttle to the Senate Dining Room and eat navy bean soup. (in this photo shows a necklace with her Congressional spouse pin)

Ruth had several interesting occupations over the course of her life. She was a travel agent and organized group travel for kids like ski trips over Christmas. She invented the "Tummy Toner" (basically, a wooden rolling pin with grooves cut in it) touted as a weight/cellulite loss aide and sold it in large department stores in Texas. She also trained to be a stock broker and sold furs at Lichtenstein's. In the early 1960s she encouraged her son to acquire surfboards from California to establish his surfboard rentals business which first brought surfing to South Texas.

She leaves behind a daughter Linda Laws Pate (Robert) and grandchildren Robert C. Pate, Jr. "R.C." (Pam), Gardner, and Oscar (Meredith) Pate and great-grandchildren (Athena, Evan, Nora, Bennett, and Coy). She is also survived by Paul Gardner, her nephew in Plano, Tx (and his children Michelle & Sean) & Kathryn Gardner Pierce (Dan), a niece in Garland, Tx.

Ruth might say her greatest legacy was the Hurricane Prayer that she penned in 1985. She asked that Corpus Christi be spared another hurricane like Carla & Celia; God has certainly answered that prayer!

Ruth had many favorite and funny sayings such as her compliment when tasting a special sauce "I would have eat that on sawdust"; but, her favorite quote was from scripture:

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Services are planned for Alexandria, Virginia and Dallas, Texas.