Rutha Mae Trammel

Rutha Mae Crenshaw was born to Bessie and Alfred Crenshaw, Sr. on September 18, 1934, in Ledbetter, Texas and was the eldest of eleven siblings. She attended Washington Elementary School and Coles High School. Before completing high school, she wed Marelon Trammel in 1953 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Soon thereafter, they moved to Los Angeles where their four children were born and raised. Although she did not complete high school in Texas, she obtained her GED from Washington High School in Los Angeles.

Rutha’s first job in Los Angeles was as a waitress at Van de Kampe Restaurant but she advanced to working within companies like May Company, Bank of America, and Getty Oil. She was instrumental and active in caring for each of her grandchildren and other children within the family because she did not discriminate against who she helped. She was an active Jehovah’s Witness and visited the Kingdom Hall in the various places she lived (every one of her grandchildren have accompanied her at one time or another).

Rutha was loved by many and had obtained various names that represented this affection. Her two most common names were “Ruthie” and “Granny”. People who were not her grandchildren even referred to her as the latter. She was known, even later in life, for her witty rebuttals/comments and sweet spirit. She loved watching animal shows like Dr. Pohl, collecting AAA travel books, and listening to classical music by Yanni.

On April 23, 2022, at 3:00am, Rutha breathed her last breath without pain while in the presence of her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, stepmother Thurlene Crenshaw, her sisters (Mattie Brownlow and Janice Armstrong), and brother (Alfred Crenshaw Jr.). She is survived by her four children (Delores Jordan, Barbara Mirzaee, Diana Trammel, and Mark Trammel), grandchildren (John Jr., Paul, and Mark Jordan; Sona, Tara, Farrah, and Anna Mirzaee; Aisha and Andrew Harris; Gary Doxy; Robert and Jalisa Trammel), great grandchildren (Jayda, Audric, Kira, and Nala Harris; Journey, Lyric, and Paul Jr. Jordan; Joslyn Jordan), her sisters (Dorothy Worthy; Rhoda Harris; Debra, Cynthia, and Linda Crenshaw), her brothers (Ricky and Ronnie Crenshaw), and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends that loved her dearly.