Educator extraordinaire Ruby Revis Poindexter, a life member of both Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the NAACP, and an active member in countless other professional and civic organizations, died Aug. 14, 2023. She was 95.
Born Ruby Mae Revis on May 16, 1928, Poindexter was the last of 10 children born to Billy Turner Revis and Hattie Elizabeth Stredic Revis. Her parents, six brothers and three sisters preceded her in death.
Born in Van Vleck, Texas, a Negro settlement in Bay City, Poindexter was raised with a strong sense of family and community; values that she evinced throughout her life.
Poindexter attended Hilliard High School in Bay City before continuing her educational journey at Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University, obtaining her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish. Poindexter continued her postgraduate education at the University of Southern California. Her quest for knowledge led her to attend various educational seminars during her teaching career which spanned over two decades.
Her work as a HISD teacher at Pleasantville Elementary, Miller Junior High and Hartman Junior High lasted 19 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.
Poindexter joined her husband Zeb in business by 1960 as 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.
Poindexter took pride in being in the Divine Nine family as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She was a leader in dental professional organizations, civil rights organizations (including the NAACP) and community organizations. She also co founded Loyal Missionary Baptist Church and participated in a host of social clubs, especially the Coterie.
For 57 years Poindexter was a fun-loving wife to the late Dr. Zeb Poindexter Jr. She is 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.
The first service for Poindexter was held on Thursday, Aug. 24 at Loyal Missionary Baptist Church (3901 N. MacGregor Way, Houston, 77004).
There will be another service for Poindexter on Friday, Aug. 25 at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church (3015 N. MacGregor Way, Houston 77004) from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Internment will take place at Houston National Cemetery (1410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77038) at 1 p.m.
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