Obituary of Ruedelle Hill

Graveside services for Ruedelle "Rudy" Hill, 86, of Abernathy, TX, will be held at 10:30 am Friday, October 18, 2024 in the Abernathy Cemetery with Rev. Caleb Hughes, pastor of First Church of the Nazarene, officiating. The family will gather to receive friends at Abell Funeral Home from 6:30 pm until 7:30 pm, Thursday, October 17, 2024. Services are under the direction of Abell Funeral Home & Flower Shop of Abernathy. Mrs. Hill died at her home in Abernathy, Tuesday, October 15, 2024, surrounded by her family. Elma Ruedelle Hill was born January 17, 1938 in Abernathy to Ralph and Dorothy (Petty) Stephens. She was raised in Abernathy, where she graduated from Abernathy High School in 1956. Following graduation she married Hugh Hill, July 14, 1956 at the First United Methodist Church in Abernathy. They soon welcomed their first addition to the family with the birth of a daughter, Terri, in the Spring of 1957. They lived in Abernathy and later briefly moved to Ohio, where their son Michael was born in the late summer of 1960. They moved back to Texas shortly after Michael's birth and remained there until 1966 when Hugh was transferred to Ohio once again. The second stay in Ohio was also short, and the family returned to Abernathy in 1967 where Ruedelle lived until her passing. Upon the family's final return to Abernathy, Ruedelle worked for Jack and Ava Lee Hager at the old Dairy Mart where she first developed a reputation for her culinary talents. Customers and patrons would insist that she be the one who prepared their food because they knew it would always be criminally delicious. Her son would often jokingly tell his friends "every recipe began with four sticks of butter". Upon the Hager's sale of the Dairy Mart, Ruedelle went to work as a butcher at Smith's Thriftway. After several years at Smith's, she began working at the Lubbock State School where she managed the Cantina until her retirement in 2014. Ruedelle loved her home town of Abernathy and was very involved in the community, serving as a past Worthy Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star and member of the former Abernathy First United Methodist Church. She also served, and volunteered for the Abernathy Chamber of Commerce, the Abernathy Ex-Students Association, and Abernathy Lions Club. When her children were young, she never missed any activity they were involved in, and always had a home-cooked meal ready in the evenings, and especially on Sunday afternoons. Her Sunday afternoon meals became legendary among her family and by extension her friends, and her children's friends. Everyone was always welcome at her table, and it seemed like a friend of the family's was always conveniently around Ruedelle and Hugh's home around Sunday at lunchtime. This was particularly the case with her son's friends and college roommates. She loved nothing more than having her family, and often time friends, gathered around her table enjoying conversation, fellowship, and good food. Besides cooking, she loved to read, and she was a huge fan of the Abernathy Lady Lopes. She was a regular at courtside until her health deteriorated to the point where she could no longer attend games. She was also a big country music fan, and in particular, Willie Nelson. Ruedelle fiercely loved her family and friends. Many family friends as well as her children's friends became part of her extended family, and they were always welcomed with open arms at her and Hugh's home. Ruedelle was preceded in death by her parents, sister Ann Stephens Kincaid, brother Sam Stephens, brother-in-law Walter Hill, sister-in-law Carma Lou Board and sister-in-law Peggy Stephens. Ruedelle is survived by her husband of 68 years Hugh Hill, children Michael Hugh Hill of Lubbock, TX, and Terri Smith and husband Larry of Lubbock, grandchildren Kyle Hendrix and wife Hollie of Lubbock, Adam and Amy Smith of Lubbock and Brant Smith of Austin, TX, great-grandchildren Holton and Koleman Hendrix, Carter and Brynlee Smith, Shepherd and Braden Smith, brothers Ronnie Stephens of Graham, TX and Gene (Doris Anna) Stephens of Abernathy, and brother-in-law Barry Joe (Linda) Hill of Ohio. Additionally, she is survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews who she also loved very much. The family would like to express their gratitude to Traditions Hospice, Jessica Teeter, Annette Johnson, and Mary Caballero for their loving care of our wife and mother as her health deteriorated. The family would also like to thank Ruedelle's many physicians for their care and comfort over the last several years. The family suggests memorials be sent to the Abernathy Ex-Students Association Scholarship Endowment at P.O. Box 1 Abernathy, TX 79311, or to Traditions Hospice 4601 50th St #109, Lubbock, TX 79414.