Rubye I Brown Coty

Mrs. Rubye I. Coty was born on June 2, 1930, in Soddy Daisy Tennessee.  She was called to rest from this earthly life on June 22, 2023 in Clayton, N.C, where for the last 5 years of her life she resided and was taken care of by her goddaughter Shelley Davis who she raised as her daughter, and her daughter-n-law Spencer Hope Davis.

Mrs. Coty was blessed to have two families who loved her. She was preceded in death by her mother Sammie Mae Kines Jackson of Chattanooga, TN., and her adoptive parents, father William Henry Brown and mother Erika Feolia Savage Brown, who raised her and her sister Evelyn from childhood in Bristol, Virginia.

 At an early age, Mrs. Coty showed intellectual promise. She was an avid reader and excelled in both academics and the arts. She had a talent for painting and drawing and was a talented piano player. After being academically advanced several grades at an early age, she entered into one of the earliest private boarding high schools for Blacks in the south. In her younger years she became an expert seamstress and in the 1950s moved to New York where she worked for Lane Bryant, later fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse for 30+ years before retiring. She was well respected by physicians and the medical profession teams she worked with. She was offered rare opportunities to train in medical modalities that most African American women were not allowed. She excelled in and enjoyed the fields of cardiology, neuro-science, and general private duty nursing. She was a staunch advocate for children and provided pediatric care as well.

As she bloomed through adulthood and became acclimated to the fast pace of New York City, she flourished and became fiercely independent.  She lived in Harlem, Manhattan, and settled down in the Bronx, NY.. While she valued her personal solitude and could easily devour multiple books at a time, she also established loyal friends and enjoyed a gregarious social life as well. She loved good music, had her own seat at the Apollo theater, attended the opera, Ebony Fashion Shows, frequented museums, the movies, loved to dance, and was famous for hosting fun but respectful parties. She was known for her good cooking and all loved her company and attended her socials. She loved to dine at many NY restaurants and enjoyed the city arts, often accompanied by her goddaughter Shelley who she helped raise from birth along with her dear friend, Phyllis Davis, Shelley’s mother. Shelley and “Rube” as she called her, were inseparable. She also loved her family and enjoyed any opportunities to visit her biological mother Sam, siblings, and other family members in Tennessee and elsewhere in her life. She was very loved by her family and very loyal to both her biological and adoptive family. 

Rubye retired to Berkeley, California where she became a well-respected member of her church and community. She sang in the choir, continued to establish friends, and enjoyed the arts in California. There she also played a significant role in caring for her grandniece Christina Cummings who she adored as well. She eventually moved back east to Chattanooga, TN with her extended family before her final home in North Carolina. Near the end of her life, she was cared for by Gentiva Home Hospice and passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family members who loved her dearly. As always, she fostered wonderful friendships with all she encountered; her doctors, aides, family and new friends adored her to the end of her journey here in NC. Memories of her will forever be cherished.

Mrs. Coty was preceded in death also by her sister Evelyn B. Cummings, brothers, Billie Jackson and Robert Jackson. She leaves behind her goddaughter Rochelle Davis, brother Thomas Jackson.  She was especially close to her nephews William “Geno” Cummings, Rupert “Tony” Cummings, Peter Cummings, niece Katherine Virginia Hills, nephew Nicholos Jackson, niece Denise Cowings, grandnieces Christina Cummings,  Kamerie Cummings Crenshaw, Jasmin Hills, Jessica Hills, Tashia Cummings, and a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.