Ronald Rhea Rushing

Ronald Rhea Rushing, 76, of San Antonio, TX went to his Eternal Home on October 10, 2024 in Austin, TX. Ron was born February 9, 1948, in Uvalde, TX to Lon Jr. and Zrayda Hobbs Rushing. 

He was Ron to some, Ronnie to many, and “RoRo” to family (and those who felt like he was family). Ron lived his entire adult life in San Antonio, where he had a successful stockbroker career first at AG Edwards and then Wells Fargo. He spent over 50 years carefully shepherding people into financial security and garnering industry recognition along the way. Before his retirement in 2017, he served countless clients with solid advice, unwavering integrity, and his trademark smile.

Ron was a proud graduate of Sabinal High, Class of 1965, and started his academic career at Southwest Texas Junior College before completing his bachelor’s degree at Texas Tech. He went on to graduate school and earned a master’s degree from Baylor University.

Ronnie grew up in the small town of Sabinal, just west of San Antonio, and in his estimation, it was a perfect place. As his memory faded, tales of Sabinal kept him anchored in a happier time: coke floats from Burns Pharmacy, running through the aisles at Rushing Supermarket, Sunday School at First Baptist Church, and causing mayhem in the Sabinal FFA. Any mention of Sabinal always brought a smile to his face and comforted him as he neared the end.

Even more than events or places, Ron remembered people. As disease robbed him of recent memories, he could still name nearly every face from his middle school yearbook…or recall people he went to church with in the 70s…or the innumerable clients that transitioned to friends over the years. RoRo never forgot a face, because he believed each person he met was important enough to remember.

Although he spent long hours at the Wells Fargo office, he made time for his favorite pursuits and hobbies, many of which his extended family gave him grief about. His obsession with reading every word printed in the newspaper was legendary and frequently resulted in two-foot-high piles of old papers stacked next to his favorite leather chair. (Of note: his favorite section was the Obituaries). He adored spending time at the lake house he built on Lake McQueeney, where he patiently taught the kids in his life how to roll bread balls as bait. A truly horrible cook, RoRo took seriously his field research to identify San Antonio’s best hole-in-the wall eateries. (He was heartbroken when Little Hipp’s closed years ago and he couldn’t get his beloved shypoke eggs.) Unequivocally topping the list of passion projects, though, was the family ranch in Uvalde County. Ron droned on enough about the ranch that a stockbroker colleague jokingly named him the “Wall Street Goat Roper, ” a label he proudly claimed. (Thanks, Ernesto!)

Ron found his soulmate in Marla Burtz Rushing and was a devoted husband and companion to her for 21 years. Marla welcomed Ron into her active social life, and the lake house became a legendary gathering place for family, friends, and church groups. Once grandchildren were on the scene, RoRo threw himself with gusto into this cherished role.

Christian faith played a central role in Ron’s life from the time he accepted Jesus into his heart as a child. His life with Marla revolved around church events and church friends, who ministered to him until he went Home. He took on leadership roles in various congregations in San Antonio over the years, including Shearer Hills Baptist where he was a deacon, Trinity Baptist, and First Baptist of San Antonio. 

Ron is predeceased by his parents Lon Jr. and Zrayda Rushing and his brother-in-law Philip Ljungdahl.

Ron is survived by his loving wife Marla and her sons and their families: Jason and Jessica Day of Washington, DC and their daughters Lily and Calliope; Josh and Lisa Day of Austin and their children Noah, Loralei, and Nathan. His beloved sister Patricia Ljungdahl survives him, along with his niece, Stacy Croft and her husband Lloyd of Galveston; and his nephew Reagan Ljungdahl and his wife Melissa of The Woodlands. His grand-nephews Jeff Croft, Bryan Croft and Rock Ljungdahl, and grand-nieces Riley Ljungdahl and Skye Ljungdahl are proud to have been the “practice grandkids.”

The family wants to recognize the loving care provided by Silverado Barton Springs Memory Care Community in Austin. They escorted both RoRo and his family through his months-long and treacherous journey Home.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 19th, at First Baptist Church Sabinal beginning at 11:00 a.m. A lunch and interment at Sabinal Cemetery will follow. The mortuary firm founded by Ron’s father, Rushing– Estes-Knowles of Uvalde, is handling arrangements.

If you wish to make a memorial gift in Ron’s honor, please consider the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org); Sabinal Alumni Association Scholarship Program (P.O. Box 1018, Sabinal, TX 78881); or Sabinal First Baptist Church (P.O. Box 156, Sabinal, TX 78881).