Ruth E. Tate remembered for decades spent helping Memphis' senior citizens

Often, Ruth E. Tate would smile and wink at her daughter, Delaine Tate Cooper.

To Tate Cooper, this was a sign of her compassion, and she always knew that her mother loved her and her two brothers dearly. As she raised them, she was hard-working and kind. She always made sure they had everything they needed. As Tate Cooper said: “There was nothing she wouldn’t do for us.”

But Tate’s love wasn’t limited to her children. She seemed to extend it to everyone.

“She was the kind of person that didn’t meet strangers,” said her son, James Tate III. “She always had a smile. Her heart was always open.”

And Tate used that kind, open heart in her celebrated career supporting the elderly. On Christmas Eve, she passed away peacefully at the age of 91 at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital, with her family by her side. But after spending decades reshaping how Memphis senior citizens received resources and social fulfillment, she’s likely to be remembered for years to come.

"She was so determined to make her family and her work speak for herself," said her granddaughter's husband, Bobby Jeffries. "The legacy that she has left us with is such a blessing."

Tate's passion

Tate was born in McComb, Mississippi, at a time when racism and segregation were rampant in the South.

"To be raised in that area, during that time, had to be tough," Jeffries said. "And to be an African American woman had to be rough also."

A family tragedy made her childhood even more challenging. When she was 10 years old, her mother died, and Tate spent the next seven years at a boarding school in Tacoma, Washington.

Still, she showed an incredible amount of resilience. At the age of 17, she returned to McComb and graduated from high school, before moving to Memphis, where she earned a college degree and started her career.

In the 1950s, Tate married her husband, the late James Tate Jr., and together they had three children, James III, Michael and Delaine. Her official work with senior citizens began in 1972, when she was hired as a program supervisor for Senior Services Inc. Within two years, she advanced to a group organizer position and formed 20 groups of senior citizens.

Those groups later combined and emerged as the South Memphis Senior Center. Initially, the organization met in church basements before moving into a facility on Marjorie Street in South Memphis, which today is called the Ruth E. Tate Senior Center.

Throughout her career, she worked tirelessly to ensure senior citizens felt loved and cared for. Tate arranged an array of social events, so they didn’t feel alone. She offered engaging recreational activities, like arts and crafts. She planned trips that allowed them to travel around the country. She provided a Thanksgiving dinner, so those who didn’t have one at home could get one at the center. She put together large fruit baskets each year and ensured all the senior citizens she worked with got one. She started the annual pre-Mother’s Day Luncheon, which became a popular event for those she served.

“She was passionate about the seniors and making sure they had different things they could do, so they wouldn’t just have to sit at home — they had a place to go,” said Tate Cooper. “Whatever activities they could come up with, she had it taken care of for them.”

In 2008, Tate retired, after more than three decades as the director of the senior center. That year, the pre-Mother’s Day Luncheon drew about 500 guests, with most there to honor Tate. And at her retirement party, senior center staffers had to make her sit down, according to The Commercial Appeal archives, so she could be taken care of herself for once.

Continuing to care

But Tate didn’t say goodbye to the senior center after retirement. She continued to go regularly and didn’t hesitate to lend a hand. When other senior citizens needed to go to the doctor and didn’t have someone to take them, Tate happily volunteered.

Her efforts weren't limited to the elderly, either. Jeffries recalls people saying, "I got this job because of Mrs. Tate. I would never been able to get this job without Mrs. Tate; please thank her."

“She was still taking care of other people,” Tate Cooper said. “She would be right there for them.”

And as she poured energy into her community, she continued to support her own family, helping her grandchildren pay for college and encouraging them to succeed. Time passed, but this love for her family never abated.

The day before she died, Tate Cooper was in the hospital room with her mother.

And as she called her name, Tate looked at her daughter, smiled and winked.

"I think she was telling me bye," Tate Cooper said. “I’m going to miss my mama. She loved people… What she did for one, she did for all.”

Tate leaves behind her daughter, Delaine Tate Cooper, her sons, James Tate III and Michael Tate, her daughter-in-law, Janice Tate, and her grandchildren and their spouses: Terrence Tate and his wife Stephanie Tate, Antonio Tate, Lakisha Tate, Brooklyn Tate, and Kirby Jeffries and her husband, Bobby Jeffries. A memorial service is slated to be held at noon Jan. 6 at New Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering issues tied to healthcare, hospitals, and resource access. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ruth E. Tate, who reshaped services for Memphis' seniors, has died