Naomi Ragsdale

Naomi Ragsdale, 82, of Denison, TX. passed away at her home on March 24, 2026. A visitation for Naomi will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 2, 2026 at The Father's House in San Saba, TX. A funeral service will follow the visitation and begin at 10:00 a.m. Interment will take place after the funeral service at Chappel Cemetery in San Saba, TX. Arrangements are under the direction of Blaylock Funeral Home in San Saba.

Alpha Naomi Cobb Ragsdale of Sherman, formerly of San Saba was born December 20, 1943 to L. T. ,(Cricket) Cobb and Ida Ray Cobb of May, Texas. This was during World II, and Naomi says, "I was number four for Mother so she knew she would deliver fast. But the hospital had hired a lot of young nurses who had moved to Brownwood to be close to Camp Bowie and boyfriends or husbands during the war. The girls had little experience but rather cocky. When Mother told the nurses I was coming, they would just pat her hand and told her just to be patient, Mother thought "I am going to show these little snits a thing or two." When an older, more experienced nurse came on the scene the action really started. She summoned Dr. Scott at his home and started racing toward the delivery room. The elevator door opened, and Dr. Scott stepped out just as I was born in the hall. He raised up his pants legs and showed Mother that he knew her and he would deliver fast, so he just threw on his pants over his pajama bottoms. He told her not only they were not able to charge her for delivery room but he couldn't even charge her for delivering me. Daddy was very happy.

Naomi spent all her young life on the dry land farm hoeing cotton, peanuts, and all else relating to farming and large gardening. Her daddy would drive down the county road by their farmland see weeds in the rows. He seemed to always know the rows that Naomi was assigned. Every summer was spent peeling peaches, snapping beans. shelling peas, making pickles or shucking corn in preparation of canning all the food they could put up for the coming winter.

They had a peach orchard just below the cow lot that produced some of the most beautiful peaches in Brown County. Since Naomi was the youngest and smallest (and a real tomboy) her job was to climb the peach trees to get the prettiest peaches for selling that grew in the middle of the trees.

The drought of the 50's left a lifelong impression on her to be sure to always pray for rain and to plant a large garden to share and to preserve as much as she could.

She missed her large gardens after the deer found the garden and would eat everything down to the ground. No matter what they did the deer would find a way around the barriers.

Besides trying to keep weeds at bay by the business end of a hoe she had the job of taking the cows and sheep to the pasture of mornings and go bring them back into the barn by evenings.

Her horse had two wheels - a trusty bike. She often hit the sand and would get dumped to the ground. Her worst spill was right in the middle of a prickly pear patch. Her mother had just made her a new short set out of feed sacks, of course. It took her mother all morning to free her body of all the needles and stickers. And the worst part was having to burn her new shorts set. New clothes were a rare thing for her even though they were made of feed sacks. She and her mother spent so much time selecting the feed sacks but the feed store owner and her daddy were very patient with them.

Since Naomi believed her Sunday School teacher or her pastor would always tell the truth so when they said pray about all things she took them seriously. She gave God a specific list of the qualities her future husband would have. When she finished praying she just believed it was a done deal and after being married to Joe for over sixty years it was really a done deal.

Naomi attended the May school and graduated in 1962. She tried to participate in all the events the school offered but at an early age Naomi became a caregiver for her parents who suffered serious health issues. This was after her siblings had graduated, married and moved on with their lives. It was up to her to try to hold things together as best as a young teen-aged girl could.

Naomi met the love of her life, Joe Ragsdale at a reunion in San Saba and they married on September 15, 1962 in the First United Methodist Church in San Saba, where they were active for many years. Later they became active in the Father's House and was participated in all activities. She played the organ and was on worship team for many years.

She loved her church to the end. Her best place was the kitchen where she shined as cooking was her best talent. She became known as the pie lady to her family & friends.

Her career was Joe. He was her life and almost her breath. She worked beside him their whole married life. They tried many businesses looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They always made a decent living doing what made Joe happy. It was a very interesting life to say the least. Naomi was Joe's bookkeeper and that was a hard job for her because she hated details.

Naomi and Joe loved to travel especially pulling a travel trailer. They met their goal be visiting all fifty states, most of the Canadian providences and several states in Mexico. They revisited many states several times, especially New Mexico and Colorado during the heat of the summer. They loved Branson, Missouri during the Christmas season to go to the fabulous shows. Their last discovery of nature's beauty was Kentucky in the early fall. The best part of their travels was just being together. Joe was her best friend and they were so blessed to like doing the same thing. The hardest thing they had to do was deciding where to go.

They were parents two sons, Lee & Deborah Ragsdale; and granddaughter Hollee of San Saba; Elizar & Robin Mata and granddaughters, Macey & Meredith of Sherman. Naomi moved to Sherman following Joe's passing, initially planning only a short stay. However, she soon chose to make it her permanent home, settling into an assisted living community she truly loved.

Naomi was the last of her immediate family but is survived by three nephews, and four nieces and their spouses. Also, some great nieces and some delightful great-great nieces and great-great nephews.

Naomi is preceded in death by her parents; two brothers and spouses Bill and Shirley Cobb of Wiley, Texas; Claude & Martha Cobb of Kingsland, Texas; her sister & spouse, Lomah and Wayne Pittman of May, Texas and one great nephew, Justin Pittman

Online condolences can be made at www.blaylockfuneralhome.com