- Date Of Birth: September 19, 1935
- Date Of Death: July 17, 2017
- State: Maryland
Ruize Osborne Waters, affectionately known to his family and friends as “Hawk,” was born on September 19, 1935 in Montgomery County, Maryland to the late Nathan L. Waters and Dorothy E. “Pink” Waters. Ruize grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, within the enclave of Emory Grove. This community, rooted in the faith and sacrifices of generations, was instrumental in Ruize’s spiritual and educational development. As a member of the community’s Emory Grove United Methodist Church, Ruize was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Additionally, as a child, Ruize’s love for music was shaped as he was a member of a family choir under the direction of his maternal grandmother, Martha Marcelle.
Ruize was educated and successfully matriculated within the Montgomery County Public School, System, including the historic Carver High School in Rockville, Maryland where he graduated in 1954 before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision, which ruled segregation in the public school system unconstitutional. After graduating high school, Ruize embraced a fierce determination to showcase his independence, and courage as he decided to join the United States Marines Corps (USMC), which allowed him to travel the world and meet new people. He honorably served in the military for four years.
On December 9, 1960, Ruize married the love of his life Katherine Jane Keyes, to whom he would share 56 years of love and matrimony; from this blessed union he became a devoted father to their five children: Comerleta, Angela, Yolanda, Tammy and Katrina. As a young man, husband and father, Ruize was committed to hard work and providing for his family. He worked diligently for the Montgomery County Public School System; after several promotions and over forty (40) years of service, he retired as the Supervisor of the Department of Materials and Management.
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