Ruby V. Johnson

Ruby Virginia Johnson, a former resident of Dorchester and Anne Arundel County, passed away suddenly at her home in Parsonsburg, Maryland on Saturday, February 18, 2023. She was 67.

Ruby was born on October 16, 1955 in Baltimore, Maryland to Clarence W. Johnson, Sr. and Sara E. Johnson. She grew up in Severn and Glen Burnie and attended Anne Arundel County schools. She stayed home with her two children and babysat her best friends’ kids until Malynda and Mark were older. Ruby worked as a housekeeper for Howard Johnson Hotels in Hanover, MD and then for Rombro, Capstone and PharAmerica Institutional Pharmacies in Baltimore, MD as a pharmacy technician. She also worked for Marley Pharmacy and Wal-Mart pharmacy in Glen Burnie, MD.

In 1971, Ruby met the love of her life, Mark A. Shacka Sr. They were together for 51 years and filled those years with bittersweet memories and stories left to tell for years to come. Ruby loved her “Shacka” and the beautiful little family they created. In 1975, they welcomed their beautiful daughter, Malynda, into the world and then in 1976, she had “Brother,” Mark Jr. Ruby’s children were her heart and they knew how deeply they were loved by their mother.

Ruby’s pride and joy were her grandchildren and great-grandson. Nothing in this world made her happier than to see her grandbabies and spend time with them. She spoiled them rotten and was ALWAYS there for all of them, unconditionally, no matter what. She loved her Zachy, Boogie, BooBoo, PeeWee, Babygirl, Jaelyn, and Lil’ Man more than words could ever explain.

Ruby was a strong woman who loved hard and went above and beyond for anyone who needed her. She loved Orioles baseball, watching Young & Restless, American Idol & America’s Got Talent. She loved Ocean City and traveling, going to Ft. Lauderdale in a Chevette, a cruise to the Bahamas, summers in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Disney World, and what she called “the road trip of a lifetime” to Maine and through Canada and back with Mark. Many Friday nights were spent at Shirley’s in her younger years, listening to her cousins sing, or at Double T or Cactus Willie’s with the family in later years. She loved visiting her sister at the car shows, shopping, crabbing with the family down in Blackwater, or a late lunch at Kay’s at the Airport. Ruby will be remembered for her character, her heart, and her undying love for those she loved and spent her life with.

Ruby is survived by her doting husband, Mark A. Shacka Sr.; her beloved son, Mark A. Shacka Jr. and his wife, Shannon; her beloved grandchildren, Zachary, Damian, Trey, Dominik, and Rachael Shacka; Jaelyn Byrd; her precious great-grandson, Asher Theo Shacka; her sisters, Eileen Saunders and Noami Johnson-Herr; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends that she held dear.

She is preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Malynda M. Shacka; her parents, Clarence and Sara; her brother, Wilbur; her sister, Anna; and her lifelong best friends, Mary and Winnie.

A private celebration of life will be held with her closest family and friends at a later date.  Arrangements are in the care of Thomas Funeral Home, P.A.