Sammy Rahl Rusk

Sammy Rusk (née Rahl), 81, of Garland, Texas, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2026.

Born November 10, 1944, in Goldthwaite, Texas, Sammy was the fourth child of Sam Henry and Leila (Pribble) Rahl. She graduated from Howard Payne University in 1967 with a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and earned a Master's degree in Counseling from East Texas A&M University in 1971. She married James Rusk on July 16, 1971, in Garland, Texas. They were married for 55 years.

Sammy taught English for 33 years at North Mesquite High School, sharing her love of literature with hundreds of students. She was a talented needlework artist and won several ribbons in Creative Arts at the State Fair of Texas. Sammy was an avid reader and library patron.

She is survived by her husband James, daughter Emily Rusk, daughter Vanessa and son-in-law Read Pierce, two grandsons, Bryant and Carter Pierce, and family dog Annie. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, William Rahl, and sisters Mary Sue Rahl, Patricia Rahl Hewett, and Leila Rahl Clark.

No formal service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the SPCA of Texas (www.spca.org/donate).