Venita Elizabeth Ridge

Venita Elizabeth Ridge passed away on Monday, June 18, 2018 in the Bremond Nursing Home at age 90. Visitation will be held at Groesbeck Funeral Home on Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 8:00 to 9:45 a.m. prior to the service. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday at the Pavilion at Faulkenberry Cemetery, with Chaplain Jon Honea officiating. Venita was born August 5, 1927 to Harvey Raymond Perry and Verna Elizabeth Hawkins at home in the Prairie Point community near Groesbeck.   She was one of twelve children in the family, and all were nicknamed.    Her dad gave Venita the name of “Mugs” and the family all called her Mugs or Muggins.   She lived at Prairie Point until she married at age 15. Venita was dating Vestle “Buck” Ridge, in fact double-dating with her oldest sister Geneva and Scooter Cox.  And then the war began and they got married.    While Buck was gone to war, Venita and Geneva lived in Houston.    When the war was over, she and Buck moved to Midland-Odessa where she lived many years.   They eventually moved to Oklahoma with his job in the oil and gas industry. She went to beauty school in Odessa and then operated her own beauty shop, even after they moved to Oklahoma.  Buck spoiled her during their life together.  She was not a person who enjoyed the yard, or her son’s wildlife “pets” they brought home – she didn’t like getting dirty.     She enjoyed crochet and embroidered quilts which her sister Loreta put together and quilted.   She was generous to a fault, and especially liked to spoil her grandchildren.     She believed everyone (or at least her nieces) should be blond, and she could take care of this. She enjoyed traveling with Buck, and loved to gamble on the slot machines.    They made many trips to Las Vegas and to the Casino in Louisiana.  And she was lucky in winning. After Buck died while they lived in Oklahoma, she moved with her son Larry to the Dallas area, where she lived until four years ago.    About four years ago, she moved to Bremond with her sister, Loreta.   The Perry family has had a “Perry Reunion” since the early 1950’s with most of the family always coming from near and far to attend.   It used to be at the Groesbeck City Park, Fort Parker, Kennedy Lodge, and more recently at Lake Whitney, and there are usually more than one hundred family in attendance.   The reunion this month was probably the first one Venita had missed.    Venita was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Vestle “Buck” Ridge; her son, Larry James Ridge; sister, Genevia Cox; brothers, Cecil Perry, O.T. Perry, Lloyd Perry, Charles Perry, and Tilmon Perry; brother-in-law, Estle "Kink" Ridge (twin brother of her husband Buck); and daughter-in-law Cherry Ridge.She is survived by her son, Jerry Ridge of Mississippi; grandson,  Arron “Bo” and his wife Vicky Ridge of Killeen; grandson, Jamie Ridge of Hurst; granddaughter, Afton Ridge of Florida; grandson, Kagan Ridge of Odessa; grandson, Charlie Ridge of Bedford; six great grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Dana Ridge of Bedford; daughter-in-law, Linda Ridge of New Mexico; sister, Loreta Nelon of Bremond; brother, James Perry of Irving; and brother-in-law, Dean Ridge of Odessa.