Jean Louise Ratcliff

Published 12:03 am Sunday, October 20, 2013

FERRIDAY — Funeral services for Jean Louise Ratcliff, 88, who died Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, at Natchez Regional Medical Center, will be at 2 p.m.  Monday at Comer Funeral Home Chapel in Ferriday with the Rev. Glen Harrigill officiating.

Burial will follow at Highland Park Cemetery in Sicily Island under the direction of Comer Funeral Home in Ferriday.

Jean Louise Ratcliff

Visitation will be 6 to 9 p.m. today at Comer Funeral Home.

Ms. Ratcliff was born on February 6, 1925, the daughter of Charles and Maude Harris Peterson.

Ms. Ratcliff has been an entrepreneur in many industries including clothing, insurance, creative woodcrafts and food service. During World War II, she worked as a welder in the ship yard in Orange, Texas.  Shortly after retiring — although “retire” was really not in her vocabulary — she realized she preferred being busy and began volunteer work at the Concordia Council on Aging food site in Vidalia. As time went on, she became an employee of the establishment and in 2001 she was awarded Employee of the Year.

She said it kept her morale up and it was a good deal of personal joy, and she loved being around the older people to hear their stories.

Ms. Ratcliff had a passion for life. Family was most important to her; her gift was she never met a stranger and she had a wealth of  love for all.

Jean was quite the competitor with cards and board games, and she never passed up the opportunity to play a good game of scrabble. She will be deeply missed by all that knew her and loved her.

Ms. Ratcliff was preceded in death by her parents and two grandsons, Michael Dewayne Walston and Shawn Joseph January.

Survivors include three daughters, Shirley Johnson Abernathy and her husband, Cledis, of Vidalia,  Dianne Walston Kirby of Conroe, Texas, and Pam Tanner-Lacour and husband, Charles, of Montgomery, Texas; grandchildren Terri Broussard and husband, Greg, of Spring, Texas, Lance Moore Sr. and wife, Debra Sue, of Vidalia, Jay January of Montgomery, Texas, Angela Tanner- Main and husband, Greg, of Austin, Texas, Nicolette Zapalac of Houston, Texas, Sandy Patt and husband, Darren, of Vidalia,  Rindy Williamson and husband, Jason, of Vidalia, Stevie Wilson and Jonathon Riddle of Vidalia; great grandchildren Bryan and Blake Broussard of Spring, Texas, Kelly Moore and wife, Rebekah, of Vidalia, Lance Moore Jr. and wife, Mia, of Natchez, Macy Moore of Vidalia, Gage January of Pensacola, Fla., Melody Main of Austin, Texas, Ashley Hall, Hayden, Makenna and Garren Patt of Vidalia, Peyton Cowan and Luke and Sara Williamson of Vidalia and Kyrsten Riddle of Vidalia; and three great-great grandchildren, Lil’ Joshua, Michaylee and Rylan McLeod.

Online condolences may be made to www.comerfh.com.