Wilma Jo Dudley, age 88, passed away at her home in Palisade, Colorado, on November 8, 2019, surrounded by her family. She was born January 19, 1931 in Bedrock, Colorado to her parents, Thaddeus and Mabel Snyder Ragsdale and attended a one room grade school in Bedrock, with her siblings and her Snyder cousins. She loved growing up in the Paradox Valley, and carried that love throughout her life. She said when she was a young child the valley reminded her of a ‘large red tea cup, with a blue saucer on top’ because of the red cliffs that surrounded the valley and the blue Colorado sky. She had shared so many of the memories of living there, it would take volumes to record, but those who lived there with her are certain to remember them.
Wilma went to High School in Norwood, Colorado and graduated in 1949. She married Harvey Dudley, the summer of her junior year, June 27, 1948. They were the parents of three children, Dana, Linda and Christopher. In 1953 they moved to California, where Harvey pursued a career in Law Enforcement, and Wilma went to work for Pacific Telephone as a telephone operator. She was very talented and before too long had worked her way into upper management, something she was very proud of. She retired in 1983, due to a battle with cancer, and she and Harvey relocated to Western Colorado, a place that they both loved, and began reconnecting with the siblings and the cousins she loved so much.
Wilma and Harvey loved family gatherings of any kind, whether it was the annual Snyder family reunions, the Barbeque’s at the Ragsdale ranch in Redvale, Colorado, or the quarterly cousin lunches where the Snyder cousins got together to catch up between reunions. New Year’s Eve Champagne and Lobster dinners in Paradox with cousin’s Pat and George Mann were always a very highly anticipated event as well. They all held a very special place in her heart and in the recent months those memories were on her mind frequently.
Wilma learned to play the guitar when she was about 14, by watching someone play. Even though she only knew three chords, she would play for hours and we’d sing along. We spent many a family gathering singing and laughing hilariously when we couldn’t remember the words, or the tune of a song.
Wilma was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Harvey, and her son Christopher; Parents Thaddeus and Mable Snyder Ragsdale; brothers, Eldon and Gale Ragsdale and two infant siblings. She is survived by her daughter, Dana Stroop (Jon) of Palisade, Colorado and daughter, Linda Marten (Bobby) of Captain Cook, HI Brother, Calvin Ragsdale (Holdine) of Pleasanton, California, and sisters, Arlene Fix of Grand Junction and Kay Ragsdale of Grand Junction, and sister-in-law Betty Ragsdale (Gale) of Redvale, Colorado, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Grandchildren: Doug Stroop (Addy) of Wenatchee, WA, Amy Beamon (Zach) of Portland, OR, Cari Forsmann of Palisade, CO, Brandon Ragsdale, Grand Junction, Robyn Borjes, Grand Junction, and Kaeley Flannigan of Silt, Colorado
Greatgrandchildren: Skylar Forsmann, Sophia Forsmann, Ronin Beamon, and Joey Simonet-Stroop
Finally, Wilma’s family would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks to Hopewest Hospice of Grand Junction. The care and love they provided to mom these past few years was exceptional in every way. We can’t say enough about their compassion and care. Mom loved each and every one of them and her family did as well.
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