Helen Joyce Ridings

How do you put into words the life of someone that was your hero. Helen Joyce Ridings, age 87, lovingly known to most of us simply as Joyce, Mom or Granny of Arlington, Texas, passed away on Friday, May 22, 2026 in Tyler, Texas, leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, faith, and family.

A Visitation will be held at Woods Chapel Baptist Church, 2424 California Ln, Arlington, Texas 76015, on Monday, June 1, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, with a Celebration of Life starting at 2:00 pm. Burial to follow at Laurel Land – Rose Hill Memorial Park, 7301 East Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, Texas 76112.

Joyce was born in Allen Park, Michigan on December 18, 1938, to George and Lois Wideman. From an early age, she carried a caring spirit that would define the rest of her life. On September 7, 1957, she married the love of her life, Charles Edward Ridings, and together they built a beautiful family and a life filled with love, laughter, and devotion.

Joyce spent over 23 years as an elementary school teacher, shaping young hearts and minds with patience, compassion, and encouragement. Teaching wasn’t just her profession it was part of who she was. She had a gift for making people feel valued, seen, and loved.

Her faith was the foundation of her life. Joyce served her church faithfully in countless ways. She taught Sunday School, started a widows group, led Women on Missions for several years, and quietly gave her time, energy, and resources to help others whenever she could. She never sought recognition for her kindness she simply saw a need and filled it. That was Joyce.

But above all else, Joyce loved God and her family deeply. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend. Her home was a place of warmth, comfort, and unconditional love. She celebrated every accomplishment, prayed through every hardship, and made each person in her family feel important.

She is preceded in death by her parents, George and Lois Mitchell Wideman, her siblings Lois Wideman Deuter, Lila Wideman Waters, and her beloved husband, Charles Edward Ridings Sr., great-grandchildren Jerrod Young and Jacob Harper.

Joyce leaves behind a family who will forever cherish her memory: her children Melissa Ridings, Cheryl Ridings Bingham and husband Virgil Bingham, and Charles Ridings Jr. and wife Christina Ridings. She is also survived by her siblings JoAnn Wideman Creamer, Geraldine Wideman Smith, Janine Wideman Grace, and Tim Wideman.

Her legacy continues through her grandchildren Jeremy Young, Mandy Cooper, John Young, Melinda Sawyer, Cassidy Waybourn, Krista Bingham, Brian Bingham, Meredith McCloud, Katelynn Berg, Hannah Ridings, and Charles Ridings III, along with 30 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren.

While our hearts are heavy today, we can also be grateful, grateful for the years we had with Joyce, for the lessons she taught us, for the love she gave so freely, and for the example she set of faith, generosity, and grace. A life like Joyce’s cannot truly be measured by years alone, but by the countless lives she touched along the way. She leaves behind memories that will continue to comfort us, stories that will continue to make us smile, and love that will never fade.