Denise Marie Rutledge Cribbs

Denise Marie Rutledge Cribbs passed into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ on June 28, 2016, after a long illness and hospital stay. She was surrounded by family as she began her journey. Denise was born on June 20, 1960 to W. E. “Gene” Rutledge and Vivian Rutledge at the old Visalia Municipal Hospital at Willow and Mineral King. She attended Fairview School, Green Acres Middle School and graduated from Redwood High School.

Because of her dad’s employment, she always had an interest in law enforcement or fire protection, and as such, she was a dispatcher for both Tulare and Kings County Sheriff’s Offices, and for the California Division of Forestry. In later years, she was employed by Tulare County in the Health and Human Services department.

Denise was a unique animal lover, always having several dogs and cats in her home. She is survived by her two pugs, “Magic Mike” and “Bubba” and her other dog “Dustin” and her cat “Sassy”. All will be adopted by the family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents Wilfred “Pa” and Irene “Granny” Rutledge, her maternal grandparents Delmer Geiger “Grandad” and Violet Stewart “Grandma”, her brother-in-law, Tom Bunting, her aunts Barbara McKinney, Sharon Kay Fields and Avis Pedroncelli, and uncles Homer Rutledge and Dale Geiger. We know she has had a wonderful “homecoming” with family upon her arrival in Heaven.

At the time of her illness she was attending Gateway Church and Visalia Ministries Bible and Breakfast. She had been baptized in the New Life Church several years prior.

Denise is survived by her father and mother, W.E. “Gene” Rutledge and Vivian Rutledge , her sister and brother-in-law Kevin and Melinda O’Conner of Redlands, and niece Hannah Bunting of Dallas, Texas, her sister Marilyn Carter and fiancé, Robert Neff and her nephew Nicholas Neill, with whom she lived. She was close to her cousin Darin McKinney, wife Leslie and daughter Samantha, and cousin Douglas Fields. She had numerous other family members and many, many friends.

Denise was a cancer survivor. She was the happy go lucky type, taking life as it came, never making many great plans for the future. She possessed a wicked sense of humor, finding something to laugh about in almost every circumstance. Denise will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her.

Celebration of Life services will be held on Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 W. Goshen Ave., Visalia, CA.

Tributes and condolences may be made at www.millerchapel.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Miller Memorial Chapel, 1129 W. Goshen Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291 (559) 732-8371.