(July 7, 1949 – July 13, 2022)
John and Helen Croft welcomed with great love, their first child, John Ritchie Croft, who was born on July 7, 1949, on the Plains of West Texas in Muleshoe. Ritchie Croft, passed away after a sudden illness on July 13, 2022, at the age of 73, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Ritchie spent his childhood in Proctor, Texas, attending Proctor Public School through fourth grade, until its consolidation with Comanche Public Schools. He graduated from Comanche High School with the Class of 1967, with whom he maintained many life-long friendships. Ritchie attended Tarleton State University and determined after a few semesters, he would move on to employment with the Texas Power and Light Company. Ritchie was a loyal, respected, and highly valued employee with over thirty-five years of service until his retirement in 2006. He continued to work in the electrical power field for many years as a highly regarded independent contractor for various entities that included the Army Corps of Engineers and Mas Tec Utility Services. Ritchie was a longtime resident in the Dallas area until moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 2018.
Ritchie Croft was preceded in death by his parents John and Helen Croft and his second wife Judith Calk. Ritchie is survived by his wife, Mitzie Evans Croft; daughter, Jenny Amanda Croft (Sedrick King); daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Croft; the mother of his children, Hollis Sue Croft, stepdaughter Sheryl Evans; stepson, Ryan Bridges, and stepdaughter, Ashley Bridges. Ritchie is also survived by his sister, Vickie Croft Cate (Warren) of Proctor; sister, Hollis Croft McCright (Joe) of Proctor; sister, Sarah Croft of San Antonio; and brother, Carl Croft (Lara) of Galveston. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Becket Holmgren; Savannah, Olivia, and Aaron Saldivar; and one great-grandchild, yet to arrive. Additionally surviving are paternal cousins, Regan, Christine, Kirk, and Gene Howard and JoEllen Fulkerson, along with maternal cousins Judy Lightfoot (Keith) of Sherman and Barbara Hobbs Block (Mike) of Little Rock; and many, many dear friends associated with his childhood in Comanche and the Proctor community area; the Texas Power and Light Company (now TXU Energy); Masonic Lodge of Dallas; and the Murfreesboro community.
The John Ritchie Croft Family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, July 18, 2022, at the Harrell Funeral Home located in Dublin, Texas. Services for Ritchie will be held on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, 10 a.m., at the Proctor Community Cemetery followed by gathering of friends for lunch at the Proctor Community Center, located in Proctor, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the Croft Family asks that you honor Ritchie’s memory through donations to the Operating Fund of the Proctor Cemetery Association, PO Box 711, Proctor, Texas 76468, or other charity of your choice.
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