Sept. 19, 1922 – Feb. 7, 2013

St. Joseph, La. — Services for Frances Drake Reddit, 90, of St. Joseph, who died Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, at her residence, will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, at First United Methodist Church in St. Joseph.

Burial will follow at Legion Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Young’s Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until service time Wednesday at the church.

Mrs. Redditt was born Sept. 19, 1922, in Philadelphia, Pa., and was reared in Mitchell, La., in Sabine Parish.

She had 63 years of public service with three different careers. She graduated from Northwestern State University with a bachelor of science in 1943, her master’s of science degree from Texas Women’s University in 1959 and Certification Certificate No. 34 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (ULL) in 1967. She was a vocational/home economics teacher for 22 years at Joseph Moore Davidson in St. Joseph. She continued to serve Tensas Parish as the school food service and vocational supervisor for 15 years. She retired after 26 years as the Northeast Area Field Supervisor, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Her professional organizations included The American and Louisiana Home Economics Association (now called the Family and Consumer Sciences Association) and The Louisiana School Food Assocation (now called the Food and Nutrition Association) both of which she was president, as well as the American and Lousiana Vocational Education Association.

She was listed as Outstanding Educator in America 1973-74. She received the Northwestern State University Home Economics Department Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in 1972. She also was selected one of Top Ten Home Economics Teachers of the Year in the United States sponsored by “Seventeen Magazine” in 1959. Honorary Societies included Kappa Delta Phi, Delta Kappa Gamma and Kappa Omicron Phi.

Redditt was actively involved in St. Joseph Cosmopolitan Club, Bruin-Vidal Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a number of bridge clubs and her church.

Mrs. Redditt was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford W. and Elizabeth S. Drake; husband, John B. Redditt Sr., one brother, Clifford Drake and wife, Lavern; and one sister, Margaret “Honey” Napier and husband, Jack.

Survivors include three sons, Charles C. Redditt and wife, Carol, of Somerville, Tenn., Dr. John B. Redditt Jr. and wife, Margie, of Hendersonville, Tenn., and Robert W. Redditt and wife, Jacquie, of Brush, Colo.; two daughters, Elizabeth R. McDonell and husband, Alex, of San Marcos, Texas and Susan R. Carpenter and husband, Jimmy, of Baton Rouge; one sister-in-law, Lyndel Drake of Houston, Texas; one cousin, Joyce H. King of Shreveport, La.; 12 grandchildren, Charles C. “Clay” Redditt and wife, Kimberly, of Kennedale, Texas, Claire Redditt of Somerville, Kathy Lowery Pippin and husband, David, of Bethpage, Tenn., Rickey Lowery and wife, Kim, of Monroe, John B. “Trey” Redditt III and David C. Redditt and wife, Anna, all of Hendersonville, John Ratcliff and wife, Mary, of Shreveport, Beth R. Batey and husband, Derek, of San Antonio, Texas, Katie Carpenter of Baton Rouge, James R. Carpenter and wife, Kristin, of Arlington, Va., D`arci Redditt of Woodland Park, Colo., Alissa Redditt of Winsor, Colo., Altara Higinbotham and Rigel Higinbotham of Brush, Colo.; 25 great-grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers will be Clay Redditt, Trey Redditt, David Redditt, John Ratcliff, Derek Batey, James R. Carpenter, Philip Ackel and Mike St.Romain.

Honorary pallbearers will be Jordan Batey and Kazdan Batey.

Memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church c/o Ms. Lynn Stiles, 924 Highway 604, St. Joseph, LA 71366 or the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home, P.O. Box 929, Ruston, LA 71273-9976.