Carolyn A. Ritenour

Carolyn Ann (Thompson) Ritenour passed away peacefully on March 7, 2023, at her home in Helotes, Texas. Carolyn was born to Wesley and Jessie Thompson in Devine, Texas, on August 20, 1945. She graduated from Devine High School in 1963 and went on to attend Southwest Texas State University, graduating in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in English.

In August 1966, Carolyn and her parents traveled to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas to visit her brother, Lt. Charles Thompson, who was stationed there. Charles had arranged a series of blind dates for his sister, the first of which was with Lt. John J. “Bud” Ritenour Jr. She canceled all subsequent dates, and on the drive back to Texas, she told her parents she was going to marry that boy.

After fulfilling that promise in February 1967, Carolyn moved to Little Rock to be with her new husband. That was the first of many, many moves. In December 1968, she and Bud headed to College Station, Texas, where he earned his master’s degree from Texas A&M University. He then went to Vietnam, and she returned to Devine to teach sixth- and seventh-grade English. After Bud returned to the U.S. in 1970, they moved to Fairfax, Virginia, where they welcomed their son, Steve, in August 1971. In 1973, they moved to Grandview, Missouri, welcoming their daughter, Debbie, in June 1974.

The family moved to Gulfport, Mississippi, in 1977 and to Sterling, Virginia, in 1978. The real adventure began in June 1981, when Bud called Carolyn at her work and gave her the news that they were moving to Athens, Greece. She promptly put her head

August 20, 1945 - March 7, 2023

on her desk and cried. Despite her initial misgivings, Carolyn thoroughly enjoyed their three years in Greece. She toured ancient ruins, took Greek lessons, learned how to make souvlaki, and served as president of the Officers’ Wives Club.

The family’s time in Greece was one of Carolyn’s favorite assignments, surpassed only by the next: 18 months in Houghton and Brampton, England. The family took their time getting there, sailing from Athens to Brindisi, Italy, and driving across Austria, Germany and France before taking the hovercraft to England. In England, Carolyn became a true anglophile, stocking up on china, traveling the countryside, regularly ordering fish and chips, and adopting two Welsh poodles, Max and Bucky.

The Ritenour family moved to Prattville,

Alabama, in the summer of 1985. Carolyn began working part-time for a fundraising organization that was raising money for the First United Methodist Church in Montgomery; when that campaign ended, the church’s senior minister, Dr. Karl Stegall, asked her to join his staff as his administrative assistant.

In July 1987, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Carolyn was happy to be home and spent some time catching up with friends and family. Two years later, they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. For the latter half of that assignment, the family lived in senior officer housing on the grounds of the Air Force Academy, where Carolyn enjoyed gazing out the kitchen window at the deer every morning.

After 27 years of active duty, Bud retired in 1992 and he and Carolyn returned to San Antonio. Carolyn began working as a legal secretary in downtown San Antonio. Bud and Carolyn divorced in 1995, and she remained in San Antonio until 2003, when she returned to Montgomery to work for Dr. Stegall once again. After Bud came to his senses, the couple married for a second time in December 2006, with Dr. Stegall officiating the service. Carolyn returned to Texas, and she and Bud bought their home in Helotes, where they spent many happy years together.

Carolyn is survived by her husband, Bud; her son, Steve; her daughter, Debbie (Tony); her grandchildren, Josie and Callum; her brother, Charles (Sherry); and many in-laws, cousins and friends across the country and overseas.

In lieu of a service, Carolyn requested that everyone watch a good mystery show, enjoy a big margarita, and hug their grandbabies tight.

Memorials may be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance at ocrahope.org/donate.