March 10,1943 – January 22. 2013
Memorial services for Penny Garrett, 69, of West Monroe, LA will be held at 2:00 pm Monday, January 28, 2013 at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church located at 1712 Wellerman Road West Monroe. Fr. Robert Dandridge will be officiating. Reception for family and friends will follow in parish hall. Interment will be at Arlington Cemetery in El Dorado, AR at a later date.
Penny was born in El Dorado, AR to R. N. Garrett and Agnes Soule Garrett of El Dorado. She was the wife of John Wooldridge; she was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.
Penny was a graduate of University of Indiana, Music Major and earned her Master's also in Music at University of AR. She taught Music at ULM prior to retiring.
Penny was a Cat Judge with The International Cat Association. She was also breeder of Siamese and Oriental cats for the last 25 plus years.
She was a member of the Order of DOK and the Alter Guild at St. Patrick's Church.
She is survived by her cousins, Rosamond Banks (David), Carol Felton (Barry), Cynthia Sample , Carol Bell and Kitty Paulding , as well as her care giver/housemate, Pat Muise (George).
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to PAWS of Northeast Louisiana, P.O. Box 15432, Monroe, LA 71207 or American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com Kilpatrick Funeral Home
West Monroe, LA.
Remembering Penny
Agnes Penelope “Penny” Garrett Woolridge died suddenly on January 21, 2013 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Penny was in New Jersey to show her newly acquired and spectacular Siamese cat “Clown” in the renowned Jersey State Feline Fanciers Cat Show. As the last surviving family member with the Garrett surname, Penny was born in El Dorado, Arkansas to Rufus Napoleon and Agnes Soule Garrett, Jr. on March 10, 1943. The granddaughter of Rufus Napoleon and Uarda Rosamond Garrett, Sr. , she was a descendant of a pioneer Union County family. The El Dorado Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was named in honor of her relative, Robert Rosamond.
In her formative years, Penny enjoyed dance, piano and voice training, as well as her beloved poodle and showing Tennessee Walking horses. She was an accomplished and award winning equestrienne. Several close friends remember many happy hours spent at the Garrett Farm, riding horses while Penny trained for her next horse show. Wonderful stories abound about Penny from her years with the Sue Kimbrough School of Dance.
Penny graduated from El Dorado High School in 1961, where she was recognized with the Senior “Betty Crocker” Award. Penny was an excellent cook and no stranger to Helen Corbitt’s cookbooks! She will also be remembered as a first soprano soloist in the award winning EHS school choirs under the direction of William Trego.
After attending Lindenwood College in Fulton , Missouri, Penny transferred to the School of Music at the University of Indiana, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. During the summers, she was a favorite coed on The College Board at Samples Department Store. Returning to Arkansas, she earned a Masters Degree in Music from the University of Arkansas, where she was member of The University Theater Players and a soloist in the Schola Cantorum and the UARKETTES. The popular performing group toured in the USA , Mexico and Europe and produced several successful record albums. Upon graduation, Penny moved to Monroe, Louisiana where she taught voice in the School of Music at University of Monroe at Louisana and gave private voice lessons.
During this time, Penny developed her interest in Siamese and Oriental cats. She soon became a nationally known Siamese breeder, and was a respected Judge in The International Cat Association for 25 years.
She was on the Altar Guild and a member of the Daughters of the King at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in West Monroe, where her Memorial Service was held on January 28. Interment will follow at the Garrett Mausoleum in Arlington Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4 . The Rev. Robert Dandridge of St. Patrick’s will officiate. Penny was preceded in death by her parents and her husband John Woolridge. Survivors are her cousins, Mrs. David Banks (Rosamond Sample Brown), Mrs. Barry Felton (Carol Sample), Mrs. John Houston Sample (Cynthia), Carol Bell , Kitty Paulding and her caregivers, Pat and George Muise of Monroe. |