Rita Hudson

Rita Marie Appling Hudson passed away in the wee hours of April 17, 2020 at Cedar Ridge Alzheimer's Special Care Unit in Cedar Park, Texas. Fortunately, her children were able to be with her in her final days because Cedar Ridge grants dispensation from the nursing home lockdown when death is imminent.

Rita was born August 3, 1927 in El Campo, Texas to John L. and Viola Ehman Appling. She graduated from St. Mary's Academy (Austin, Texas) in 1946. She attended the University of Texas for one year and then transferred to Feather and Feather Art School in Houston. After her father's death in 1948 she returned to El Campo and married Paul Roland Hudson of El Campo on February 11, 1950. All five children; David, Melissa, Bruce, Carolyn, and Barbara were born in El Campo. They were initially members of Trinity Lutheran and then transferred to Christ Lutheran when it opened.

The family moved to Houston in March of 1961 where Rita remained a homemaker. The family became members of Salem Lutheran Church.

After Paul's retirement, Rita and Paul moved to New Braunfels in 1992. They had fallen in love with the town during the 60s when they made regular visits to her aunt and uncle who managed a horse ranch there. They attended Peace Lutheran Church until Paul's health no longer permitted it. Rita began to show signs of Alzheimer's around 2014 and moved to Cedar Ridge in January of 2019 where she remained until her passing.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her sister, Arlene Hay.

She is survived by her five children, two grandchildren; Michele Holden and Melinda Forsythe, and two great grandchildren; Hudson and Hayden Holden. She is also survived by her half-sister, Gretchen Evans (nee Webb) and a step-sister, Ann Brown (nee Webb).

Graveside service will be at 1 pm on Saturday, June 6, 2020 at Garden of Memories Cemetery in El Campo. Service information has been posted on the websites of Zoeller Funeral Home of New Braunfels, Wheeler Funeral Home of El Campo, Peace Lutheran Church of New Braunfels, and Christ Lutheran Church of El Campo.