Emma Marie Shook Ridenour

Emma Marie Shook Ridenour, 74, of Indianapolis passed away Sunday, May 18, 2008 at her home. She was born near Cross Plains, Indiana on April 27, 1934 the daughter of James and Elizabeth Whitham Shook. She had two adored older brothers Lawrence and Roscoe Shook and an older sister, Lorraine Francis, who died as an infant. Marie attended school in Cross Plains and later graduated from Central HS in Madison. She then took her first brave step and took a bus to Indianapolis at age 18. She was one of the first employees at the Western Electric Plant where she started making dials for telephones in 1952. She lived in Los Angeles from 1963 to 1964, moved back to Indianapolis and then married Bobby Ridenour in Carson City, Nevada in 1967. Marie and Bob made their home in Salinas, California. Marie, ever the one to take the big challenges, spent one summer living in Jacksonville Beach, Florida in 1969 and then headed back to Salinas. One more big move in 1976 when Marie moved her family back to Indianapolis. All of these years she was working for the phone company (Western Electric, Pacific Tel, Southern Bell, and Indiana Bell). She retired after 40 years and spent the rest of her life in Indianapolis in her condominium with her beloved pets. She also managed to sneak in three summers living in Bryson City, North Carolina-some of her favorite times were spent in those mountains. Marie also demonstrated her strength when she gave birth to her first daughter, Jacqueline Kaye, in Greensburg, Indiana in 1954. With the support of family and many friends, Marie was a single mother to her daughter until she married Jackie's father in 1967. The whole family was blessed in 1969 when Marie gave birth to Trina Marie in Salinas. The whole family was blessed again in 1987 when MaMaw's first and only granddaughter was born in Indianapolis. Ashley Elizabeth Lockart was her pride and joy and lived and cared for her grandmother during the last seven months of her illness. Marie leaves her daughters Jackie and Trina and her granddaughter Ashley with a lifetime of wonderful memories. She leaves her sons-in-law Frank de Moss and Danny Lockart. Marie is also survived by her sister-in-law Virginia Shook and her nieces Cheryl Bentley, Wanda Shook, Libby Updike, and Donna Marie Shade. Marie's friends were too numerous to mention. Some are still on this earth and many are already with her in Heaven. But none of them will ever forget her. Funeral services will be held Thursday, May at 2pm at the Stratton-Karsteter Funeral Home, 1114 South Ripley Estates Dr., Versailles, IN 47042. Visitation will be Thursday from 1pm until time of services. Marie will be laid to rest in the Cliff Hill Cemetery in Versailles. Memorial donations may be made to Father Flanagan's Boys Town or the Cliff Hill Cemetery in care of the funeral home. Online condolences available at skfuneralhome.com.