Col. Perry B. Woolridge

Funeral services for Col. Perry B. Woolridge will be held Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 10:00 AM at the First Baptist Church in Okemah. Interment will follow at the Castle Cemetery. Col. Perry B. Woolridge was born August 22, 1918 in Roff, Oklahoma to Nicholas and Magdalene (Quincy) Woolridge. He passed away Monday, February 1, 2010 at his home in Castle at the age of 91. Col. Woolridge was a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He joined the Army National Guard in 1936 while attending Chilocco Indian School and was mobilized with the 45th Infantry Division when it was ordered into active federal service in 1940. His wartime service included participation in four amphibious landings and eight major campaigns in the European theater. His last assignment was Chief of the Military Support to Civil Authorities Section at the Oklahoma Military Department, where he maintained plans for providing military assistance to civil authorities during emergency situations. He retired in 1978, after 38 years of service, and became a cattle rancher. On November 24, 1948, Col. Woolridge married Mayselle Tidwell in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Okemah where he had served as a deacon, trustee, and had taught a young men’s Sunday School class. He was also a member of the Choctaw Nation and received the Freedom Award in 2007 and was a featured in the tribal newspaper in 2007. Other memberships included Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Military Order of World Wars, National Guard Association of the United States, 45th Infantry Division Assoc., U.S. Civil Defense Council, Oklahoma City Defense Directors Association, and the Oklahoma Military Historical Commission. His awards included the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and 8 campaign stars and arrowheads for amphibious assault landing. Also the WWII Victory Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Hour Glass Device, Combat Infantry Badge, Oklahoma Meritorious Service Medal, Oklahoma Long Service Medal, Commended by the Commanding General, 45th Infantry Division in 1947 for outstanding service as Personnel Officer, 279th Infantry. In 2009, Col. Woolridge was honored on the floor of the Oklahoma State Senate where he received a governor’s citation for his military career. Shortly thereafter, his biography was submitted to the World War II section of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. He is preceded in death by his parents, 1 brother, and 4 sisters. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Mayselle Woolridge of the home; one son, Carl Foreman and wife Bridgette of Rogers, Arkansas; two daughters, Terri Peak and husband Frosty of Yukon, Oklahoma and Barbara Janet of Noble; 9 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 14 great-great-grandchildren. Serving as active pallbearer will be Justin Peak, Kyle Williams, Donald Williams, Mike Jenkins, J.D. Osborn, and Artie Stroup. Services will be under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Home, Okemah and officiated by Bro. Bob Shumake and assisted by Rev. Ledtkey McIntosh and Rev. Glenn Pence.

Col. Perry B. Woolridge

August 22, 1918 - February 1, 2010