LIBERTY, MISS.--Gwendolyn (Gwen) Lea Waddle Ravencraft, 92, of Liberty, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, surrounded by her children and family. She was born July 30, 1930, in Itawamba County and raised in Cullman, Ala. She is the daughter of A Lonza and Mattie Leona (Chilcoat) Waddle.

A 1948 graduate of Fairview High School in Cullman, she married Charles Ravencraft of Liberty on February 4, 1950, and they began a 70-year journey together. She moved around with her husband's job in the early years of their marriage residing in Foley, Frisco City and Atmore, Ala.; DeFuniak Springs, Fla.; Granby Colo.; and Baton Rouge, La. During this time, they had four children.

In 1959, she and her husband found their forever home in Liberty. They became active members of the community and Enterprise Baptist Church. They opened two businesses, Ravencraft's Café and Liberty Truck Stop, and were charter members of Amite School Center, opening in 1970.

Her four children grew up working in the family businesses, but then started careers and families of their own. During this time, Mrs. Ravencraft and her husband became Grandparents and had an unexpected fifth child.

When her husband began his 25-year career with the Mississippi State Senate, Mrs. Ravencraft began closing the family business. She settled into life as a Grandparent and raising her last child, but she wanted to start a career of her own. She stepped outside the home first with a part time job at Cruises Supermarket before beginning a rewarding career at Kellwood Company in Liberty. She won many awards and retired in 1986 as Director of the Packing Department.

In retirement, she finished raising her last child and found one of her greatest enjoyments, golf. She traveled around Louisiana and Mississippi with her best friend to ladies' tournaments and played every day for many years with family and friends at her home club, Pine Hills Country Club in Gloster. She won many tournaments over the years including multiple ladies' championships and a Gold Medal in Golf at the Mississippi Senior Olympics.

She took great pride in being the matriarch of the Waddle and Ravencraft families, as the oldest living member of both. Mrs. Ravencraft is an avid University of Alabama Football fan and only wore crimson red on her nails. She was especially fond of Bear Bryant but never missed a game and traveled many times to watch them play in Tuscaloosa.

She enjoyed weekend trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, traveling with her husband and children around the U.S., including all lower 48 and Hawaii, and visiting family in Alabama, North Mississippi and Pennsylvania. She was incredible in the kitchen and loved to cook for her family, especially on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, when everyone would gather to be together in her home. For hobbies, she did jigsaw puzzles, sewed, listened to country music and she did the Enterprise-Journal crossword puzzle every day.

Mrs. Ravencraft's greatest love was being a Wife, Mother and Grandmother. She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her children Charles Dale (Betty) Ravencraft of Gloster, Keith Ravencraft of Liberty, Shelia (W.D.) Ravencraft Kinchen of Greensburg, La., and Jarrod Ravencraft (Marc Lewis) of New Orleans, La.; seven grandchildren Brad (Rachel) Roberts of Pearl, Dale (Kristi) Ravencraft of Gloster, Jodi Roberts Brown, Clint (April) Roberts and Tracie (Pete) Ravencraft Haney, all of Liberty, April Ravencraft Pullen of Gloster and Brantley (Sarah) Ravencraft of Starkville; 17 great grandchildren; three great great grandchildren; and many loving nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and husband, she is preceded in death by her daughter Sandra Ravencraft Roberts; and her brothers, sister and in-laws Vaiden (Tandy) Waddle Rider, Kyle (Ophelia) Waddle, Fred (Alma) Waddle, Wayne (Ola Mae) Waddle, A Lonza (Opal) Waddle, Jr., Trudie Waddle and Benzie Waddle.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, December 12, at Brown Funeral Home, 153 S Broad St, Liberty, with Rev. Shan Van Norman officiating. Graveside services will follow at Enterprise Baptist Church in Liberty. Visitation is 2-6 p.m. Sunday, December 11, and 10-11 a.m. Monday, December 12, at Brown Funeral Home.

Pallbearers are Brad Roberts, Dale Ravencraft, Brantley Ravencraft, Pete Haney, Kenneth Felter and her great grandsons: Corey Roberts, Cody Baxter and Beau Pullen. Honorary pallbearers are Jodi Roberts Brown, Tracie Ravencraft Haney, Clint Roberts, April Ravencraft Pullen and her great grandchildren: Lacy Roberts, Benzi Badon Toler, Remi Brown, Mylie Brown, Bailey Brown, Presley Ravencraft, Seth Pullen, Casey Roberts, Tate Pullen and Harper Ravencraft, and great great grandchildren: Wade, Abel and Eden Toler.

The family would like to thank the incredible ICU Nurses and Team, and Dr. Charles Asa Reynolds at King's Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven, and Jessica Towles Forman at Field Health System in Centreville.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in Mrs. Ravencraft's memory to the Enterprise Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 3601 Lower Liberty Gloster Road, Liberty, MS 39645.