Dr. Christine Pickering Ford, 84, passed away Saturday, March 11, 2023, at her home in Shreveport, Louisiana, with her son, Paul, and her faithful cat, Pablo, by her side, as she would have wanted it.
A visitation for Christine will be held Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Charleston United Methodist Church, 4161 FM 895, Charleston, Texas 75432. A funeral service will occur Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 1:00 PM, 4161 FM 895, Charleston, Texas 75432. An interment will occur Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Lake Creek Cemetery, CR 4620, Lake Creek, Texas. Bright-Holland Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Chris, as she was known to family and friends, was born in Lubbock, Texas, on December 22, 1938, to Joseph Edgar Perry and Helen Gould Perry. She grew up and attended high school in Charleston, Texas, a town that she would always refer to as home. She held a PhD in English literature from East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas, and was a Professor of English literature at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, for over thirty years, until her retirement in 2007. She was later given the additional honor of being named Professor Emeritus for her years of distinguished service. Among her proudest achievements was her role in founding Argus, the annual Northwestern student literary magazine.
She was an avid competitive tennis player and fan, having once attended the United States Open Tennis Tournament and gotten John McEnroe’s autograph, loved watching football and eating pizza on the weekends with her son (especially when the LSU Tigers were playing), and loved spending time with her granddaughters, who were probably her proudest achievement, and she was extremely fond of her cats and her flowers.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph E. Perry and Helen G. Perry, and her sisters, Barbara Anne Perry, Sandra Kay Shourie, and Pauline (Polly) Perry, her identical twin sister, and two husbands: David L. Pickering and Allen M. Ford. She is survived by her son, Paul David Pickering, his wife, Lisa M. Pickering, and her two beloved granddaughters, Sarah Grace Pickering and Avery Anne Pickering, along with her brother-in-law, Harry Shourie.
Since her doctoral dissertation was on the famous playwright Eugene O’Neill, this quotation seems appropriate on her passing: “I used to think getting old was about vanity – but actually it’s about losing people you love. Getting wrinkles is trivial.”
To leave a message or tribute for the family please visit www.brighthollandfuneralhome.com
