Ardis Rives, a longtime resident of Enid, OK, ended her struggle with alzheimer's when she passed away peacefully in Amarillo, TX on December 17, 2017. Ardis was born in Ft. Thompson, Buffalo County, SD on January 20, 1936. A graduate of Chamberlain High School, Ardis graduated from the University of South Dakota where she was a twirler for the USD band and President of the USD Independent Student Organization.
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Ardis was married to James D. “Jim” Rives on August 19, 1961; they were married 55 years until his passing in October 2016 when he preceded in death. And, her parents George Thomas Tuttle and Annabelle BigEagle. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Mark & April Rives of Rockville, MD; son and daughter-in-law Chuck Rives & Susan Thompson of Amarillo, TX; granddaughter, Hilary Rives; and great-granddaughters, Lexi and Makenna.
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Ardis started her post-college life working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and then worked for many years for the Oklahoma State Welfare Department and finally the Putnam City School District in Oklahoma City. In Enid, she was a member of PEO, the Enid Intertribal Club, the Enid Symphony Auxiliary, and the First United Methodist Church of Enid. She enjoyed crafting, traveling, collecting antiques, and learning about health and nutrition. She enjoyed several years of volunteering in the library at St. Mary’s Hospital. Ardis was also an enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
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The funeral service will be held at 1:00PM on Saturday January 6th, 2017 at the First United Methodist Church of Enid, Oklahoma at 400 W. Randolph Ave. Reverend Susan Southall will officiate. Her cremains will join those of her husband, Jim, in the columbarium at the First United Methodist Church at WHEN. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.
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In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association (Alz.org) or the First United Methodist Church of Enid, Oklahoma (www.firstchurchenid.com).
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Ardis was seldom without a smile. Heaven gained a shining soul.
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Condolences may be made to the family online at www.Brown-Cummings.com. As one of Oklahomaʼs oldest single family owned and operated providers of funerals and cremations, Brown-Cummings is the name families have turned to for generations. They fully understand the honor and responsibility entrusted to them to preserve the story of oneʼs life. Visit 400 W. Maple, Enid, OK 73701. Call: (580) 237-5432.
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