Bonnie Lynn Cagle Ridley, 77, of Jasper, TN, departed this life, on Thursday, September 2, 2010, following a brave, four-year struggle with cancer.
She was the loving, devoted wife of Billy Joe Ridley, beloved mother of Dr. Marion B. Ridley (Mark Lundy) of Tampa, FL, and Lynn Ridley Woodall (Ed) of Waxhaw, NC, and cherished grandmother of William Joseph and Benjamin Marion Woodall, also of Waxhaw.
Mrs. Ridley was born in Palmer, Grundy County, TN, to Elijah Benjamin and Lassie Lockhart Cagle, the youngest of six children. She was preceded in death by her parents and her two brothers, Eston Cagle and Berton Cagle. She is survived by her three sisters, Helen Merrell and Maudie Sisemore (Richard) of Jasper and Janie Smith (Wayne) of Chattanooga. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews in both the Ridley and Cagle families. She was recently preceded in death by her childhood best friend, Julia (Sally) Haynes of Chattanooga. She attended Grundy County High School and graduated from Marion County High School in 1952.
She was married to Billy Joe Ridley in 1955, and shortly thereafter joined him in Verdun, France, where he was stationed in the U.S. Army. They spent a most memorable year there, their stay having a profound effect on their lives. They had the great fortune of reconnecting with their French friends on a return trip to France in 1994, almost forty years later.
Mrs. Ridley was a gifted artist, seamstress, cook and gardener. She began to study painting in her forties and continued painting for the rest of her life. Her art graces the homes of many family and friends, and her original Christmas cards were an annual labor of love in tribute to her two grandsons.
She was the office manager of the Marion County Health Department, retiring in 2008, after 43 years of service to the State of Tennessee. She was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and the Order of the Eastern Star where she served as Worthy Matron. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Jasper.
The family will receive visitors in the Jasper Chapel of Rogers Funeral Home on Sunday, September 5, 2010, from 1 o'clock to 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The Service will be conducted by the Rev. David Clay assisted by the Rev. Lynn Casseday in the Chapel at 3 o'clock. Interment will follow at Pine Grove Cemetery in Jasper.
Pallbearers will be nephews Ben Cagle, Roy Cagle, Danny Cagle, Michael Cagle, Allen Merrell, and Clay Sisemore.
Memorial gifts may be made to the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer's Association, or First Baptist Church of Jasper.

For I know that my Redeemer liveth.