Ruthie L. Vidrine

Ruthie LaVergne Nichols Vidrine, aged 75, died peacefully on March 18, 2017 at Bayhealth Kent General Hospital in Dover, Delaware. Ruthie was born on April 24, 1941 in Bunkie, Louisiana, to the late Arthur Nichols and Alberta Butler Nichols. She was the youngest daughter of fourteen children, and was preceded in death by siblings Helen, Booker, Willie Mae, Maudry, Viola, James, Betty June, and Archie. Ruthie was born and raised in Bunkie, Louisiana and had always called Bunkie “home”. Ruthie was baptized at an early age by the late Reverend J. W. White, Pastor of Little Rock Baptist Church and later became a member of Plymouth Rock Baptist Church. Ruthie thoroughly enjoyed teaching music and had a very strong faith in God. She began playing the piano at a young age and sang in church and at school. She also played the French Horn in high school. She continued her love of music after graduating from Carver High School and attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she earned degrees in Music and English. Ruthie was employed as a music teacher in St. Landry Parish (Washington, Louisiana) and Evangeline Parish (Ville Platte, Louisiana) after graduating from college. Teaching in Ville Platte, Louisiana, is where she met her future husband and love of her life, Median “Bill” Vidrine. After their marriage in 1966, they relocated to Bradford, Vermont, and began their more than 50-year marriage and journey together raising their family in Vermont, New Jersey, Minnesota, Alabama, and finally settling in Dover, Delaware in 1989. Bill’s career with the US Department of Agriculture, which lasted for over 30 years, took them around the country while raising their three children along the way. In addition to raising their three children and packing the house four times, Ruthie maintained her passion for music and teaching in schools where she taught music and piano, and she also offered private piano lessons in her home. In addition to teaching everywhere they lived, she was an active church member. She continued her passion for music and teaching in the church music programs, including serving as the Junior Choir Director at Zion Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Music and Choir director at Faith Lutheran Church in Tuskegee, Alabama, and choir and bell choir member at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Dover, Delaware. Ruthie also was a member of the Capital Ringers Bell Choir for several years, performing at venues in Delaware and in Maryland. While in Dover, Ruthie also worked at TJ Maxx in Dover, Delaware for over 25 years and was thought of fondly by both colleagues and shoppers at the store. Ruthie is survived by: her devoted husband, Bill Vidrine; her children, Rushaun Lotts (Ronald) of St. Louis, Missouri, Jonica Gibson (Wayne) of Chevy Chase, Maryland, Perryn Vidrine (Kimberly) of Dover, Delaware; her grandchildren Jasmine, Dalton, Chance, Holden, Hayden, Reese, Reagan, Avery and Harper; her sister, Julia Auzenne (James, deceased) of Bunkie, Louisiana, her brothers Joshua Nichols (Karen) and Earl Nichols both of Oakland, California, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends. A funeral is scheduled for 11:00 AM March 25, 2017 at Second Union Baptist Church, 1535 Shirley Road, Bunkie, Louisiana with the burial and reception to follow at the Church. Reverend Chris Ardoin and Bishop Leon Figgins will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ruthie’s life. A Memorial Service is also being planned for 12:00 pm, April 1, 2017 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 425 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, Delaware. Pastor Mark Walters will officiate the memorial service. The family would like to thank their friends, Bayhealth Kent General Hospital and the Temple University Lung Center for their care and efforts. Arrangements are under the direction on Bennie Smith Funeral Home in Dover, Delaware and Williams Funeral Home in Opelousas, Louisiana. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruthie L. Vidrine, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Ruthie L. Vidrine

April 24, 1941 - March 18, 2017