Rita Spriggs portrait.jpg Rita Lou Spriggs, March 1, 1944 – October 16, 2026

My mom, Rita Lou Spriggs, passed away at home on October 16, 2026. I shared that briefly when it happened. I’m posting her obituary and the arrangements here so the details are easy to find. They are also on her page at Burroughs Funeral Home, which is where I would look first for any changes.

Visitation: Monday, October 19, 2026, 6:00 to 8:00 PM, at Burroughs Funeral Home, 1382 NC Highway 65 West, Walnut Cove, NC 27052.

Viewing: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 10:30 to 11:00 AM, at Welcome Door Baptist Church, 6741 Vance Road, Kernersville, NC 27284.

Funeral service: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 11:00 AM, at Welcome Door Baptist Church, with Pastor Brian Taylor officiating.

Interment: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 1:30 PM, at Salisbury National Cemetery, 501 Statesville Boulevard, Salisbury, NC 28144.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Piedmont, 1801 Westchester Drive, High Point, NC 27262. Online condolences may be shared at burroughsfuneralhome.com.

Obituary

Rita Lou Pence Spriggs entered into Glory at her home in Walnut Cove, North Carolina, on October 16, 2026.

Rita was born on March 1, 1944, in Charleston, West Virginia, to the late Clifford Henry Pence and Ruth Virginia Webb Pence. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Paul Royce, James Donavan, and Troy Virgil. Rita lived the first fifteen years of her life in Coal Fork, Campbells Creek, West Virginia, where her father mined coal for thirty-seven years and her mother was a wonderful homemaker. In 1959, when Rita’s mother became totally blind, the family relocated to Lansing, Michigan, to be near two of Rita’s brothers, who were then public-school teachers. Rita graduated from J.W. Sexton Senior High School and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University. She then invested thirty years as an exemplary teacher of English, literature and drama with the Bath (Michigan) Community Schools.

Rita was raised in a dedicated Christian family where faith and daily life went hand in hand. A lifelong practicing Christian, she and her husband, Jerry, raised two sons, Jerry David Junior “Dave”, and Matthew “Matt” Jason.

Rita’s calling in life was as an educator and a witness to youth. She was recognized by Who’s Who Among American Teachers for her excellent work, and she dearly loved her students and became lifelong friends with many of her students and colleagues. Her skill and intellect were inspiring, but it was her sweet and tender love for others that left such a lasting impact.

In their fifty-seven years of marriage, Rita and Jerry lived in Michigan, Washington, Illinois, and North Carolina, where they spent their last twenty-eight years. Rita enjoyed the love and support of her church family at Welcome Door Baptist Church.

Rita is survived by her husband, Jerry; her sons and daughters-in-law, Dave and Julie, and Matt and Katherine; granddaughters, Amanda (Will) and Emily; sister-in-law Anna Ruth Pence; nieces Lee Ann Garza (Michael) and Tamara Phillips (Carl); nephews, Paul D. Pence (Judy), Steve Pence (Delsie), Troy Scott (Sheila), and James Pence; nieces-once-removed Christina Bowden (Matt), Autumn Pence, Allison Harris, Lacie Cockerham, Suzie Lenzmeier, and Paige Pence; nephews-once-removed Michael Garza (Malory), Gregory Garza (Becca), Griffin Phillips, and Troy David Pence; extended family; and her former student, Anne (Risch) Verplank, who became like a daughter to her and spent time with her even during the final weeks of her life.

If you would like to know more about the kind of person my mom was, I wrote about her last month in My Mother’s Kindness. Thank you to everyone who has sent prayers and kind words.