Funeral services celebrating the life of Mrs. Hilda Anne Taylor Perritt, 84, of Ruston, LA will be held at 2:30 P.M. Saturday, May 18, 2024, in First Baptist Church of Ruston with Dr. Chris Craig officiating. The family will receive visitors from 1:30 until the time of service. Interment will follow in the Cook Cemetery under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home. Hilda passed away peacefully at her life-long home on May 14, 2024, after a lengthy illness.

Hilda was born on September 22, 1939, in Ruston, LA to the parents of V.S. “Sport” and Mary Bess Hilton Taylor. She was raised in the Cooktown community where she was active in Cook Baptist Church. She graduated from Ruston High School in 1957 where she was very involved in student council, band, and sports teams. She went on to earn a B.A. and a M.A. in English and History Education from Louisiana Tech University. While at Tech she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, honor societies and student government associations.

Hilda began her career in education by teaching English at U of SW LA. After five years, she moved back to Lincoln Parish where she was a beloved teacher and colleague at Glenview Jr. High then later at Ruston High School. She was a highly skilled teacher who taught English, Louisiana History and Old Testament History, and was chosen in 1974 as Runner-Up Outstanding Louisiana Teacher of the Year.

Hilda began her political career by serving on the Ruston City Council for eight years. She went on to become the first female Mayor of the City of Ruston from 1991-1998, a role that she was grateful to have been elected to, and one that she cherished. Hilda accomplished many things while mayor but was especially proud of Ruston winning the Cleanest City in Louisiana Award for multiple years as well as the Louisiana Municipal Association Award for multiple years.

As written in the cover of her Bible, Hilda “loves God, her family, Ruston and its people.” She lived her life by those values and had a way of making others feel special and loved.

Hilda was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 38 years, Harold Ross Perritt; and her parents, V.S. “Sport” Taylor and Mary Bess Alexander.

Survivors include her brother, James Ronald Taylor and wife Brenda of Ruston: niece, Heather Ross and husband Dustin: cousins Jean Grable Lee, Tommy Hilton, and Mary Frances Fish.  Also surviving are special cousins Jay Grable and Jan Grable Mercer.

A special thank you to her caregivers, whom she affectionately called ” her ladies” for the support they provided in her last years.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the American Cancer Society.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com

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