Graduated into heaven, Rita Blount, 94, passed away in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, surrounded by her loving family. A visitation will be held on Thursday, May 4, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Bartley Memorial Chapel. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, June 5, 2026, at First Baptist Church, Kress, TX, with Pastor Will Fish Officiating. Burial will follow at Kress Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Bartley Funeral Home of Plainview.

Rita was born on April 11, 1932, in Kress, Texas, to Josh and Pearl Elizabeth Walling. A true daughter of the Texas Panhandle, she spent nearly her entire life within 30 miles of Plainview, cultivating deep roots and lifelong friendships in the community she loved, before moving to Oklahoma with her son, Ken, in 2025.

On January 14, 1950, Rita eloped to Clovis, New Mexico, to marry the love of her life, Kenneth “Buster” Blount. Together, they built a life centered on family, hard work, and faith. As partners in life and on the land, Rita dedicated herself to farming alongside Buster, always ready to help around the farm. Together, they raised two boys, and Rita took immense pride in her role as a loving, dedicated mother and homemaker.

Above all, Rita was a devout Christian who loved Jesus with all her heart. She was widely known as a powerful prayer warrior, someone who consistently lifted others up and found her greatest joy in singing and praising the Lord. Rita truly loved people—she was naturally friendly, loved to connect with others, always kept in the know about what was going on in her community, and loved to share a good laugh. Her radiant smile reflected the joy she found in her faith and her family.

Her legacy of prayer, laughter, and unconditional love will continue to inspire those she leaves behind. In 2012 she married for the second time to Billy T. Young.

Rita is survived by her sons, Ken G. and Trudi Blount of Edmond, OK and Bobby and Shirley Blount of Clifton, TX; her grandchildren, Joshua and Sarah Blount of Deer Creek, OK, Brooke and Scott Sparkman of Tulsa, OK; her great-grandchildren, Ryan McAfee, Dakota McAfee, Olivia and Dusty Marsh, Gus Blount, Beau Blount, Sunny Blount, Kade Blount and Kyle Blount, her great-great grandchildren, Drew McAfee, Daivy McAfee, Stetson McAfee and Kohen Blount plus another one any day now.

She is preceded in death by her husbands, Kenneth “Buster” Blount and Billy T. Young; her grandson, Kevin Blount in 2021, and her parents, Josh and Pearl Elizabeth Walling.