Velma Mae Dillman

Velma Mae Dillman of Evansville, IN passed away on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at the age of 87.
Velma was born February 16, 1938 in Evansville, IN to Roy C Dillman and Mildred Marie Johnson. She attended Fulton School (where a bakery now stands), and attended Central High School before transferring to Mater Dei where she converted to Catholicism and met and married Charles J. Schmitt, the father of her four children: Teletha A. Elossais, Tamara J. Schamuhn, Timothy R. Schmitt and Taffy R. Loveless.
The family moved from Evansville to Edmonton, Alberta Canada in 1974. In 1977, Velma divorced and along with Tim and Taffy, returned to Evansville where she met and married U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander John Grimes in Newburgh, IN. A year later, upon a transfer of command and duties for Grimes, the now blended family, including John's two sons, moved from Newburgh, Indiana to San Diego, California. When the Grimes marriage ended in divorce, Velma began working for the United States Civil Service, Department of the Navy where she ultimately suffered a severe and painful back injury which resulted in an inability to return to work.
She later married her long-time friend and "love of her life", Robert R. Ritzman, a former Navy Pilot turned financial advisor in San Diego. During her marriage to "Bob", she lived in both Las Vegas, NV and Tucson, AZ. Following their divorce, Velma resided in various areas including Dallas, TX, Glendale, AZ, Evansville, IN, Sioux Falls, SD, Kanab, UT and Newburgh, IN. She always seemed to be searching for something never found, but nearing the end, wanted to return "home" to Evansville, IN.
Velma had always loved to read. She also spent years working on the family genealogy, tracing her roots all the way back to "Robert the Bruce", pointing out that Mel Gibson played the part of our ancestor in the movie, "Braveheart". Other than a few TV favorites (All in the Family, Dallas, Murder She Wrote, Frasier, Two and a Half Men, and her favorite on-again/off-again "soapy", the Young & the Restless), Velma preferred immersing herself in the topics of history, religion, politics and the sciences. She wasn't much for chit-chat, preferring to discuss topics relevant to today's political climate and socio-economic issues. She was a frequent listener of the "Coast to Coast" nighttime radio program and enjoyed the music of Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Engelbert Humperdink, Andy Williams and gospel favorites sung by strong male voices (the deeper the better!) Velma was an avid and accomplished golfer, often encouraging her children to take up the sport as it was not overly physical and something you can enjoy with your spouse through the aging process. Sadly, she lost mobility due to her back injury and also lost her eyesight to macular degeneration. Finally, she was a fierce card-player and loved Clabber, Hand and Foot, Shanghai and Skip-Bo.
Velma was preceded in death by her two brothers and is survived by her four children: Teletha (Moses) Elossais of Edmonton, Alberta; Tamara Schamuhn of Drayton Valley, Alberta; Timothy (Jennifer) Schmitt of St. Johns, Arizona, Taffy (Kurt) Loveless of Kanab, Utah, eleven grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, as well as cousins, nieces and nephews.
Velma explored many different churches and faiths throughout her life, and on her last day was prayed over by many. She passed away peacefully during a blessing and prayer. Her family finds comfort knowing that as a daughter of a living Father in heaven, she is now at peace and returned home to Him.
Taffy Loveless would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to AseraCare Hospice for the loving care they provided to her mother, as well as the support and comfort they having given and continue to provide. Thank you as well to the nurses and staff of Aperion Care – Lincoln for their care of Velma in her last days.