Rita Fern Aldridge

1940 - 2025

Rita Fern Aldridge, 85, of Elizabethtown, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025.

She was the daughter of Henry and Stella Hughes (both deceased) born on Sept. 16, 1940, in Boston, Kentucky, and resided most of her life in Elizabethtown.

Rita was the devoted wife of the late Rev. David Frederick Aldridge. The two were inseparable, the very definition of true love. Having met at the age of 8 during a church fellowship, they fell in love at first sight and went on to share one heart for 62 precious years of marriage. When David passed away on June 26, 2021, a piece of Rita went with him.

Together, they founded First Pentecostal Church in Georgetown in 1974, and later Faith Apostolic Church in Elizabethtown in 1976, where they faithfully served as pastors for 42 years. Rita was a licensed minister through the United Pentecostal Church International and went on to earn her bachelor's degree in theology from Indiana Bible College. Rita also worked as a nurse's aide at Hardin Memorial Hospital, demonstrating her lifelong passion for serving others.

Rita was preceded in death by her three sisters and two brothers.

God blessed her with two sons, Duray Aldridge (Linda) and Scott Aldridge (Lora); seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, all of whom brought her immense joy.

To know Rita was to love her. She was a godly woman of unwavering faith; a true prayer warrior whose life radiated the love of Christ. An avid reader of the Bible and gifted writer, she spent countless hours studying scripture, journaling and crafting sermons. No matter where she went, Rita shared her faith boldly and joyfully. Her life was a living testimony of what it means to walk with God. Rita knew this day would come and she prepared diligently to be ready to meet her Lord. She had written, "Don't weep for me, just be ready to come where I am."

Though those of us left behind mourn deeply, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." She was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, pastor's wife, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, but more than that, she was something truly special, the kind of soul you only encounter once in a lifetime.

A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Faith Apostolic Church in Elizabethtown with burial to follow in Elizabethtown Memorial Gardens.

To leave an online condolence and to light a candle of remembrance, go to trowbridgefh.com

Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown has been entrusted with the arrangements.