Julia Ford Ketchum

Julia Ford Ketchum, 84, of Pampa, passed away on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

Services will be held at 2:00 PM, Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at the Carmichael-Whatley Colonial Chapel, with Pastor Matthew Honeycutt, officiating. Burial will follow the service at Memory Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors and Crematory.

Julia was born on January 27, 1941, in Rule, Texas to Zelma and Delton Lee Richardson. She attended school in Rule and eventually moved to Pampa at the age of 18. Shortly after moving to Pampa, she would marry Leo Ford and the two of them went on to have three children together. Julia was a stay-at-home mother when her children were young and took pride in being the best mother she could. She was an extremely caring and nurturing person, especially towards her family.

Julia had a lifelong passion for caring for others, working in the healthcare industry as a CNA and a caregiver. Although she was a loving and passionate woman, she also had an ornery side to her that came with a great sense of humor. Her children and grandchildren fondly remember Julia taking “pictures” with her car’s hazard lights in the garage. Julia could often be found watching her soap operas or western movies, which she could quote verbatim. She also loved her Oatmeal Cream Pies and Dr. Pepper and enjoyed Lucky Charms cereal every morning.

Julia lived through a lot of changes in her life, but the one constant was her faith in the Lord. Her family remembers her always knowing the best time to pray and she always kept a Bible nearby. She will be best remembered for her passion for caring for others, her great sense of humor, and her cleverness and wise nature.

Julia was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Leo Ford; seven siblings, Carl Richardson, Frances Jennings, Helen Kizer, James Richardson, Linda Roper, Pat Ray Richardson, Sr., and Marie Abbott; a son-in-law, Glen Lentz; a brother-in-law, William Ford; and her second husband, Glen Ketchum.

She is survived by three children, Becky Lentz, Don Ford and wife Carmen, and Julie Ford and Richard Jones; six grandchildren, Danielle Bracamontez, Julian Lewis, Chloe Cox, Elizabeth Harris, Mark Harris, and Christopher Alderson; ten great-grandchildren, Casiel, Keagan, Bryleigh, Brynlee, Lillie, Sophia, Skyelynn, Baylor, Bentley, and Josie; a brother-in-law, Ben Ford; two sisters-in-law, Pat Ford, and Cathy Richardson; and many more nieces, nephews, and other extended family members.

The family would also like to thank all the staff at Interim Hospice and Pampa Nursing Center for their help in caring for Julia.

Charitable donations in Julia’s honor may be made to The American Foundation for the Blind, 1108 Third Avenue, Suite 200, Huntington, WV 25701.