Winona Bailey Vasser

Bookended by America’s 150th and 250th birthdays, Winona Bailey Vasser’s life spanned a century of extraordinary change. She was born February 22, 1926, in Chilton, Texas—before sliced bread, penicillin, and the first transatlantic telephone call. Arriving in the Roaring Twenties, she lived through the Great Depression and saw the creation of Social Security. She graduated from Angleton High School at the height of World War II, and after the war, on June 26, 1948, she married Billie Vasser, a Navy veteran.

Together they witnessed the civil rights movement, the moon landing, and the women’s rights movement, all while Winona worked for the Texas DPS Driver License Office in Angleton. She went on to see the turn of a new century, the rise of the internet, the Great Recession, and the arrival of artificial intelligence. What a century to be alive! When she received her first computer at age 80, she cried—not from joy, but because she had no idea how to turn it on. In true Winona fashion, even a century of history became a good story.

Winona had a gift for making people feel seen and cared for. An empath by nature, she was far more likely to worry about your troubles than dwell on her own. She loved deeply and found beauty everywhere, especially in the things she created. A gifted seamstress, she often designed her own clothing. Her crochet decorated homes and warmed young and old alike, and her paintings captured landscapes she had visited or dreamed of—especially Texas and Colorado, the two places she loved most.

She was happiest outdoors, and alongside Billie she spent countless hours fishing lakes, rivers, and cattle ponds. Her favorite place on earth was Twin Buttes Ranch in Rangely, Colorado. Every fall the two of them returned to the ranch for friendship, hunting, fishing, and a great adventure together.

Though most people never knew her first name was Ida, her most treasured names were Momma, Memaw, Grandma, and Aunt Nona. Her joyful legacy lives on in her children: Johnny Ritter and wife Deborah, Richard Vasser and wife Starla, Gary Vasser Sr., and Kathy Thacker. Her greatest joy was her grandchildren: Rebecca (Brian) Fischer, Stephen (Heather) Ritter, Phillip (Kristie) Ritter, Wendy (Joe) Beggs, Gary (Michelle) Vasser Jr., Candace (Danny) Price, David (Toni) Batts, Cody (Gail) Thacker, and Lacey (Andrew) Fitzer. Through them she was blessed with 20 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren.

Every generation of this family learned to play cards, dominoes, or Scrabble at Winona’s table—and, as a result, learned a thing or two about love, laughter, and family along the way.

Winona was preceded in death by her parents, Harvey T. and Lydia Jane Hicks Bailey; her husband, Billie Vasser; her brother and sister-in-law, Donald T. and Joyce Bailey; her sister and brother-in-law, JoAnn and D.P. Mclain; her sister, Evelyn Louise Bailey; and her son-in-law, Steven Thacker. We imagine them welcoming her at the gates of Heaven with open arms, familiar smiles, and a joyful reunion long overdue.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Palms Funeral Home in Angleton, Texas. Funeral services will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m., with David Cotoe officiating.