Funeral for Onsby Faye Ryder, 83, Lawton, will be at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday at First Christian Church, Lawton, with the Reverend Brandon Johnson officiating.

Mrs. Ryder died Saturday, December 2, 2017, in Lawton.

Graveside service and burial will be held at Highland Cemetery in Lawton under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

Faye was born March 31, 1934, in Macomb, Oklahoma, to Harry Herbert Briggs, Sr. and Laura Elizabeth Cooper Briggs.  She grew up in Hobart, Oklahoma, where she graduated in 1952 as salutatorian of her class.

She married Charles Elmo Avery June 8, 1952, at First Christian Church in Hobart.  He died November 6, 1964.

She married John E. Ryder on August 21, 1971, at First Christian Church in Walters, Oklahoma, and moved to Lawton.  He died February 3, 2003.

Faye's career included 35 years in the insurance industry as an agent and a claims representative.  She joined her husband in his business, the Lawton Insurance Agency, and they worked together until their retirement.

She was a former member of the Insurance Women of Lawton, where she served as president and was named Insurance Woman of the Year and Claimswoman of the Year.  She was a member of the National Association of Insurance Women, where she received designation as a Certified Professional Insurance Woman and was named Regional Claimswoman of the Year.  She was honored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma and was presented the Pointer Award for her contribution to insurance education.

Faye was a member of First Christian Church, where she was a Sunday School teacher, president of Christian Women's Fellowship, elder, deacon emeritus, and church treasurer.  She and her husband served as historians for the church and wrote the book Centennial, a history of First Christian Church commemorating its 100th birthday celebration in 2001.

She was a former Girl Scouts neighborhood chairperson and a member of the state board of the Oklahoma Lung Association.  Her hobbies included genealogy research, and she wrote three family history books for her own families as well as a family newsletter.

The crowning achievement of Faye's life was the writing of Walking on the Right Side of God, published in 2010.  The book chronicles her unique, uncanny spiritual journey and continues to bring joy and inspiration to her family and friends, her church, and the wider reading community.

Survivors include a son, Jerry Bruce Avery, Lawton; a daughter-in-law, Sue Avery, Cement; a step-daughter, Frances Kay Avery, Lawton; a brother, Glenn Briggs, Martha, Oklahoma; a sister, Burna Cole, McCoy, Texas; a cherished friend, Gaila Martin, Lawton; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her first husband; her second husband; a son, Gary Don Avery; her parents; four brothers: Troy Briggs, Roy Briggs, Harry Briggs, Jr., and Vybert Briggs; and three sisters: Katherine Marie Baker, Helen Schultz, and Barbara Cole.

Special viewing and visitation for family and friends will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Christian Church, 701 SW D Ave., Lawton, OK 73501.