* Rita L. Buford; Longtime Ventura Businesswoman

Rita L. Buford, a businesswoman and mother of a former Ventura mayor, died Wednesday after a lengthy illness. She was 71.

Born April 8, 1926, in Casper, Wyo., she moved to Ventura as an infant and lived there most of her life.

Buford and her husband, Howard, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last February.

Her son, Tom, was a member of the Ventura City Council from 1991 through 1995 and was mayor the final two years.

Rita Buford owned the Rita Buford Tax Service in Ventura for many years and a dress shop near Ojai during the 1960s.

Buford and her husband also co-owned the Five Points Liquor store in Ventura and the Channel Islands Wines and Spirits store in Oxnard. They sold both businesses years ago.

Buford was active in several Ventura organizations: the Cub Scouts, Little League and the Assistance League Girls Club.

“My wife was a very devoted mother,” Howard Buford said. “She was protective and defensive about her friends and family. Once you were a friend of hers, you were a friend forever. Our house has always been an open house. You could come here any time.”

Besides her husband, of Ventura, and son, Tom, of San Luis Obispo, Buford is survived by sons David of Atlanta, Rusty of Geneva, Ill., and Scott of Ventura.

Friends are invited to gather at Buford’s home in Ventura from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

No funeral service is planned.

Donations may be made to the Assistance League of Ventura County in Ventura.

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Ventura County obituaries are published free of charge as a public service to readers. Obituaries are based on information provided by mortuaries.