Florence Juanita Wooten; Longtime Resident

Longtime Ventura County resident Florence Juanita Wooten died Tuesday after a long illness. She was 54.

Born in Long Beach, as a child she moved to Ojai, where her parents ran a restaurant.

When she was 14, she met James Wooten, also of Ojai. Their romance bloomed while he was on leave from Navy duties in Hawaii. After a year of courtship, the couple married on Feb. 17, 1960.

They lived throughout the county, including Port Hueneme, Oxnard and Ventura. She raised their five children while he worked as a service technician for the Sheriff’s Department.

Florence Wooten’s hobbies included crochet and pillow-making.

“She was always willing to do anything that I wanted to do,” said husband James, 60. “And vice versa.”

Fifteen years ago, Florence Wooten was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and diabetes and had been in and out of the hospital numerous times since, her husband said.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons James Jr. of Bakersfield, Jesse of Camarillo, John and Jason Wooten, both of Ojai; daughter Ginger Shepard of Phoenix; sisters Snowfox Walkingshaw and Francis Mulkey, both of Ventura, Velma Wooton of Porterville, and Elizabeth Merrill of Oxnard; brother Tom Merrill of Martinez; and 11 grandchildren.

Visitation will be held Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura. A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Ivy Lawn Cemetery.