The actress died on Thursday of natural causes, according to the Mathews Funeral Home.
WASHINGTON — Virginia Patton Moss, most recognizable as Ruth Dakin Bailey in the 1946 holiday movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,” died Thursday from natural causes. She was 97.
Karolyn Grimes, a child actor from the movie confirmed the starlet’s death in a Facebook post Sunday. Patton was the last surviving adult member of the cast.
“We have another angel! Virginia Patton Moss. She was 97 years old. She played Harry Bailey’s wife in the film, it’s a Wonderful Life! She is now with her beloved Cruse,” Grimes wrote. “She will be missed!”
Mathews Funeral Home in Albany, Georgia, announced Thursday that the 1940s star died of natural causes.
Patton was born in Ohio on June 25, 1925 and began her career in acting as teenager, having landed a contract with Warner Bros., Universal Studios and more. During her career she also held her own popular line of women’s and children’s wear called “Virginia Patton of Hollywood.”
Patton played Harry Bailey’s wife in Frank Capra’s Christmas fantasy drama “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which is considered one of the greatest American films, ranking No. 11 behind “Singin’ in the Rain.”
However, the starlet’s Hollywood career was short-lived as she retired at 24, after only seven years in the movie business. She married Cruse Moss, who accompanied her through her old age until his death in 2018.
Patton and Moss moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., where they were involved in the arts community. Patton served on the Boards of the American Institute of Archeology, the Washtenaw County Mental Health Services Agency and Cleary College’s Board of Trustees.
Patton is survived by her two children Carol Moss Loop and Michael Cruse Moss.