Goodland, Kansas, resident Rita Helen Light, 81, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend entered into eternal rest on November 23, 2020.
Rita was born on May 14, 1939, in Goodland, Kansas, the daughter of Margaret Elizabeth (Crocker) and Paul McKinley Daniels. She grew up in Goodland, along with sisters LaDonna and Diane, and four younger brothers, Gary, Joe, Kenneth, and Jack. She graduated from Goodland High School in 1957 and worked at the Model Steam Laundry and Caldwell’s.
On November 12, 1966, she married Dale Eugene Light at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Goodland. In December of 1966, the couple moved to Golden, Colorado, where they settled down and started a family, welcoming two daughters, Elisabeth “Lisa” in 1968 and Julie in 1973. Dale’s job eventually led to a transfer in 1978 to Casper, Wyoming, where the family lived until 1986 when they returned to the Denver area.
Rita worked for many years at Vibra-tech in Westminster, Colorado and later worked at PSA Security Network in Westminster, Colorado from where she retired in 2005. She returned to Goodland with Dale where they enjoyed living out their golden years doing things they both enjoyed including gardening and spending time with, and caring for, their family. Rita moved to Commerce City, Colorado in August 2020 to live with her daughter, Julie.
Rita’s greatest joy was experienced through interactions with her family. She treasured her sisters, brothers, children, and her four grandbabies. She loved to visit on the phone with family and friends. Her kindness and love for her family are her legacy. She had a passion for growing flowers and tending her garden. When she couldn’t be outdoors, she enjoyed playing the piano, reading, and doing cross-stitch. The Catholic faith guided her life and she found great peace in praying The Rosary and Divine Chaplet of Mercy.
Preceding her in death were her husband of forty-nine years Dale; parents Margaret and Paul Daniels; brothers Gary, Joe, and Kenneth Daniels; brother-in-law Jerry Light; brother in-law Larry Roulier; son-in-law Cameron Fonseca; nieces Karen Wadas, Kimberly Ann, and Paula Smith; as well as in-laws Edward Coleman and Keith Coleman. Surviving family includes her daughter Lisa and Ken Coleman of Gillette, Wyoming; daughter Julie Fonseca of Commerce City, Colorado; grandchildren Matthew, Mary, Michael, and Nicholas Coleman, all of Gillette, Wyoming; sister LaDonna Corder and her husband Jim of Perry, Iowa; sister Diane Roulier of Brewster, Kansas; brother Jack Daniels and his wife Nancy of Muscatine, Iowa; brother-in-law David Light and his wife Janis of Wickenburg, Arizona; sister-in-law Iris Gotchall and her husband Pete of Plano, Texas; and many much-loved nieces and nephews.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, November 28, 2020, at 10:30 AM MT at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Goodland, with Father David Micheal presiding. Burial will follow in the Goodland Cemetery.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 27, 2020, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland with a Parish Rosary to be recited at 7:00 PM MT at the funeral Home.
Memorials may be designated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church or to Northwest Kansas Animal Shelter, and may be left at the services, or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main, Goodland, KS 67735-1555.
Online condolences for the family may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com.
Funeral services have been entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland.