- Date Of Birth: June 30, 1941
- Date Of Death: September 6, 2022
- State: Colorado
Rita Louise (Skrabacz) Widlic passed away on September 6, 2022 at her home in Littleton, with husband Ralph by her side.
Rita was born in Chicago on June 30, 1941, with her twin brother Robert, to Walter and Emily Skrabacz. She already had a sister, Maryanne, and half-brother, Jerry, and she would later become an older sister to Richard, Suzanne and Jacquelyn. While walking Suzanne in a baby stroller past a baseball field, she caught the eye of Ralph Dennis Widlic, another Chicago native, who would become her husband. They married in 1960. Soon thereafter, they built a family, welcoming Kevin Donald, Christopher Brian, and Laura Marie.
After more than a decade in Chicago, opportunity called, and Ralph and Rita decided to move their family to Colorado. They opened the doors to their home on Prescott Street in Littleton in December 1973 – a home they have maintained ever since. An outgoing and positive woman, Rita was the ultimate host, quick with a smile and welcoming. Their new house on Prescott Street quickly became a home, and she made friends in record time.
Rita began working in the cafeteria at St. Mary’s School in Littleton, serving lunch to students – including her children. One of her colleagues was Betty Duran, and the two friends later took similar jobs at Robert G. Weiland School in Denver, where they worked together serving students with developmental disabilities. Rita loved working at Weiland School. Later, after retiring, she tended bar part-time at VFW Post 5061 in Denver. Broncos Sundays would never be the same. She again had found a job that was good for her and great for those she served.
Rita has five grandchildren, but not until the second was born did she accept being called Grandma. In order: Steven, who lives in Oslo, Norway; Christian, who lives in New York City: Torrey Leigh, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas; Dennis, who is studying at university in Denmark; and Jackson, who is studying at university in Indianapolis. She also has two great-grandchildren. Both live in Norway. With her family living in different places across the world, Rita and Ralph traveled constantly, until the autumn of 2015.
In September 2015, Rita suffered a disabling stroke. It came as a shock to family and friends, as she took long morning walks each day throughout the neighborhood and was always conscious about taking good care of herself.
She is survived by her husband Ralph, her children and their spouses – Kevin & Gillian, Chris & Jessica, Laura & Scott – her grandchildren Steven (spouse Lillian), Christian (spouse Kris), Torrey Leigh, Dennis and Jackson, and her great-grandchildren Oscar and Victor.
Rita was a beautiful woman in all ways. She will be missed, by many.
