Rita Hill

Funeral Mass for Rita A. Hill will be celebrated at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Oak Harbor Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003, at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Ronald Belisle. Celebrant. Rite of Committal will follow at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Oak Harbor.

Rita A. Hill, age 78, wife of James W. Hill, died Oct. 30, 2003 at Careage of Whidbey, Coupeville, Washington. She was born Nov. 29, 1924, in St. Mary’s, Neb., to Allen and Clara (Peschel) Huliska.

Rita graduated from St. Paul High School in St. Paul, Neb. Following graduation, she taught elementary classes in a rural school for two years. She moved to Denver, Colo., where she worked for the Wright-McGill Fishing Company as a supervisor of manufacturing.

Rita met Jim and, Aug. 24, 1949, two weeks after they first met, they were married in Denver, Colorado. They recently celebrated 54 years of marriage.

Rita became a Navy wife and throughout the course of Jim’s military career the Navy sent them to Rhode Island, Florida, Kansas, San Diego, Guam and finally in 1959 to Whidbey Island.

Rita was very active at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church of Oak Harbor. She was a member of the Archdiosean Council of Catholic Women (ACCW); the Northern Deanery of the ACCW; the Ladies Society of St. Augustine’s, serving as treasurer and was a long time member of the Pro-Life Movement of the Catholic Church.

Rita loved her family and throughout her life they enjoyed many activities including, camping, travel, sailing, flying their private plane, riding on their Harley-Davidson, and bowling. For many years Rita and Jim were snowbirds, spending their winters in Arizona.

Mrs. Hill is survived by her husband, Jim at the family home, by four children; Susan Rodriquez of Mount Vernon; Cynthia “Cindy” Roberts and her husband Steven of Snohomish; James W. Hill, Jr. of Kirkland; and Ronald “Ron” Hill and his wife Briana of Smithfield, Va. Three sisters also survive her, Mary Ann Glass of Papillion, Neb.; Eunice Lukasiewicz of Grand Island, Neb.; Cathy Dirkschneider of Omaha, Neb., and two brothers, Joseph and Gary Huliska, both of Omaha, Neb. Ten grandchildren; Ryanne Rodriquez, Angela Maddox, Miranda Leppla, Karlee, Lindsey and April Roberts, and Kaleigh, Mackenzie, Cullen and Olivia Hill and three great-grandchildren; Marisa Rodriquez, Nicole Eldridge and Dartanyn Maddox also survive.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel. This obituary is on-line at http://burley.plan4ever.com.