Rita Womack

1930 - 1930

RITA WOMACK On September 25, 2010, after a lengthy battle with cancer, Rita Womack died peacefully at her Riverside home. She was born on September 3, 1930 in Denver, CO to Mary and Paul Eckelman. Rita attended Cathedral High School and Loretta Heights College in Denver. She received her nursing degree from Loretta Heights in 1952 and began her career as an industrial health nurse at a meat packing plant. Rita married Ray Womack on August 30, 1956. Rita and Ray moved to Riverside in 1960 along with their two young daughters, Paula and Shawn. A third child, David, was born three years later. Rita was active in many Riverside charities and organizations. She was a long-time member of the Riverside Law Alliance (originally known as the Lawyer\'s Wives of Riverside County.) As a member of the Law Alliance philanthropy committee, she organized donations for many years to Safehouse, a shelter for at-risk teens. She sat on the St. Francis de Sales school board and also tutored children at the school in reading. Along with Dottie Garst, she began the Court Tour Program in the early 1970\'s, a valuable civics program where elementary school children are given firsthand knowledge of our court system. Although she initially gave up her nursing career to raise a family, Rita returned to work as a public health nurse in the 1980\'s. After the death of her own mother, Rita worked as a volunteer for Riverside hospice. With a group of fellow hospice volunteers, she was a co-founder of A Moveable Feast, a catering company that served lunch at the Riverside Art Museum and provided catering services throughout the Inland Empire. Rita Womack will always be remembered for her kind spirit, her grace and her generosity. She is survived by her brother Paul, her three children and her three grandchildren - Robert, Rafe and David. She will also be dearly missed by her many loving friends. Rita was preceded in death by her husband, Ray. She will be buried along side him at Riverside National Cemetery. A viewing will be held at St. Francis de Sales Church at 4:00 p.m on Thursday, September 30. A rosary will follow at 4:30 p.m. and the funeral mass will begin at 5:15 p.m. The burial will be at Riverside National Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 1. In her memory, Rita asked that donations be made to the following charities: Sloan Kettering Cancer Fund, Riverside Safe House and St. Francis de Sales Church.