Rita Dennis Obituary
was surrounded by her husband, Retired Colonel Lawrence (Larry) Dennis, daughters
Sandra (Sandy) Jones and Shelley Hellstern Dennis and her grandson, Nathan Hellstern.
The daughter of Samuel and Valle Radd, Rita was born in Lexington, Missouri, on July
24, 1933. Her family moved to San Francisco, California when Rita was a child. She
excelled in writing stories and poems in high school and after graduation she attended
San Francisco State majoring in Journalism. She wrote a column for the Sun Reporter
called "Date with Rita." She stayed grounded in herself and valued her friends and
relationships. So much so, that she met "the love of her life," Larry Dennis, a tall, dark
and handsome Air Force Lieutenant. Their union was meant to be as that union
produced two daughters, Sandra and Shelley.
Rita's most pride and joy in serving worthy causes was the Tucson Arthritis Support
League, where she was a fearless leader and supporter for the cause to help eradicate
arthritis for over 20 years. She also was a supporter of the Retired Spouse's Club. The
bright spots, however, were Rita's daughters, Sandy and Shelley, her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. She grew up with her younger sister, Betty Williams (deceased)
and her much younger brother, Steven Radd.
Rita is survived by her husband Retired Colonel Lawrence (Larry) Dennis of 69 years,
daughter Sandra (Sandy) Jones and son-in-law John Jones of McKinney, Texas,
daughter Shelley Hellstern, of Aledo, Texas, a brother Steven Radd and sister-in-law
Carol Radd of Bend, Oregon, four beautiful grandchildren, Stephanie Hellstern, Jennifer
Veale and grandson-in-law, Brandon Veale, Joshua Hellstern and Nathan Hellstern and
granddaughter-in-law, Claudia Hellstern, four great-grandchildren, two nephews, Ron
Williams and Bruce Williams of San Francisco, California, as well as many other family
members and loving and faithful friends.
An internment service will be held in San Francisco, California on November 20 th, 2025.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to the Arthritis
Foundation in Rita's name.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
The Fitzsimmons
November 15, 2025
Remembering our dear friend, Rita.
The Fitzsimmons family
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