Rita DeRego

Rita Quigley DeRego was born on June 9, 1957, at Madigan Army Hospital in Tacoma, Washington to William and Dorothy Quigley. She is survived by her husband, Pete DeRego, father William "Bill" and Stepmother Dina Quigley. As Rita's father was in the military, she spent her early childhood moving frequently across the U.S. and eventually ended up moving to California with her family. She attended high school at Red Bluff Union High School and graduated early. After high school, she went on to attend Shasta College where she graduated with an A.A. in English. She then went on to the University of Davis in California, where she majored in journalism. She met her husband briefly in high school, but they did not begin dating until they got reacquainted at Shasta College. They got married in Red Bluff on July 7, 1979, where they resided and owned and operated a Craft Store. After the craft store closed, they traveled the western states selling handcrafted items with the Harvest Festival Craft Fair circuit. She moved to Corning, California where she worked as a reporter at the Corning Daily Observer which was, at that time, the smallest daily newspaper in the U.S. The couple moved to Colorado Springs in the winter of 1987. Rita had always remembered Colorado fondly as it was one of her favorite places where her father was stationed in her childhood. She loved Colorado so much that when her husband proposed she accepted on condition that he promised to take her to Colorado to live someday. Rita worked numerous jobs in Colorado and was a freelance journalist as a side hustle. She was published in local periodicals and had numerous stories published in True Confession magazines. She lived in Colorado Springs for 22 years and moved to Westminster, Colorado for about 18 months where her husband had a job. Rita did not like the hectic Denver metro area, and her husband requested a transfer to a more rural area and when a position opened in Canon City they moved to Florence, Colorado. She had always loved Florence and would visit town with her husband when she lived in Colorado Springs. Rita worked in retail in an antique shop in Florence, which she enjoyed until her health declined. Rita was a very spiritual and compassionate person with a strong moral compass. She was a very loyal and generous friend. She loved all animals and contributed to many national and local animal charities as well as supporting the Saint Joseph's Indian school. She had a wicked sense of humor and maintained it until the end despite constant pain and suffering. She was very stoic and did not want her family and friends to know how sick she was. Rita passed away at home on September 18, 2024, after suffering a long debilitating illness. If you would like to honor Rita's life, please make a memorial to the Saint Joseph's Indian School or the animal charity of your choice in her honor. Rita will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
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