Rita Mae Polca

1936 - 2022

Rita Mae (Duppstadt) Polca, 85, of Barnesville, passed away peacefully Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Tremont Health and Rehabilitation Center.

She was the loving wife of Daniel E. Polca; together they shared 61 years of marriage. Born Oct. 15, 1936, in Middlecreek Twp., she is a daughter of the late John Henry and Mary Ruth (Cramer) Duppstadt.

She was preceded in death by brothers, Blair Shuman and Clarence Duppstadt; and sisters, Eleanor (Duppstadt) Richards and Mildred (Duppstadt) Jacobs.

Rita is survived by sons, Mark Polca and wife, Paula, of Hometown, and Kevin Polca and wife, Melanie, of Martinsburg, W.Va. She is also survived by sisters, Betty Bumgardner and Dorothy Fisher, both of Somerset; and grandchildren, Delanie Polca, Sarah Besz and Allexa Branham; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She always loved children and playing games with them, especially with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In the later years of her life, nothing made her happier. Rita worked briefly for the Katz Pajama Factory, and as an operator with GTE Phone Co., both of Somerset. She was an avid gardener, cook and loved to bake. No one ever refused a second piece of her homemade pie. Rita was a member of Christ Lutheran Church, Mahanoy City, and a past president of Lutheran Daughters. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the nurses and staff of the Tremont Health and Rehabilitation Center, United Healthcare and of Compassionate Care Hospice for their exceptional care throughout Rita's stay.

Rite of Christian Burial was held at Kingwood I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Markleton, Pa.; the Rev. Fred T. Crawford officiated. Arrangements by Miller Funeral Home & Crematory of Somerset. The family requests memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association, alz.org, in Rita's memory. Online condolences may be expressed at millerfuneralhomeandcrematory.com.