Rita E. Conner-Florence's Obituary
FLORENCE, Rita E. (CONNER), age 97, of Waynesville, passed away Saturday, May 28, 2022.
On October 27, 1924, Rita was born to Clevey and Glenna Conner in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Waynesville High School, class of ’42.
She was a dedicated member of the Waynesville United Methodist Church (officially since 1952), the Waynesville Progressive Women’s Club, Waynesville Historical Society, and the Sycamore Creek Country Club. In her earlier years, while her children were growing up, she was an active participant in the Child Conservation League, the PTA, and was the former school band secretary.
Family-oriented, generous, caring, upbeat, outgoing, friendly, fair but firm, Rita had a recognizable smile and always looked nice when going out in public. Her desire to always look her best included the same expectations with her home, with a humorous motto to keep things orderly enough to be ready in case the president ever stops by for a visit. She loved her community, attending church, and getting together for lunch and other visits with her dear friends. In addition, Rita was a member of and supported the Waynesville High School Alumni Association. This year marked her 80th year since graduating high school.
Her hobbies included oil painting, reading, and spending time with her family. She also enjoyed knitting, especially making blankets for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. While her children were young, she attended every sporting event and school activity, and with the raising of four boys, sports became a daily occurrence for many years. Her social network with friends gave her great joy in her later years. Over the years, traveling has been her favorite hobby. Some of her most memorable trips included a Rhine River cruise in Europe, the many bank-sponsored trips involving her husband’s work, and the tradition of traveling to Myrtle Beach. However, her most memorable tradition was the yearly trips with family to Hilton Head, where they stayed in a timeshare and enjoyed the island life together. Later in life, she added trips to Siesta Key, an exciting trip to Spain with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, and a trip to Italy with her son and daughter-in-law.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Tom, in 1996; her parents; her brother, William Conner; and one granddaughter, Paige Florence-Healy. She is survived by four sons, Brian (Gail) Florence, Eric (Barbara) Florence, Mark (Teresa) Florence, and Jeffrey (Laurie) Florence; nine grandchildren, Ashlea (Jim) O’Neil, Brooke (Scott) Kleski, Holly (Marc) Brintnall, Thomas (Izabela) Florence, Taylor Florence, Haley Florence, Ericha (Kenny) Darrell, Jimmy Oakes (Jill Hathaway), and David (Mandy) Oakes; 14 great-grandchildren; and many extended family members, close friends, and dear friends from the church.
Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Saturday, June 4, at Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home in Waynesville. Burial will be in Miami Cemetery, Corwin. Pastor Joni Manson and Brian Blankenship will be officiating the services. The family will receive friends 5 - 8 PM Friday at the funeral home. If desired, contributions may be made to the Waynesville United Methodist Church and the Scleroderma Foundation. Condolences at www.stubbsconner.com.
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