Friday, July 12, 2024
Sister Rita was and always will be my older, smarter, sparkling sister. She usually had a book in her hands, which I remember got her out of some of the usual household chores, but I never held that against her.
I have an early memory of Rita, riding a bike in the rain to the hospital so she could see mama and the newborn baby Russell. She came back drenched but happy, and the rest of us were jealous!
After I graduated from high school, I followed Rita to Washington DC and she and I lived together in an upper flat. (It just so happened that the owners of the house became my in-laws.) We worked for the Federal government during the end of the WW2years. I would never have had the courage to go that far from home had she not gone ahead of me. She was known for her adventuresome spirit which led to an interesting and full life as an artist, world traveler, and lifelong learner. I dearly miss her now and will always.
