Rita Jones

rita would make me laugh so hard when she came to visit. i remeber her and i home alone wating for the bus to come .we were eating crerel with orange juice as we left on to the porch...it was cold and rita didnt have a jacket so i went to the closet and got my old jacket  then put it though her sleves .she smiled and peteaded it was it was helpful .she alwazed made you feel helpful .she will allwaze live in my heart .♥♥♥

Rita was deffinatly one of the funnest aunts ever. she always knew how to have fun. one of my favorite memories would have to be going to grandma and grandpas house for a visit and being left all alone with hope at thier house while the rest of the family went back home. we played all day and night with rita the entire visit and even on the airplane on the way home. there was never a dull moment when she was around. Everytime she came to visit us we would go shopping and then eat pizza for dinner..everytime. she always played the games she wanted and always sat at the "kid" table. we were her "little angels". she always won at all the games we played,especially checkers:) but her laugh was the best. we stayed up all night long just to listen to all of her stories she would tell us. totally true or not, i will always remember them. The best memory was our last goodbye when she was leaving to go back to kansas. we took tons of pictures and couldnt wait til our next visit. we hugged and she said "see you later angel. i love you"

Well I remember being about 10 years old; around that time I would answer to Rachel and Becki because us two little sisters were glued at the hip as Rita called it. I remeber taking my first real time away from my parents. The Jones family had spent about a week at Grandma far-away's and they were leaving....without us. Rachel and I stayed with Grandma, Grandpa, and Rita for a while longer. I remember my parents pulling out of the driveway with us standing there in our barefeet beginning to panic and Rita and Grandma trying to think of something fun to do just to calm us down. At the end of that trip I took my first plane ride home, and Rita and Rachel were right there with me. I was freaking out as Rachel was tapping at the glass and telling me to "look at all the tiny buildings down there," and I had to have the flight attendant get a bag for me to throw up in. Rita got a kick out of that, but also had them get me some water to calm me down. Rita was fun to play with and hear stories from before we would go to bed. Sometimes we would stay up very late just to listen to everything. But she always knew when to be an adult...when it was totally necessary.

Our last visit with Rita a few weeks ago, was one of our best. 

 

Rita enjoyed being one of the girls.  I found a little hat on the dinning room floor and asked the girls about it.  The girls all looked around and Rita said, "Monopoly games can get a little out of hand, money flying everywhere..."  Then she started giggling.  Which made us all laugh.  Playing "Catch Phrase" at Sarah's made Rita laugh her strong contageous laugh.  She said that she wished the night didn't have to end. 

 

Rita could change from "one of the girls" to a loving sister and friend.  She was such a good listener and loved deep discussions about what she was learning and her thoughts about God.  It warmed my heart to see her listening to Christian music and talking to God. 

 

Rita said this was such a great visit and she couldn't wait to come back this fall.  Rita, we're looking forward to our next visit with you...and the Lord.  I bet you're having fun.

 

I love you, Sis.

Legend has it that Rita and automobiles went together like motor oil and water. There are many stories - mostly from her youth - stories of horrified mothers racing out to grab their children from the sidewalks as they saw her car approaching. There are stories of cars going in and out of ditches, terrifying her little brother. There is even a story of Rita driving a snazzy red Chevy Malibu crashing through a poor old woman's house! Yes its true!

 

I'm told, the legend begins in the year of our Lord 1968. It was a subtle sign of things to come, just a peek into the madening relationship with cars that would manifest itself as a trail of debris in her rear view mirror. It was not just another day in Driver's Ed. class. Today, as the members of her driving group arrived, still wiping the tears of fear from their eyes, and as her instructor opened a fresh bottle of Peto Bismol, they were all thinking the same thing: 1. It was Rita's turn to drive. 2. Were they going to survive? They had all ridden with her before. There was - etched in their memory - the sound of broken glass, the screams, the sight of Rita taking her hands from the wheel to cover her own eyes - Yes, even she was afraid to ride with herself - and finally the instructor regaining control of the vehicle.  The year Rita Jones took Driver's Ed. some say, was the longest summer of their lives. But that of course, is just a legend.