Tribute

It is with much sadness that we inform the family of our mother’s passing. She had always wanted to live to see 100, but in these last months, she admitted that 97 was good enough. Born in Greeley Colorado, Rita was the first child of Kenneth and Mary Munns followed by her beloved brothers, Thomas B. Munns and Robert K. Munns. Mom lived an interesting and sometimes complicated life. Her parents instilled in her a passion for doing the right thing, to have compassion for the less privileged, and to fight for the underdog. She took these lessons to heart as87 a staunch supporter of social justice, including women’s rights, support for the migrant farm workers movement, the rights of the LGBTQ community, and Black Lives Matter. As a woman, somewhat constrained by the societal norms of her generation, would have thrived in today’s world of more liberated women. Mom was a voracious reader and this was a trait that she passed on and encouraged in all four of her children. We learned quickly that we could always get out of work by saying, “Just let me finish this chapter”. A stable and influential presence in her children’s lives, she was encouraging in their various pursuits, never judgmental and she always had faith in us and our abilities. The happiest and most fulfilled time in her life was managing apartments in San Francisco, a city that she loved and a place where she felt most at home. She loved the freedom and the gratification of a career that lasted over 30 years, finally retiring at age 85.

Friends & Family

Rita is survived by her 4 children, Sharon Pomerantz (Jacob), Susan Edwards, Lee Anne Connelly (Michael), Tracey Bolton (Tom), her step-children Scott Cawlfield (Taryn), Andrea Hartman (John) and Kathleen Cawlfield. Rita had 8 grandchildren: (Jeff Offermann (Kevin), Thea Andersen, Kiara Ninos, Tyler Cooper (Kirsty), Emily Whaley (Erik), Shea Connelly, Florianna Ramadan, and Eli Younger. She was also close to her five step-grandchildren, Raisa Lenau, Emilee Cawlfield, Tyler Cawlfield, Benjamin Hartman, and Christopher Hartman. In addition, Rita leaves behind her nieces and nephews of whom she was very fond- the children of her much-loved brothers. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, David Cawlfield, her son-in-law Hal Neumann, and her grandson, Charlie Murdock. If you knew Mom at all, you would know that she would hate the fuss of a memorial service and we reluctantly agreed to honor that wish. If you would like to honor her memory, you may make a donation in her name to Rocky Mountain Equality (rmequality.org) or Sesame Workshop (sesameworkshop.org)