Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 West in Columbia at 1:00 PM. The funeral service will immediately follow at 2:00 PM. Her final resting place will be Memorial Park Cemetery, next to her beloved parents.
Rita was born to Audrey Orland and Naomi Kathryn (Maddux) Pennell on July 29, 1954. She was a proud 1972 graduate of Lebanon Senior High School, where she excelled in singing and baton twirling. Rita began her federal career at the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis in 1972. She transferred to Fort Leonard Wood in November 1974 and then moved to the Human Resources department at the Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in July 1975, retiring in 1999 after 26 years of dedicated service. Above all, Rita was a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.
She is survived by her son, Nicholas Falls; grandsons Ashton Falls and Theodore Felix Falls; brother Michael (Lana) Pennell; niece Melissa Faye (Jeff) Comparato and nephew James (Andrea) Pennell. Other survivors include her dear friend of 45 years, Marilyn (Ray) Thomas, as well as several great nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made payable to Memorial Funeral Home for distribution.
