Rita T. Siemer

Rita Therese (Nessinger) Siemer, 89, passed away quietly on December 14, 2019 at Lincolnshire Place in Loves Park IL.  Rita was born in Chicago on October 9, 1930 to Frank A. and Margaret (Charleston) Nessinger. The fourth of five children, Rita enjoyed her youth with siblings Margaret, Frank, George and Tom. She graduated from Clarke College and went on to earn a physical therapy degree from Northwestern. Rita met her loving husband, Frederick W. “Bill” Siemer shortly after, and they were married on July 9, 1955. Rita was a practicing physical therapist until shortly before the birth of their first daughter. She was a terrific mother to her three daughters, Kathy, Anne and Therese – supporting them throughout her life. Rita was active at Holy Family Church and School, at the Rockford Women’s Club and at Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Country Club, where she loved to play golf. Once her daughters were grown, Rita returned to physical therapy, working at St Anthony’s Hospital until she and Bill retired in 1990.  They then began many happy years of “snowbirding” to Sun Lakes, Arizona, continuing until Bill’s death in 2015.

Rita is survived by her daughters, Kathy (Joe) Hoffman, Anne (Christopher) Fisher, and Therese (Kevin) Sawtell; granddaughters, Christina (John) Walaski, and Gretchen Fisher; and many wonderful nieces and nephews.

Memorial mass will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, January 18, 2020 in Holy Family Church, 4407 Highcrest Road, Rockford 61107 with a visitation from 9:00am to 10:30am.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association.

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