Arita Joyce Wilson

On August 29th, 1931 Arita Joyce Schriver was born in a farmhouse outside of Gothenburg, NE to Kenneth and Betty Schriver. She was the second child in a family of seven children. On Christmas Eve December 24th, 2024 she had a sudden cardiac arrest in the evening walking back to bed after going to the bathroom. Thankfully, she never knew what happened. She had a very peaceful look on her face. She had an instant joyful reunion with Jesus and all her loved ones in Heaven.

Arita had a very happy childhood helping on the farm. She was only a child when she rode their horse “Old Ned” bareback into town to get the mail. She could not get back on the horse by herself so she had to wait for someone to walk by and give her a lift up. She also helped in the family milk business by pulling a little wagon with her sisters delivering milk to the houses of their customers. That dairy grew into a small grocery store that operated until 1996.

In 1950 she went on a blind date with a man named Mel Wilson and they fell in love and married. Melvin worked for A.T.&T. climbing poles, splicing cables, and traveled around with a “gang” of other employees and their families from state to state. Arita and Mel knew each other for three month when Mel proposed to Arita. They married in a Methodist Church in Gothenburg, NE and moved to a small town in Illinois which was where Mel’s job took him next. They started having children and had five children.

Arita was the epitome of a homemaker. Never without makeup, lipstick, and matching outfits even her shoes and jewelry. She had a three-course dinner on the table every night including dessert every night. Arita, Mel and their five children eventually moved to Medina, Ohio. At that time they both came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and started going to the Rex Humbard Church “Cathedral of Tomorrow”. They eventually started working there. Arita worked in the mailroom reading and answering letters of prayer requests. In 1983 Mel retired from A.T.&T. and they built their dream house in the beautiful mountains of Estes Park, Colorado. They had many friends they established after living there for 35 years. Their church home was Allenspark Community Church in Allenspark, Colorado where they met many dear friends.

Arita is survived by daughters, Pamela, Debra (Jim Lynch); sons, Steven, Rocky (Cynthia Birkbeck); sister, Vicki (Larry Kinnan). Grandchildren, Lisha, Melissa, Krista, A.J., Jesse, Nathaniel. Arita had 20 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by husband, Melvin; daughter, Lynda; sisters, Betty Ann, Janet, Carol; brothers, Kay, Gene; and grandson, Joshua Lynch.

The family has entrusted Allnutt Funeral Home, Hunter Chapel with the arrangements.

As a memorial to Rita she would want you to consider your relationship with God and receive Jesus as your Lord and savior to one day join her in heaven.