Born in West Virginia and raised in Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Berkley Carico and Onita Turner Carico. She was also preceded in death by her husband, James Russell Cooley; her son, James Berkley Cooley; her brother, Berkley Carico, Jr. and her sister, Gloria Jean Gibson.
Rita invested herself in caring for her home and family. She was known for her excellent cooking back in the day. She loved to travel and spend time with church friends. She was a member of Timberlake Baptist Church and was strong in her Christian faith. When she was no longer able to physically attend church, she enjoyed watching several preachers on television every Sunday.
She is survived by her son, William Edward Cooley of Altavista; her daughter, Sue Lawson and husband Steve of Chattanooga, TN; three grandchildren, Jessica Cooley, Scott Edward Russell Cooley and Jillian Nicole Cooley and two great grandchildren, Kylee and Bayden.
A service celebrating her life and faith will be conducted at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 14, 2026 at Whitten Timberlake Chapel with the Rev. Joseph Grow officiating. Interment will follow in Virginia Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service.
Those wishing to make memorial contributions are asked to consider the Salvation Army, 2211 Park Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501, www.salvationarmyusa.org/va/lynchburg/park-ave-1/ or to Gideons International, www.gideons.org.
