Rita Montes

When Rita Montes walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Rita was and how she impacted those around her. Rita was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Rita wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Rita was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Rita was born on May 22, 1917 at home , not in a hospital, in the city of East Los Angeles. She was the daughter of Jesus Rios and Jesusita Gonzales. Rita was raised in California. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Rita might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Rita was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Rita was raised with three sisters and two brothers; Henry, Lola (Dolores), Rae (Ramona), Jimmy, and Petra. Rita was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Rita was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Rita well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Rita was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Rita was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. In her spare time she liked to read and going to the movies. Rita had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Rita was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Rita was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. Later in life, she became friends with Ruth, June, Rosalie and Gema.

In 1938, Rita married Luis H. Montes at Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra , California. Rita's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Luis's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Rita was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Rita was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Rita, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Montes home. Rita's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Rita was blessed with three sons: Louis, Steven, and Michael along with two daughters: Katherine and Loretta. They were also blessed with13 grandchildren; 4 grandsons and 9 granddaughters: Roberta, Jeanette, Kathy, David , Mickey ,Beverly, Louise, Lisa ,Steven , Diane , Daniel, Cynthia, and Destiney. Rita was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Spotty a belguin shepard, was one of her best friend for 13 years.

Because Rita loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were she loved to read she sewed scapulars for the church as she served in a sewing circle, in her younger years, at Murphy Ranch. She spent many, many hours praying every day. She was very devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Rita had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Rita's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Throughout her life, Rita was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Rita seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Rita usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout her later years, Rita was an active Guadalupana ,at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church when she lived in La Habra. She would walk to church almost every day. She cleaned the church and volunteered for their fiesta. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Rita. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Rita Montes for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Rita was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.

Rita's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer. Rita took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included Big Bear, San Gabriel Mountains ,Shady Oaks, and Yosemite.

She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Rita to master. In retirement, she found a new pleasure in praying for others for many hours each and every day. Even in retirement, Rita continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Rita Montes passed away on August 30, 2012 at Olive White Hospice in Flagstaff, Arizona. Rita passed away from complications from pneumonia. She is survived by her daughters: Kathy and Loretta; and her two sons: Louis and Steve. Services were held at Funeraria del Angel and Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra. Rita will be laid to rest at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights, California.