Itandewi "Ita" Inglis

Ita was born Dora Itandewi Diaz in Edinburgh, TX on August 8th, 1962. She was the 3rd oldest of 6 children, all named with traditional Mexican Indian and Biblical names. Her older brothers were Joseph and Xico, and her younger siblings were David, Xochiltl, and Jacob. Raised Seventh Day Adventist and baptized at the age of 12, faith and family were the most important things to her throughout her life. She always wanted to share her faith, but never pushed it on anyone. At age 9, Ita began doing the children’s lessons at church; this was the first evidence of her God-given talent for teaching and facilitating, which would continue throughout her life. Ita also shared her faith by living it every day, which drew others to become interested in her beliefs.

Her legal first name is Dora, which she did not find out until high school. The name she has always gone by is Itandewi “Ita” which is translated “heavenly flower.”

Ita matured quickly, knowing who she was at a young age. Tenacious and very independent, she never had a problem defending herself, including against her brothers, who say she had a mean bite (they nicknamed her “Jaws”), although it never stopped them from teasing her. An authority figure among her siblings, even though only 5'3", she had a way of "towering over" her bigger brothers.

Ita was proud of her Mexican heritage, spending 3 months in Mexico one summer, solidifying her grasp of Spanish. Her father, Jacob, taught her to be proud of this heritage, but to never use it as a crutch. Not shy about speaking her mind, Ita had a strong sense of justice and didn’t like it when people took advantage of others. At age 14, she wrote an editorial that was printed in the Greeley Tribune about how the county had eliminated her father’s job as a translator/interpreter for the courts. As a result of her editorial, the county reinstated his job.

Ita started working at McDonald’s when she was 15 ½ and worked her way up to training and managing. Although legally too young to work, her employers did not recognize it initially. When they discovered their mistake, they just let it go because she was such a hard worker. This is where she and Rob met. They worked as a team so well they were naturally drawn to each other and became close friends. Rob, being the oblivious type, did not realize that their relationship was developing into something more. They started dating and continued their courtship through many obstacles.

When her family moved back to Texas in 1979, Ita stayed behind with her brother Joe to finish high school. She graduated from Central High School in Greeley, Colorado in 1980, but decided not to go to college even though she scored in the 1400’s on her SATs.

After her graduation, Ita moved to Rosenberg, TX. Although separated by many miles, Ita and Rob continued with their long distance relationship. Rob followed his sweet heart to Texas approximately1 year later so they could be together. They were best of friends and truly completed each other.

Ita began working at another McDonald’s and paved the way for several of her siblings to work there as well. She always did everything to the glory of God, faithfully observing the Sabbath throughout her life, even in the face of losing a job.

In 1982, Ita started working in the mail room at Prudential Insurance in Sugarland, TX and was promoted to the position of paying dental claims because of her hard work and dedication. She continued to excel in this new position, processing claims twice as quickly as anyone else. She was recognized for her abilities and was promoted to trainer. She was always careful to give God the credit for her successes. It was during this time Ita and Rob were married in Houston, TX on March 25th, 1984.

Ita continued to excel at Prudential in Sugarland through 1985, when she was again recognized for her outstanding performance. A group from Prudential’s main office in New Jersey was in town auditing the performance of this satellite office when they discovered Ita’s passion. She found satisfaction not only in doing her job to the best of her ability, but also in helping others succeed. They asked her if she would consider taking a position that included training in Roseland, NJ. After much prayer, Rob and Ita made the move to New Jersey, leaving behind Ita’s beloved parents, brothers and sister.

A 2 year trial position ended up lasting 5 years because she was such an asset to the company. During Ita and Rob’s time in New Jersey, both Xochiltl and David lived with them for a while to work and save money for college. Being supportive of family was important to both Ita and Rob, and this was the first of many times over the years they opened their home to family.

While Rob and Ita lived in New Jersey, they discovered a love of travel. Over the years, they traveled to China, France, England, Scotland, Wales, Mexico, and several of the Hawaiian Islands (not to mention trips all over the US mainland).

Wishing to move back to Colorado where they grew up, they jumped at the chance when a separation package was offered by Prudential. They moved to Denver, CO in 1990 and lived with Rob’s grandparents for 3 years, helping to care for them. During this time, and with the help of God’s leading, they discovered a wonderful Adventist Church up in the mountains (Aspen Park) which they continue to attend to this day. Ita studied programming, but decided that it wasn’t for her and took some temporary clerical jobs. One of those was at Jones Inter-Cable, and they eventually ended up hiring her full-time (again because of her outstanding performance). Ita never shied away from a challenge, always giving credit to God for her talents, and recognized His leading.

They moved to Castle Rock, Colorado in July of 1994, followed by Walter and Xochiltl Litton (Ita’s newly married sister), who stayed with them over the next 3 years. Caleb Nathaniel Inglis was born shortly thereafter on January 27, 1996. What a blessing! Caleb flourished with the care provided by his mother and Aunt Xochiltl for the first three years of his life. Support received from a loving church family, and a mother and father that instructed and loved him in the ways of the Lord, provided an ideal foundation for a wonderful childhood experience.

Ita understood and put into practice the words of Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” She was a wonderful mother, providing the love and instruction he needed to reach his potential. Caleb was the light of her life! She was very proud of the young man he has become; seeing him graduate from High School and start attending college at CU was very special for her. Both Ita and Rob recognized and believed that it takes a village to raise and child; and what a village it was!

During her time at Jones, Ita went from an office assistant to an HR staffing manager. Nothing could keep this woman from succeeding; with Ita, the bigger the challenge the better! After being laid off from Jones after 5 wonderful years, she was hired by Time Warner Telecom. It was at this time in her life that she would hone the skills that God had gifted her with since she was a young child. Training and facilitating in an open, honest, and transparent way ignited her classroom into one in which learning could occur at a very high level. She always treated everyone with respect, and there was no dumb question in her classroom. She would continue with this passion for the rest of her life, working as a trainer for a consulting firm and CDOT for her last 10 years.

Ita was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December of 2007. After the tumor was removed and treatments concluded, she was in remission for the next 4 ½ years. She never gave up the fight to be cured, never complained, and set an example for everyone she knew through her determination, hope, and perseverance.

Unfortunately, the cancer returned and took her life on Sunday November 2, 2014 at 9:30 pm. She did not want to die on a Sabbath, and the doctors granted her wish, waiting to remove the life-sustaining measures after the Sabbath had concluded. Even in the face of death she remained faithful! Through it all, Ita and Rob were able to see God’s hand. Blessings and miracles, too numerous to count, lightened the load so they could find rest in the Lord, understanding that the God of Creation loves them unconditionally.

Ita leaves an immeasurable void in all of our lives. We love you, Ita, and we can’t wait to see you in your new body on that great resurrection day thanks to the grace that God freely provides! Sleep tight, and see you soon.

A Couple of Days

- Caleb Inglis

What do you do in life,

In this miserable, beautiful maze?

The options seem endless, but wait-

You only have a couple of days.

You want to try out everything,

I know that is your way;

Determined to make the best of it,

To get your worth out of each day.

You learn that God created you,

That He’s with you through life’s frays.

You never do forget Him,

And you shower Him with praise.

You decide to start a family,

And then a child you raise.

You tell him he’s your sunshine,

And you teach him of life’s ways.

You really love to travel,

You explore so many places.

And along the way, you share your love

With countless other faces.

But then, one day, you get the news

That your couple days are numbered.

But you don’t give up on life or God,

You fill us all with wonder.

Instead, you choose to live your days

The only way you know.

Along the way, I can’t believe

The faith, hope, and love you show.

And when your days are finished,

And your time, for now, is done;

You haven’t lost your battle here;

Quite the opposite, you’ve won.

I am not scared for you at all;

I know where you will be.

And until we hear that final call

Your life lessons stay with me.

No matter where your body lays,

Your memory, with me it stays;

Ready for when again we’ll raise…

I know it will just be a couple of days.