Rita M. (Tonkinson) Wannemacher

Rita M. Wannemacher, 98, of Geneseo, formerly of Hooppole, passed away on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at Geneseo Good Samaritan Village. A private family service will be held Wednesday, November 1^st, 2017, at Vandemore Funeral Home & Crematory, Atkinson. Reverend Dan Wright will officiate. Burial will follow at Hooppole Cemetery in Hooppole, IL. No visitation will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be left to Zion United Methodist Church in Hooppole, where she was a member all of her life.

Rita was born on September 25, 1919, the daughter of James and Bertha (Schultz) Tonkinson, in Hooppole. Rita attended Hooppole High School and finished her fourth year at Geneseo High School. She was united in marriage to Rudy Wannemacher on June 18, 1941. Rudy preceded her in death in 1993. Rita taught in a one room school for three years and then at  Hooppole Grade School. Rita retired in 1980. She directed the church choir, and sang for funerals and weddings for many years. Rita was also a singer in an acapella choir in college. She was a member of the Club 20 Circle of Friends group for 60 years, the Maple Bluff Ladies Golf League, Camp Fire Girls, Friendship Class at Zion United Methodist Church, and served as a member of the Hooppole Library Board. Rita also enjoyed traveling, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.

Those left to cherish her memory include her sons, James (Cathy) Wannemacher, Geneseo, and Bruce (Barbara) Wannemacher, Evans, GA, and her daughter, Ann (Peter) Nardulli, Savoy, IL. Rita has six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Rita was preceded in death by her parents, James and Bertha, brother, James Keith Tonkinson, and sister, Frona Vetter. 

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