Obituary: Pecka, Rita Joyce (Cornwell)
Age 80
She was born on March 27, 1934 in Walthill, Nebraska to Kenneth and Bessie Cornwell, the second of four children, and grew up in Ontario, Oregon where she graduated from Ontario High School in 1952.
In 1953, she married Albert D. “Ike” Pecka, moving with him to the Marine Corps base at Twenty-Nine Palms, California.
In 1955, they moved to Othello, WA where they established and ran a family farm until 1967, remaining in Othello to continue to raise their three children after selling the farm.
An active member of the Othello community, Rita served as an elected Othello Hospital Commissioner and devoted countless volunteer hours to activities in support of the hospital auxiliary and other charities.
She even served as a Little League coach one season and was an active supporter of Othello sports teams.
She worked at the Othello Air Force Radar Station, Bentley’s Floral Design, Potter Drug, Petrolane, the Othello Community Hospital and the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District from which she retired in 1999.
Rita was an accomplished seamstress, cook and quilter, with numerous blue ribbons from the Adams County Fair for her baked goods, jams and jellies, pickles and needlework.
In retirement, she enjoyed her quilting club, ladies’ Bible study group, weekly exercise classes and was a devoted fan of the Seattle Mariners.
Rita dedicated her life to her family and her faith, celebrating 60 years of marriage in 2013.
She was a member of the Othello Assembly of God Church and Othello Church of the Nazarene, where she could always be counted on to bake, cook for or organize church events.
She will be remembered by all who knew her for her boundless energy, her willingness to take on any challenge, her steadfast Christian faith, her quick wit and her generous nature.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Ardath Joan Cornwell Maust.
She is survived by her husband of nearly 61 years, Ike Pecka; her brother Mark Cornwell and her sister, Kay Cornwell Plaza, both of Ontario, Oregon; her daughters Kathy Pecka of Fairfax, Virginia and Mary Pecka of Emeryville, California; her son and daughter-in-law Ken and Tammie Pecka of Colbert, WA; grandsons Kenny and Danny Pecka and Matthew and Luke McHale; granddaughters Mary McHale and Jill Pecka and two great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will take place on Saturday, July 19th at 11:00 AM at the Othello Church of the Nazarene.
The family requests memorial donations be made to American Cancer Society: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/rpecka.
To leave an online condolence to the family, please visit our website at www.stevensfuneralchapel.com.
STEVENS FUNERAL CHAPEL, Othello, WA