Rita Ferguson

Once upon a time in the sleepy little town of Bloomfield in the year 1922, a pretty, blue-eyed girl was born to the handsome couple, Mr. James and Lillie Julian McGhee. She was added to her older siblings, Marie, Wiley, Tom, and John (Cotton.) Little brother Paul was yet to come.

We will refer to her as “Rita” which is the name she greatly preferred over her given name-so much so that we hesitate to put it into writing. Her father enjoyed reading and chose the children’s names from characters in books. Some may not know we had a “Venus.”

Rita was an excellent student and was determined to make straight As and win any contest she was in. She loved and was very proud of her classmates and the accomplishments they later achieved. While she was well-behaved, one day she did ignore her mother’s orders of always coming straight home after school and went to the back of a local store with the other kids to listen to music and dance. She was MORTIFIED when her mother showed up to retrieve her. A switch may or may not have been involved.

Otherwise, she was greatly loved and cherished, so much so that her mother would not let her ruin her hands by washing dishes. She was allowed to dry, however. But her very favorite chore was cleaning. In fact, she loved it so much and was such a perfectionist that her mother turned it over to her. When asked by a friend how she kept such a clean house with so much to do, her mother replied, “My daughter does it all-I can’t please her!” Her affinity for cleaning never faded.

She met and fell in love with Wilson Langley from Essex. Wisely, he did not take her home to meet his family until after they were married. She has stated what attracted her most to him was his intellect and love of travel. But he too was a perfectionist. As God has a wonderful since of humor, unto them a child was born-Patricia Marie. Pat was not a perfectionist. While Wilson was away at war, Rita did her best to raise Pat while living with her parents. More than once, Rita wasn’t sure she would survive Pat’s many childhood antics.

While they had some good years, the affects of the war ended Wilson and Rita’s marriage.

In 1963, she was united in marriage to Marvin Wilson Ferguson and she gained two step-sons (Dennis and Larry). Rita quietly joked, there are two red-headed Wilsons in the world and I married both of them! Marv and Rita had a fulfilling marriage and thru his work (his company sold some metal used in the St. Louis Arch) they were able to travel and enjoy their lives.

Rita was driven in her work and was determined to succeed. When she interviewed to be the secretary to the president of a company in St. Louis, but was offered a lower position instead, she said no, that’s the position I interviewed for and the only one I am interested in. She got the job.

Later, Rita worked as a real estate agent and achieved the “Millionaire Club” five years in a row, which earned her a lifetime achievement.

More than any award, Rita cherished her faith and her family. She came from a long line of devout Christians including a “circuit-riding preacher.” She loved her daughter Pat, who she once described as “the most unselfish person I have ever known,” grandchildren Andrea and John, and great-grandchildren Sarah and Noah. Since she wasn’t about to be called “grandma,” she claimed the moniker “Nana” from a French co-worker. She always enjoyed visiting with her nieces and nephews, Ann, Randy, Mike, Karen, Laura, and others, ALWAYS over dessert. The McGhees LOVE dessert, if you haven’t heard. Another family trait was the “McGhee spread.” We’re sure the two are not related.

After retiring to Dexter, Rita assisted her older sister, Marie, served as a hospice volunteer for a time, and cared for Marv before his passing in 2017.

A grand, 100th birthday celebration was held in 2022, and not surprising to family, she agreed to wear the crown. The next week a fall led to her staying at Cypress Point for the next two years. While she relented to some aspects of care, a few she did not. Once early on in her stay, she relayed “they got me dressed and wheeled me out into this big room full of OLD people” (also known as the dining room) “But I said WAIT, I don’t belong here-take me back to where I was!” She remained in charge until the end. A few family members began to lovingly refer to her as Scarlett (as in Scarlett O’Hara). At least they never called her Freda.

Our Nana will be remembered as classy, kind, smart, beautiful, powerful, funny, sharp, loving, proud and “the definition of a lady.”

Rita was a member of Crossroads Methodist Church and would be pleased for any memorials to be sent there. She chose not to have a funeral service but a visitation will be held from 10 a.m.-noon Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Essex Methodist Church. A private family gathering will follow at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield.

Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter assisted with arrangements.