Rita Warren Van Tassel Johnson

RITA WARREN JOHNSON Memorial services for Dolores resident Rita Warren Johnson will be held at 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 14 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 110 W. North St., Cortez. Reverend Erika Meyer will officiate. Rita died at her home near Dolores, on July 12, 2009 at the age of 69 after a 12 year struggle with ovarian cancer. Her maiden name was Mary Rita Warren and her professional name was Rita Van Tassel. Rita was born on August 19, 1939 in Salina, Kansas to Mary Elizabeth Laskie Warren and William V. Warren. Rita was graduated from Salina High School in 1957 and then attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for three years. She subsequently attended Douglass College at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey and was graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. After taking a few years to begin her family during which time she was involved in civic and mental health activities, Rita attended Boston University and was awarded the Master in Social Work degree in 1975. She was thus prepared to commence a lifetime career in clinical social work, something she had envisioned since childhood. She had an illustrious career which included being an adjunct professor at the Simmons College School of Social Work, Boston, North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston, positions with several community mental health centers and a private practice with emphasis on step families. Managed care was an area of expertise about which she published and served as a consultant. She was recognized particularly for her work with step families and lectured on the subject in many forums. Her excellence in her profession and devotion to her career were recognized by her being elected to serve as the president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers from 2000 to 2002. She retired in 2008 upon moving to Colorado. One passion was Star Island, an educational and religious retreat conference center located in New Hampshire where she and her family participated in programs and activities for over 30 years beginning in 1972. She served on the Board of Directors of the Mazeway Project, an effort to promote a unique approach to learning. Gardening was another major passion in her life as were classical and jazz music, opera, sailing, and international travel. For the past 15 years she retreated from the Boston winters to the Turks and Caicos. Rita was married on July 3, 2008 to Bruce Johnson who also was born in Salina, Kansas. Rita and Bruce had reconnected in 2007 after not having any contact for nearly 50 years. Their families were very close and Rita (then Mary Rita) and Bruce were sweethearts during Bruce’s senior year in high school They honeymooned at a villa in the south of France and also managed to leave the snows of Colorado for the Turks and Caicos. They spent time enjoying the desert southwest and their children and grand children. Rita is survived not only by her husband, Bruce; but also by her daughters, Lisa Gresser and her husband Jamie of West Newton, Mass. and Cathy Bertasi and her husband Ron of Duluth, Ga.; and her grandchildren, Thomas and Michael Gresser and Nick, Elizabeth and Chris Bertasi. She is survived by her brothers, Howard Warren and his wife, Diana of Peachtree City, Ga. and Jay Warren and his wife, Camille of Viera, Fla. She is also survived by five step children and their spouses and nine step grandchildren. Other survivors include six nieces and nephews. Rita requested that she be cremated. A second service will be held in the Boston area at the Follen Community Church, Lexington, Mass. Rita also requested that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to Hospice of Montezuma, P.O. Drawer 740, Cortez, CO 81321 or Facing Cancer Together (previously The Wellness Center), Box 600666, Newtonville, MA 02460.