Rita’s teaching career occurred by happenstance. She wanted to attend law school and viewed elementary teaching as a temporary way to finance that goal. She quickly fell in love with being a teacher and made it her career. Her first teaching job as Miss Adams was in Whitesville in 1950. She also taught a year at Andover before accepting a job offer from Wellsville Central School. She moved to Wellsville in 1952, where she met her future husband Robert Sick. Rita completed her Master’s of Science degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Geneseo in 1953. Bob and Rita were married July 1, 1955 at Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1960 they moved to the family farm on North Hill. Despite vowing to never live on a farm again, Rita found herself again living in the country. She and Bob spent many enjoyable years raising their family on the farm. North Hill was the site of innumerable family reunions and holiday celebrations over the years and was the favorite place to visit of all the nieces and nephews and eventually, grandchildren. Many wonderful memories were made on the farm by her children and their cousins and friends. Rita loved hosting family events and the holiday table was always full of her homemade pies, cakes and cookies. Rita was an avid gardener, nature lover, and bird watcher. She could identify any tree, bird, or wildflower. She spent countless hours tending her magnificent flower beds, both at her home on North Hill and later her house on Central Place, and got great enjoyment making them a thing of beauty for passersby to enjoy.
Rita retired in 1984 after 31 years of teaching in the Wellsville Central School district. Her committed devotion to teaching and her student’s education and learning was the centerpiece of her life. After they both retired, she and Bob enjoyed “snow birding” in Ocala, Florida for many years, where they made many dear friends. In her later years, Rita gave up traveling and enjoyed participating in many local groups including the Red Hat ladies, the quilting group, and her beloved exercise classes. She was an especially avid reader and kept current on world news and politics up until her final days. Rita was a proud member of the Catherine Schuyler chapter of the NSDAR and was a life member of the National Education Association and the Delta Kappa
Gamma.
Rita was a woman of deep Christian faith and a longtime member of the Trinity Lutheran Church of Wellsville
Rita was predeceased by her husband Bob on October 13, 2009, after 54 years of marriage. In addition to her parents, Clinton and Eleanor Adams of Genesee, she was also predeceased by three of her siblings, Clinton Adams of Rochester, Arlene Lang of Ithaca and Dick Adams of Washington.
Rita is survived by her two children: her son, David (Marsha) Sick, and her daughter, Cynthia (Kevin) Schreiner, all of Wellsville; her granddaughter, Lindsey Sick (Kenneth Borda) of Elizabeth City, NJ; three grandsons, Brendan Schreiner (Hallie Brewer) of Portland, Oregon, Benjamin (Katrin) Weyland of Heidelberg, Germany, and Shawn (Melissa) Schreiner of Arnold, Maryland; and a great-grandson, Tim Weyland of Heidelberg. She is additionally survived by her brother, Gordon (Joanne) Adams of Genesee, PA, a sister-in-law, Doris Adams of Milton, Washington, and a large extended family including numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews, and many dear friends.
Rita’s family would like to thank all the many wonderful medical providers and caregivers who made Rita’s last years enjoyable, especially the staff at Manor Hills, who made it possible for her to be active, independent, and feisty as ever, right up to the last weeks of her life.
