Obituary of Rita W. Goetz

God's hand reached down from heaven and peacefully took the gentle soul of Rita W. Goetz, 89, Tucson, Arizona, while she was at her home surrounded by members of her family on December 5, 2016. Cremation has taken place and a Celebration of Life Mass will be held at 9:00 AM on Saturday, December 10, at St. Odilia's Catholic Church in Oro Valley, Arizona. In the spring a Mass of Christian Burial will be held St. Pius V Catholic Church in New Salem, North Dakota, and Rita will be interred with her husband Tony, in the Veteran's Cemetery south of Mandan, North Dakota. Rita was born February 24, 1927 in Foley, Minnesota to Michael and Mathilda (Masog) Winter. She graduated from Foley High School and attended the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota where she graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1947. She was in the Nurses Corps and after graduation she went to work as a nurse in the OB/Gyn department of St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. While there she met Antone C. "Tony" Goetz, the love of her life, on a blind date and they were married on August 16, 1950 at St. Augustine Catholic Church. They had eight children together. After Tony's college graduation in 1951 they moved to Sawyer, North Dakota where Rita worked as an OB/Gyn nurse at the hospital in Minot, North Dakota. Following their move to Bismarck, ND in 1954, Rita became the head night OB/Gyn nurse at St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, ND, a position she held until the family moved to a farm near New Salem, North Dakota in 1965. After that she used her medical skills to help care for livestock on the family farm and also worked in the Golden Nugget Bottle Shop in New Salem for a time. In 1979 she moved to Oro Valley community of Tucson, Arizona, where she enjoyed the rest of her life. Rita was a member of St. Odilia's Catholic Church and was a deeply religious person who faithfully attended church and was always present during the late hours of every church Vigil. She was very kind and generous woman who taught Sunday school and who really enjoyed helping and giving to others. She was an avid golfer and bowler. She enjoyed going to rummage sales, gardening in her yard, and feeding the birds that arrived in her front yard like clockwork every day at the same time. She was also a world class coupon clipper who used her skills to help supply every food drive at St. Odilia's Catholic Church for over 35 years. Rita really enjoyed seeing and visiting with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Rita is survived by and will be deeply missed by her sons Jim (Devon) of Mandan, ND, Carl (LeAnn) of Center, ND, Paul (Leslie) of Lincoln, OR, David of New Salem, ND, Don (Sheila) and Tony (Megin) of Tucson, AZ her daughter Susan (Tom) Bertram of Lakeville, MN; her grandchildren Sarah (Tyler) Getzlaff, Christopher, Carey, Jennifer and Jeremy Goetz; Katina Larson, LaCosta Jons, and Beth, Czesia and Andy (Amber) Goetz; Jacob and Michael Bertram; Nichole (Keith) Davis and Brett (Yukah) Goetz; Brandon and Brooke Leonard, Brent, Brynna and Cypress Goetz; her great grand-children Caiden, Carter and Piper Getzlaff, Caitlin and Gage Jons, Ethan Rogers and Isabella Miller; and her sister Helen. Rita was preceded in death by her husband Tony, her son Karl John Goetz, her parents, her brothers Harold, Ambrose and Francis, and her sisters Veronica, Marie, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Regina. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials in Rita's name to St. Odilia's Catholic Church in Oro Valley, AZ, St. Pius V Catholic Church in New Salem, ND, or charity of donor's choice. Go to Adair Funeral Home (website www.adairfuneralhomes.com) to send a message of condolence or to share a memory with the family.