Rita Teresa Sheely

SHEELY Rita T. Rita T. Sheely, 51, of Toledo, Ohio, passed away April 21, 2012 surrounded by her loving family, after a courageous battle with cancer. Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband, Jim; children, Kristen and Jameson; mother, Mary Ellen Simon; siblings, Barb Mike Berebitsky, Ann Gary Schultz, Dave Simon, Kathy Henry Alexander, Mary Tom Quinn, Grace Tim Everhardt, Roberta Bob Steedman, and Mike Margaret Simon; and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Lawrence Simon, and her grandparents. Rita graduated in top ten of her class at Woodward High School in 1978, where she was the editor of the yearbook and received the prestigious Tattler Achievement Cup. She also played four years of volleyball for the Polar Bears. She later attended the University of Toledo. Her love for volleyball carried on throughout her life as she continued to play for many years in the City of Toledo and other leagues. She, along with her sisters, started the volleyball program at Regina Coeli School, where she coached for several years before moving to Gesu Parish. At Gesu, she coached many teams and coached her daughters team to the Diocesan Championship. She was awarded the CYO Adult Contributor Award in 2004 for her many accomplishments. Rita loved the sunshine, her annual trips to Hilton Head, following her childrens sporting activities and spending time with her family. Rita had a long, successful career at Columbia Gas that began in 1978. She loved her work and her co-workers equally. Visitation will be Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 2-8:00pm at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. west of Corey Rd. Funeral Mass will be at 11:00am on Friday at Gesu Catholic Church, 2049 Parkside Blvd. Toledo, OH 43607. Ritas family would like to thank the many doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other staff at the UTMC and Regency Hospitals for their dedicated care of Rita. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make memorial donations are asked to consider the Rita T. Sheely Memorial Fund for Ovarian Cancer Research. Checks may be made payable to the University of Toledo Foundation, 2801 Bancroft, Toledo, OH 43606. Online condolences may be shared with the family at walkerfuneralhomes.com.