Birth date: Aug 3, 1957 Death date: Feb 11, 2015
Rita Marie Roberson was born in Caldwell, Idaho to Orval and Idalene (deceased) Roberson. She grew up on their family ranch, surrounded by her younger brothers and sister. Though she lived her whole life with Cerebral Palsy, Rita Read Obituary
We first meant Rita when she graduated with the first CCI dog we raised. (Gable) Gable was a yellow lab X. Rita and Gable were a perfect match. Gable came from Canine Companions for Indepedence (CCI) . Gable retired early due to seizures, but lived till he was 14 1/2 years old. on a Ranch in Montana. We lost contact with Rita until recently when we learned of her passing from a relative. We enjoyed talking with Rita, talking mostly about her dog Gable. Janice and Dan Flynn
Five in Portrate!
We are so sorry for the loss of our friend Rita. We have been away from our California church family for almost 25 years. We still think of and remember the courage and strength Rita showed us in spite of the challenges she faced in her life. God blessed us with her life and love. She will be missed.
Rita had such a great spirt! I have not seen these pictures from the woman's retreat. It was the best retreat I've been blessed to have a part in. Now Rita is at the eternal retreat and can dance along with the rest of em'. I'm sure she's having a blast!
Rita and I met in 1999 at a fitness facility and continued to work together at the SDSU Fitness Clinic for Individuals w/ Disabilities. This program is a learning environment for SDSU Kinesiology students and a facility for local community members w/ varying disabilities to complete prescribed, assisted fitness. Mendy mentioned Rita's assistance with the class "Disability in Society", Rita's teaching continued with us. She helped educate countless more students in how to assist and program therapeutic exercise for individuals with cerebral palsy. Additionally, Rita spearheaded a fund raising campaign to purchase our program an Equicizer (a therapeutic, mechanical horse for rehabilitation). I am so thankful for Rita! Her knowledge of assistive technology was endless. If I couldn't figure out what was needed for someone, I did not hesitate to ask Rita's opinion. Rita is loved and missed. Our fitness clinic will not be the same without her.
I met Rita 30 years ago at the La Mesa Church of Christ. I'll never forget her SDSU graduation. The courage it took to leave the safety and comforts of an Idaho home and strike out on her own…honestly, I just still can't believe it. She had to rely on buses being on time, a sweet dog to push the buttons on the elevator, and the kindness of her many friends and Fraternity Brothers and Fraternity Little Sisters, and her wonderful roommate turned best friend. To know her was to know a never give up attitude. That certainly showed in her graduating college. My condolences to her family, and of course, to dear sweet Mary Denise. The world has lost a very neat person, and I will miss her a lot.
Rita and I have been friends for over 30 years. We first met at church, but I ended up as a care-taker for a short period of time when my son was about 2 years old. We were both attending SDSU. In 1998 I asked her to help me with teaching at SDSU with a class called Disability and Society. We started with about 60 students. Eighteen years later we have two sections of this course with a combined enrollment of 700 students a semester. You do the math! Rita educated and influenced thousands of SDSU students, teaching them to never assume what someone can and cannot do based on their appearance. Her legacy lives on and we will continue to share her story thanks to video recordings and saved presentations. What a mighty woman of God!
I met Rita approximately 19 years ago at La Mesa Church of Christ. She has always amazed me. Despite the limitations of her body, her sharp, beautiful mind was always thinking of how to serve others. Her speech may have been slow, but her emails were eloquent. I'm sad to see her leave us here; however, she is now sprinting up in Heaven with no limitations!
