In Memory

Rita Ellen Simmons (Dinger)

Rita Ellen Simmons (Dinger)

Rita Ellen Simmons Dinger passed away March 21, 2016 in Sequim WA. She was born August 29, 1946 and raised in Spokane. She attended Roosevelt Grade School and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School.  Rita married her husband Richard Dinger June 11, 1966. They did not have any children, but enjoyed their pets.  They were well traveled and lived in Maui, San Francisco, Houston and Bellevue before building their home in Sequim, for which Rita drew the plans.  She was a very accomplished seamstress.  She made her own wedding dress and made suits for Richard.  She developed a passion for embroidery and quilting, and was able to fit that all in while keeping a garden of many, many varieties of garlic and irises in Sequim.  As a Master Gardener, she was a sought-after lecturer on garlic, thyme, planning your garden, what garden work to do in the fall. Rita was a very accomplished cook as well.  She had dozens of cookbooks for cuisines from around the world, and had even more books on gardening. Rita graduated from University of Washington in Accounting with a 3.8 gpa in Accounting. She became a Certified Public Accountant and gained a reputation for being the one to call for forensic accounting. She went to work for Coopers and Lybrand where she quickly advanced to Audit Supervisor. She next took a position of Audit Manager at a regional firm and later offered a partnership. But at this point she was offered and took a position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Oldstone Mortgage Company. A few years later she started her own consulting business focused on conversions and reconstruction of lost and missing records. Rita’s husband Richard survives her as does her sister Jean Simmons; her brother David preceded her in death in 2009. Rita and Richard would have been married 50 years as of June 11, 2016.​



 
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04/01/16 03:47 PM #1    

Robin Rae Barcus (Oos)

Rita was a very dear friend through grade school and high school.  When we were seniors, we went on car rallies. I was the driver and she was the navigator and we won several trophies.  I was so happy to get reconnected with her at the reunion and was able to meet she and Richard near Squim.  I know she was an outsanding gardner and seamstress.  I am so sorry that we will not be able to keep up our rekindled friendship...Darn.


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