Rita Mae Langford

Rita Mae "Kelley" Langford passed away on Tuesday February 4, 2020 at 8:10am. She was 67 years old. She spent her final days peacefully at the Porta Caeli House and was in the presence of loved ones when her Guardian Angels brought her home to be with the Lord and her preceding loved ones. Rita leaves behind an abundance of love and wonderful memories shared with her surviving Husband of 40 years, Ron Langford of Claremore, OK. Her three Children; Son, Troy Langford and his wife Rebecca Langford of La Junta, CO. Son, Travis Langford and his wife Katy Langford of Owasso, OK. Daughter, Kelley Langford and her significant other Dale Baird of Owasso, OK. She is also survived by her Brother, Steve Kelley of Colorado Springs, CO. Rita has three Grandchildren, all of whom she was so proud of and loved beyond measure; Sydney Langford, Daxton Baird, and Austin Langford with another expecting Granddaughter due in May. Rita was welcomed into Heaven by her preceding loved ones, including her beloved parents; Father, Jack Kelley and Mother, Dorothy "Senn" Kelley, in addition to her eldest Brother who just recently passed away on January 8th, Fred Kelley. Rita Langford was born on September 26, 1952 in Marceline, Missouri and was the youngest of three children. She grew up on East Gracia Street where she made lots of treasured memories and lifelong friendships. She moved with her parents to Emporia, Kansas her junior year of high school where she graduated in 1970. Her years after high school included temporarily moving to San Diego, California. She later moved to Liberty, Missouri where she worked as an Administrative Assistant for Hallmark at the main headquarters. It was in Liberty where she met her husband, Ron, at a country club in July 1978. They married after ten months of dating on May 19, 1979 at a Methodist Church in Liberty Missouri. Rita's father had passed just a couple of years prior so her brother, Fred, proudly walked her down the isle. Ron and Rita moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma after welcoming their first born child in 1980. They welcomed two more children and moved to Owasso, Oklahoma in 1985 where they built their first home, raised their children and resided for the next 20 years. Rita, Ron, and her brother, Fred, moved to Claremore, Oklahoma in 2006 where they purchased a home and most currently reside. Rita was a breast cancer survivor having beat the disease and was in remission since Spring of 2016. She faced many health issues following her victory but always did it with grace, dignity and perseverance. She was one of the strongest people you would ever meet. Rita worked for various companies including Amoco, Tulsa University, Southwestern Power Industries, and most recently, Skelly Elementary as an Administrative Assistant to the Principal. She truly enjoyed the warmth and lively spirit that children empower within you so being able to work in a setting with young kids was by far her favorite, most rewarding job. She retired in May of 2016 at the age of 64. Rita also participated as a founding member in a sorority group (Zeta Zeta Chapter, Kappa Delta Phi) in Liberty, Missouri which is a philanthropic women's organization. She still remained as an Associate Member of the sorority after moving states. Rita was extremely talented and gifted in sewing and crafting where she would often create custom, handmade gifts that came straight from her heart and always with a lot of thought and detail. She was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan and had the pleasure of watching them win the 2020 Super Bowl! Rita enjoyed spending quality time with her family which often included movie nights, shopping at her favorite stores such as Hobby Lobby, Belk, and Kirklands and dinner dates with frequent trips to IHOP as she loved to eat there. She also thoroughly enjoyed reading. Some of her favorite books included "The Twilight Saga" and "The True Blood Novels". She enjoyed binge watching multiple television series with her daughter and found "Outlander" to be most favorable. In recent years since her retirement, Rita treasured being able to travel with her husband where she was able to see and explore some beautiful country in the United States. She was a dedicated Bunco player at one point in her life and valued time with her friends. They would frequently get together in celebration of birthdays, holidays, and various life celebrations which sometimes included their extended families. She truly savored the celebration of the holidays and birthdays with her friends and family. Rita loved her fur babies and fur grand babies tremendously and her grandchildren even more. She found so much purpose, meaning, and zest for life from the little beings who referred to her as "Mimi" and/or "Grandma Rita". They were her world and they adored her immensely in return. Rita will be most remembered for her beautiful smile and contagious laugh. She knew how to bring a smile to your face and had the most kind, giving heart. She was incredibly selfless in everything she did. In fact, it brought her so much joy to be able to help others and never expected anything in return. She always listened without judgment and you'd be self assured your secrets were safe with her. She could probably relate to your troubles in one way or another and was extremely empathetic to ones needs. To know her was to love her. Her heart was pure gold. Rita was, and still is, admired by so many and her presence here on earth will be missed incredibly. There will be two Memorial Services as she had many friends and loved ones in the Missouri/Kansas area in addition to Oklahoma. The first memorial service will be held in conjunction with her late brother, Fred Kelley, on Saturday February 29th at 11am at the Wyandotte United Methodist Church located at 7901 Oakland Ave, Kansas City, KS 66112. The second memorial service will be held in her honor on Saturday March 7th at 11am at the First Church Owasso located at 10100 N Garnett Road, Owasso, OK 74055.

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Rita Mae Langford

September 26, 1952 - February 4, 2020