Rita Kay Whitney

Rita Kay Whitney, 76, of Howard, OH, passed away Monday, October 13, 2025, at Danbury Living Center, in Mount Vernon, OH with her family by her side.

Rita was born June 29th, 1949, in Hazel Green, KY to Robert Bruce and Hazel Marie {Howard} McLin. Rita and her twin sister, Linda, were the youngest of seven. She graduated from Hazel Green Academy, a college preparatory school founded by her great-grandfather, and went on to attend Morehead State University, earning a degree in Elementary Education.

Shortly after graduating from college, she married her husband of 54 years, Charles P. Whitney, on July 31st, 1971, and moved to Howard, Ohio. The couple chose a beautiful location overlooking the Kokosing River to make their home. Through blood, sweat, and tears, Rita and Chuck turned a hilly cornfield into acres of manicured lawn and gardens that Rita lovingly named Riffleview.

As Rita told it, her decades long love affair with flowers and gardening started with a packet of marigold seeds. She planted them before leaving on a trip to Alaska and would call home to her mother-in-law for updates on their progress. When she returned, Rita was disappointed to see they had not flourished as anticipated. Determined to figure out what went wrong, she began researching and, well, the rest is history.

Over the years, Rita would win numerous awards for her gardening and flower arranging. She loved traveling around the country visiting historic homes and gardens, always looking for inspiration to bring home to Riffleview. Rita was the visionary and Chuck was the executioner for her many projects. A member of the American Daylilly Society, Rita grew hundreds of daylilies and would often host an open garden during their peak bloom time in July.

For 33 years, Rita taught at East Knox Elementary in both Bladensburg and Howard, Ohio. Twenty-seven of those years were spent teaching kindergarten. An outstanding educator, she approached teaching with the same tenacity of spirit shown in other areas of her life. Known for the late nights she would spend in her classroom, she enjoyed pouring her creative energy into impressive bulletin boards and special projects, always wanting her students to be excited about learning when they walked through her door.

Chuck and Rita have one daughter, Brittany. A devoted mother, Rita was always Brittany’s loudest cheerleader. The two shared a special bond and deep love. A favorite mother-daughter adventure was the month Rita spent visiting Brittany when she lived in Debrecen, Hungary for a year. Together they had great fun traversing central Europe and eating their weight in pastries.

An avid animal lover, Rita served as an advisor of Brittany’s 4-H club, K-9 Companions. Together, Rita and Brittany enjoyed showing dogs during Brittany’s high school years, especially Rita’s beloved rough collie, Ch. Fantasy’s Hi-Sil Braningan. A favorite trip for Rita and Chuck was to attend the Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden.

This past March, Rita became a grandmother to Gabriel Charles Brinkman. Gabriel was the light of her life in her final days.

Rita will be deeply missed by her husband Chuck, daughter Brittany (Daniel) Whitney Brinkman, grandson, Gabriel Brinkman, twin sister, Linda S. McLin (Tom Marsh), numerous nieces and nephews, and other family and friends.

Rita was preceded in death by her parents, brother Lawrence Bruce McLin, sister Jean Eloise Gleason, brother Robert Harris McLin, sisters Lois Ann Runyon and Roberta Faye Wilson.

Friends may call Thursday October 16, 2025, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Roberts Funeral Home-Mount Vernon Chapel, 18260 Coshocton Rd. Mount Vernon, OH, 43050. Funeral services will be held 1:00 pm Friday, October 17 at the Grove Church of Christ in Gambier 7740 Grove Church Rd, Gambier, OH 43022 with Pastor Jim Forrest officiating. Burial will follow at the Workman Cemetery in Danville. Online tributes may be made at www.RobertsFuneralHome.com.

Flowers can be ordered from Williams Flowers in Mount Vernon.   Call (740) 392-2076 to order.