Rita Alice Maloney

Rita Alice Maloney 1947-2013 Funeral service for Rita A. Maloney, age 66 of Princeton, will be Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 at 11:00 AM at the St. Louis Catholic Church. Father Jeffrey Stirniman and Deacon John Murphy will officiate. Burial will follow in the Oakland Cemetery on Apr 17, 2013. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Norberg Memorial Home. A rosary will be recited at 7:00 PM. Rita passed away on Friday, April 12, 2013 at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She was born on March 30, 1947 in El Paso, IL to Ralph and Camilla (Cleary) Gibbons. She graduated from Pontiac High School in 1965 and graduated from St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans, LA with her bachelor's degree in 1969. She received her Master's Degree in Education with a specialty in Family Counseling at SIU at Edwardsville in 1972. After graduation, she worked at the St. Clair County Public Aid Office in East St. Louis, IL and then moved to Princeton, where she became an administrator at the Bureau and Henry County offices of the Department of Human Services. In 2004, after 36 years with the State of Illinois, she retired on a Friday. The following Monday she started at Zearing Child Enrichment Center in Princeton, IL where she was still currently employed and loved by many children and by her co-workers. She was an active member of St. Louis Catholic Church. She was a member of CCW, a gold coat at Perry Memorial Hospital, a Eucharistic minister, volunteered at the Health and Wellness Clinic, and participated in helping people in many other aspects. Notably, she was always appreciative of the charitable organizations in and around Princeton, many times even going as far to thank them for allowing her to help. Rita married Matthew Maloney on September 4, 1971 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri. He died December 25, 2007. Rita is survived by her three daughters: Catherine Maloney of Wyanet, Anne (Patrick) Day of RI, and Mary Maloney of St. Louis. Also surviving is one granddaughter Alexis Maloney of Wyanet. Surviving as well are five sisters: Sister Mary Brendan of Aurora, Julie (Don) Martinez of Chicago, Jane (Francis "Skip") Smith of IN, Helen (Peter) Brandon of Olympia Fields, and Rosemary (Tom) Crosby of Marion, one brother James (Bonnie) Gibbons of UT, one brother-in-law Ken (Sue) Maloney of TX, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one daughter Mary Claire Maloney, her brother Jack Gibbons, her sister Sally Sengpiel and a sister-in-law Cheri Gibbons. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS memorials may be directed to Zearing Child Enrichment Center or St. Louis Catholic Church and School.

Rita Alice Maloney

March 30, 1947 - April 12, 2013