Rita Gertrude (Lindeman) Beckman
July 23, 1922 - September 3, 2023
Rita Gertrude (Lindeman) Beckman, 101, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, September 3, 2023. She was born on a farm in Sheridan County, near Seguin on July 23,1922, to Louis and Anne (Moellering) Lindeman.
Rita attended Pleasant Ridge School which was one mile south of their farmstead. She was the second child in the family and grew up helping her mother take care of her seven siblings.
She met the love of her life, Francis Beckman, at a dance, and they dated before he served in and after he returned from World War II. They were married on April 22, 1947. They created a homestead in western Sheridan County by updating an abandoned house on the property and planting hundreds of trees.
Rita used her many skills to be a wonderful homemaker and mother. She was an excellent seamstress and sewed the greater share of the clothing for herself and the children, including First Communion dresses and formal gowns.
Rita was a hard worker, and it was important to do all things well that needed to be done to keep up the home and yard, and to care for her family. She had the most beautiful, well-kept yard, flowers, and garden. She proudly furnished fresh flowers for summer Sunday Masses. She loved to cook/bake and was well known for her bread/rolls.
Rita and Francis were long term devout members of the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Seguin. Rita served as president of St. Ann’s Sodality in the parish for several years. She was instrumental in planning the remodeling of the church which included the addition of indoor restrooms in the basement and new stained-glass windows upstairs. She also worked with the refurbishing of the center altar and statues in the church cemetery.
She enjoyed participating in bowling leagues at the former Hoxie Bowling Alley. She loved to play cards, learned to play golf, and enjoyed dancing. Her courage and keen business sense allowed her to be quite accomplished in taking care of their investment savings. She loved to travel and enjoyed family vacations.
In the sixties, Rita worked diligently on house plans for their new home which the family moved into in 1966. She designed much of the home, and it is a testament to her hard work, organization, and vision that the home was a model of beautiful woodwork, design, and efficiency.
She worked with Colby Community College Outreach to obtain her GED in the spring of 1969, the same year Lottie earned her AA degree. They were awarded their diplomas the same evening at Colby Community College ceremonies.
Rita lovingly took care of Francis at their home as he struggled with Parkinson’s disease until she was no longer able to do so. When Francis died in 2009 after 62 years of marriage, she kept up the farmhouse, the yard, and her flower garden until she fell in a yard accident, breaking her arm and hip. She then moved to Sheridan County Assisted Living Complex in Hoxie. She loved her view of the courtyard and the flowers from her apartment and established a new cozy home there. After several years, she experienced health issues which precipitated her move to Sheridan County Long Term Care. She spent a total of 10 years in Assisted Living and LTC.
Rita was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Francis; her siblings, Oliver (Vi), Louis “Dyke,” Mary Ann Andersen (Bud), Adele Thomas, Ray, infant Betty Jane, and son-in-law, Vic Ignacio.
She is survived by her brothers, Dennis Lindeman (Helen), Bob Lindeman; sister-in-law, Alice Lindeman; children, Lottie Ignacio, Clifton, VA, Lynette Andregg (Ted) of Colby, KS, Stuart Beckman (Anita) of Hoxie, KS, and Nancy Beckman (Carrie) of Lewes, DE. Rita was close to her six grandchildren who all survive, Travis Spillman (Malaina) and family, Brandon Beckman (Tisha) and family, Brent Beckman and family, Kristen Cillessen (Chad) and family, Kayla Chaffee (Luke) and family, and Dave Ball (Sara) and Coltlyn.
A Mass of Christian Burial is planned for Thursday, September 7, 2023, 10:30 a.m., at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Sequin, Kansas. The Visitation will be held Wednesday, September 6, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.., family receiving friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.with a Vigil and Rosary at 7:00 p.m.all at Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to St. Martin Parish or to Hospice of Northwest Kansas. Memorials may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, P.O. Box 987, Hoxie, KS 67740.
Words of comfort may be left at www.mickeyleopoldfuneral.com.
The family expresses special thanks to Dr. Vic Nemechek and to the loving, compassionate staff at LTC who cared for Rita, particularly, in the last several months of her life. It was a comfort to know she was well taken care of.