As I write this two years later since you passed away I'm crying again like it was yesterday when Lisa Morrow told me the news that you passed away. She told me the news on the 29th. It was the most saddest news I ever heard! I couldn't stop crying for 4 or 5 days! I have two memories of Rita that I will always cherish. The first one was on October 9th 2006 when I first met her. Rod Stewart was going to perform at the Nokia theater in Times Square in NYC that night to promote his upcoming album Still the Same...Great Rock Classics of Our Time. It was a general admission concert so I woke up very early to wait outside the theater so I could be close to the front. The time I got to the theater it was around 8:15am. There were already five people ahead of me. The two people that were in front of me were Lucille and Bonnie. They were reserving spots for Lisa's group that they were in and I was a part of the group too. Around 8:45am more people started showing up. There were a bunch of people wearing Celtic Jerseys. Manny,Jean,their friend Cathy from Vancouver and Lisa Morrow,Karin Kiel, and Janet Fields. With them was Rita who had a walker due to an injured ankle. Around 9 or 10:00am Lisa finds the naked cowboy and brings him over to our group. They all wanted their picture taken with him. I was sorta not interested until Rita convinced me! She goes "Cara let me get your picture with the naked cowboy!" I was like "OH GOD!" I get next to him and I'm waiting for her and everyone to take the picture. The cameras all of a sudden weren't working. So he pulls me closer and goes "uh oh I'm getting rambunctious!" I go "Ah don't get any ideas I'm 23!" He goes "that's not my problem!" I go "RITA TAKE THE PICTURE!!" I still think of her when ever I see the naked cowboy.
7 months later its May 19th 2007 and Rod's final night of the USA tour is wrapping up. His final show for the tour is at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale NY which is 15 minutes away from me! And to top it off it was also 3 days after my birthday which made it extra special! Most of the fans I met at the Nokia theater were going to be there too including Rita. When mom and I got there we went to the will call window to pick up our tickets. Before we got to the window we run into Lisa,Karin,Shannon,Doreen,and Rita! Rita use to be the secretary for Smiler. Smiler Rod Stewart's fan club reserved tickets for the fans and you don't know where your sitting till you pick them up that night. When mom and I got them we were expecting to be on the floor but to our dismay we were in the upper section 202! Lisa,Karin and Rita got their tickets at the box office after they picked their tickets up at will call. The tix they got from Smiler were in Section 102X. The tix they got from the box office were on the floor Section 7 second row! Rita knew how much I wanted to be on the floor and get a soccer ball from Rod so she gave me her ticket and goes "Here Cara Happy Birthday!" I said Rita thanks but I can't its yours." She wouldn't take no for an answer. I sat on the floor second row with Lisa,Karin,and Doreen. Shannon got her ticket for the pit in advance and sat inside the section where we were outside of it. Rita sat with my mom and two of my mom's friends Dale & Gladys in 102X. Rod's stage set up for that year was in the round and it had a catwalk on the left and right side of it. Some songs he would walk onto the catwalk and shake people's hands. Other songs he stood on the middle of the stage and the audience that was on the floor would stay in their seat. Before the show I made a sign that said Rod Its My Birthday! Please Give Me A Ball. I knew Rod LOVES signs and reads them all at his shows! I also was told that if you ask for a ball he'll make sure you'll get one and he kicks out a certain amount of balls to the audience and signs the ones for those signs he likes. During Hot legs he starts kicking balls out to the crowd. When he was finished he walks around the stage to the curtain and holds a blue and white signed soccer ball and is eye contacting me and tosses me the ball! I jump up and down and go "I GOT IT!!!" People around me were like "YYEEAAHHH!" After Hot Legs he sang Dirty Old Town then the intermission came. Lisa,Karin and I go up to 102X where Mom,Rita,and dale & Gladys are. They couldn't believe it! Rita said she would watch my ball for me during the 2nd act. The great thing about the 2nd act is the audience by the catwalk gets to stand there for most of the act! IT WAS AWESOME!
After the show was over we all stood outside the venue and talked. The sad thing about this is that I didn't know it was going to be the last time I would see Rita! Even though it was one of the best moments in my life and a birthday that Ill always cherish and remember its a bittersweet memory for me. After that day we always talked through e-mails and the Yahoo group. In July 2008 Rita posted a topic about her asking for prayers on her recovery from back surgery she would be having on August 20th. We were all certain she would recover well and Amy her daughter in law was a nurse was sure she would recover too. We didn't know it but she wasn't doing well and kept going in the ICU and back and forth to the Hospital. On November 29th 2008 I received an e-mail from Lisa Morrow telling me to call her it was an emergency and I needed to talk to her right away. It didn't dwell on me what was wrong. I thought it was something to do with her family or something else. When I called Lisa she started talking about Rita I was like "oh no. I hope its not what I think it is." She said "Rita passed away last night" I felt like someone punched me in the chest! I just couldn't believe it! When I got off the phone I burst into tears! I cried for 4 or 5 days straight! I couldn't listen to any Rod songs for almost a month. I tried but when I did I would cry. I felt like something inside of me was missing. Like something died. In 2009 I spent most of the year grieving trying to move on. March 2009 news got out that Rod was going to come to Las Vegas in August. It would be my first time seeing him live since Rita's passing. Even though I was in the front that night I still thought about her and still had my somber mood as I did at the beginning of the year. I even made a sign that said Rita Always In Our Hearts and had pictures of her with Rod from 2001. He acknowledged it which was very nice! I was hoping I would have met him that night but sadly I didn't get to.
In closing words I think about Rita every day and when ever I hear Rod on the radio or when I play my CDs I always think of her right away!
I still love you and miss you Rita. May you always stay "Forever Young" and may you always watch over us,your family and wonderful grandchildren! You'll always be in my heart and in my soul!