Rita Henrich, age 87 of Maple River, died Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Monday, April 25, 2011 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Mt. Carmel. The Celebrant will be Fr. Dale Reiff. Mass Servers will be Andrew and Ryan Evans. Music will by Denise Nieland and the parish choir. Lectors for the funeral mass will be Angie Berg, Tiffany Jacobsen, and Ashley Brandon. Gift Bearers will be: Tiffany Jacobsen, Angie Berg, Beth Auen, Sara Hamilton, Ashley Brandon, and Amber Henrich. Eucharistic Ministers will be: Amber Henrich, Willy Henrich, and June Bernholtz. Honorary Casket Bearers will be: Ashley Brandon, Amber Henrich, Tiffany Jacobsen, Beth Auen, Angie Berg, and Sara Hamilton. Casket Bearers will be: Troy Henrich, Steve Haley, Ryan Henrich, Willy Henrich, Tom Auen, Rod Berg, Steve Jacobsen, Jake Brandon, and Josh Hamilton. Burial will be at St. Francis Cemetery in Maple River.
Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 4:30 p.m., Sunday where there will be a rosary at 5 p.m., followed by a Christian Wake Service at 7 p.m. by the parish.
Rita was born on August 29, 1923 at Carroll, Iowa, a twin daughter of Henry and Minnie (Kokenge) Bernholtz. She spent her younger years in the Mt. Carmel community and attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School. On April 18, 1944 she married Lawrence “Demps” Henrich at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Mt. Carmel. Following their marriage the couple farmed and raised their family northwest of Maple River. In 1974 they moved to their home in Maple River where Rita was presently living. For several years Rita work as a housekeeper at the Carroll Health Center Nursing Home. In her spare time Rita loved playing cards, cooking, reading, crocheting, crossword puzzles, and listening to Danny O’Donnell. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family. She was a lifelong member of St. Francis Church in Maple River and currently was a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Mt. Carmel.
Survivors include her children: Nancy Kraus and her husband Ray of Carroll, Richard Henrich and his wife Bernie of Carroll, Jane Walker and her husband John of Des Moines, Tom Henrich and his wife Deb of Earling; 10 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; her sisters in-law: June Bernholtz of Carroll, Isabella Henrich of Carroll, and Isabel Henrich of Carroll; as well as many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lawrence “Demps” in May 1991, her brothers: Julius, Laverne, and Glenn Bernholtz; her twin sister, Ruth Pille Lengeling.