Obituary for Rita D Bentley Forrest RITA D. BENTLEY FORREST Our beautiful mother, grandmother, sister & aunt passed away on Thursday, May 31, 2018 from the ravages of Multiple Sclerosis and Dementia. Mom passed peacefully, surrounded in the love of her children and grandchildren. As mom relinquished her last minutes of life in this world, we prayed for her peace and offered comfort by singing some of her favorite John Denver songs.
She was born Rita Darlene Bentley on August 24, 1939 in Groveport, Ohio to Clarice Shafer Bentley & Lloyd Preston Bentley. Because her father had a taste of wanderlust, mom experienced living in many areas of the country as a child, including one of her favorites, New Orleans. She grew up to become an Air Force wife and continued to travel even as far away as Africa.
It is this appreciation for adventure, for life, and for the human condition that she instilled into her children who have in turn, passed on to their own children. Mom’s love of the outdoors and the mountains both inspired and calmed her soul. So, it is no surprise that at the drop of a hat she’d have the 7 of us packed into the back of a 1970’s something station wagon (dogs and all), and off we’d go….
camping, fishing or just exploring. One of Mom’s favorite things to say was, “let’s go see what’s down that road,” a habit many of her children have now passed on to their own kids. Mom was a gifted Artist and spent much of her free time pursuing her passion for drawing, painting and creating in the many different venues and mediums of art.
As a young girl it was clear she truly had a gift, which she shared with so many friends and family throughout her life. Mom was also a voracious reader all her life and collected a small bookstore worth of books in her lifetime. She also loved to sing and cook, although as she aged, had difficulty doing either.
We were constantly reminding her that the smoke detector was not a timer and that the food was likely done long before it went off. Despite that, she could be seen most afternoons dancing around the kitchen while baking bread or making her favorite soup. Her main passion, though, was her 7 children, her grandchildren and great grandchildren, whom she loved dearly.
She didn’t feel complete without having one of them with nearby. Mom is survived by her 7 children, Kim (Bob) Chaffin, John R. Harshman, Greg Harshman, Kari Moore, Kelly Lemus, Michael (Kirsten) Roberts, and Preston Roberts, 19 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her beautiful sister, Linda (Bob) Backus Weeks, and loving nephew and niece, Steve (Julie) Backus, & Cindy Backus.
Also survived by her husband, Phillip Forrest. Although they were estranged for the last 7 years, Phil was a loving and kind husband to mom for over 20 years. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. at Spring Hill Condo’s clubhouse, 5280 Springhouse Lane, Murray, Utah, which is 5300 South at Vine Street (625 East).
The family would like to thank all those at Avalon West Memory Care, and Sandy Health who took such great care of mom over the last two years. Also special thanks to 3 personal Caregivers over the last 7 years, Patricia O’tiede, Maria Velasquez, and Diane Meeker. We are assured that mom is now in Heaven in the presence of Jesus, along with all her loved ones gathered around her.
We know we will all be together again one day in that Heavenly paradise. We love you mom. We will see you soon.
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