Graveside funeral services for Rita Morris, 76 year old Sheridan and former Buffalo resident who passed away Saturday evening at the Sheridan Memorial Hospital, will be held Friday September 1st at 10:00 a.m. in Willow Grove Cemetery.  Donations in Rita’s memory may be made to the St. Francis Animal Shelter in care of the Harness Funeral Home at 351 N. Adams in Buffalo.  Online condolences may be made at www.harnessfuneralhome.com

Rita Louise Morris was born on August 12, 1941 in Belle Fourche, South Dakota to John and Isabelle Ganus. She grew up in Belle Fourche where she went to school and attended Belle Fourche High School.  She was married on August 16, 1958 in Buffalo to John Morris and they made their home on the family ranch in the Black Hills.  They lived in Newcastle, Sheridan, Gillette and Buffalo for short times and moved to Deaver, Wyoming in 1982.  They moved back to Buffalo in 1994 where Rita worked at Hardees and the Dash Inn.  She was also a home health care giver and spent time as a personal companion to the elderly.  John passed away in August of 1996 and Rita continued living in Buffalo until 2014 when she moved to Sheridan where she lived until her death.

Rita enjoyed needle work and crocheted many blankets for her family.  She loved all animals, horseback riding and spending time in the mountains looking at wildlife.  Her passion was her family and she always enjoyed gatherings and remembering great times in the past.

She is survived by two sons, John Morris and his wife Renae of Sheridan and Kevin Peterson of Mobile, Alabama; four daughters, Leila Masters and her husband Reece of Laurel, Montana, Sharon Greub and her husband Alan of Buffalo, Sheila Wenstrom and her husband Don of Deaver, Wyoming and Janet Cozzens and her husband Kirt of Powell, Wyoming; one brother Jim Scheele of Belle Fourche, South Dakota; three sisters Barbara Scheele of Scottsdale, Arizona, Joline Ganus of Spearfish, South Dakota and Linda Finneman of Holdrege, Nebraska; seventeen  grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one daughter Rebecca, one son Glen, one sister Charlotte Grubl and one son-in-law Tookie Shidler.

Sheridan & Johnson County Obituaries