Rita Medland

Rita A. (Steckbauer) Medland, 80, of Appleton, passed away peacefully on November 13, 2014 surrounded by family at Christian Community Home in Hudson, WI.

Born September 22, 1934, in Oshkosh, to William and Mary Steckbauer, Rita received her degree from Wisconsin-Oshkosh and spent many years teaching English at both Appleton East and Appleton West High Schools, retiring in 1994. She married Thomas Medland in 1988 and they split their time between Appleton and Surprise, Arizona for many years.

Rita is survived by her children, Robert (Karen Gallagher) Macke, San Francisco, California; Daniel (Regina) Macke, Appleton; Carolyn Baumann, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Christine (Ryan) Nielsen, Hudson; their father, Robert Macke of Appleton; and Meredith (Timothy) Sasseen, Del Mar, California; siblings Margaret Steckbauer, Appleton; JoAnn Hammen, Little Chute; Paul (Mary) Steckbauer, Appleton; Virginia (Ernst) Lisek, Oshkosh; and James Steckbauer, Overgaard, Arizona.

Rita enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, Alex and Lauren Macke, Griffin and Ella Baumann, Hannah and Jacob Nielsen, and Natalie and Nathan Macke. She also enjoyed golfing with many friends, attending aerobic dance classes, traveling, walking and reading. She was an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Appleton and donated many hours of her time at the Salvation Army and to various church functions.

Rita is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Thomas Medland; sister, Mary Steckbauer Thompson; brother-in-law, Lou Thompson; brother, William Steckbauer; and brother-in-law, Gene Hammen.

The funeral liturgy will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, November 21, 2014 at St. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH, 312 S. State Street, Appleton. A time of visitation will be held on Friday from 8:30 AM until the time of the service at church. Interment will be held immediately after the service at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Appleton. A reception will follow at Riverview Gardens in Appleton. Online condolences may be expressed at www.wichmannfargo.com.

The family would like to thank Cindy Ulrichsen of Home Instead Senior Care for being Rita's caregiver for the past year.

Please make memorial donations in the name of CFFVR/Memory Project Operations Fund.