Rita Milar Gates

Rita Milar Gates, 92, passed away December 15, 2022. She was born January 29, 1930 in Dayton, Ohio to the late Otto F. Schenk and Josephine (Zimmerman) Schenk. She is survived by her three devoted children, Melissa Milar of Rehoboth Beach, DE, David Milar (Ellen) of Fairfield, OH, and Nancy (Pete) Tsivitse of Wyoming, OH. She is also survived by her grandchildren Michael Milar, Paul (Aubrey) Milar, Ashley (Ian) Lahmer, and Jane Tsivitse as well as her great grandson Blake William Lahmer and great granddaughter Maria Alice Milar. In addition to her parents, Rita is preceded in death by her husband of 25 years, Robert Gates, brother Donald Schenk, sisters Trudy Niehaus and Pat Hines and daughter-in-law Vicki Williamson. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and remained especially close with her devoted niece Terri Thumann.

In her late teens Rita worked at the Boca Raton Country Club in Boca Raton, FL and often modeled in the club’s fashion shows. Rita (Mrs. Milar) was the warm and friendly face in the school office at Our Lady of the Rosary (OLR) for 16 years and subsequently worked at Proctor and Gamble in the Paper Division before retiring. Rita was a lifelong dog lover and leaves behind her devoted dog Charlie. She was an avid reader and fan of both professional tennis and soccer.

A private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to Butler County Humane Society, 1820 Princeton Rd, Hamilton, OH 45011 or at https://butlercountyhs.org