Rita M. Bartholomew, 89, formerly of Mahomet, passed away Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Cisco, Illinois.

Rita was born December 6, 1935, in Wellington, Kansas, the daughter of Emery Ernest and Marie (McDonald) Shoup. She married Charles Lee Bartholomew on August 17, 1957, in Lawrence, Kansas. He preceded her in death on July 13, 2000. She was also preceded in death by her parents.

She is survived by her children Lynn (Michael) Yeagle, Ed (Angie) Bartholomew, and Carole Leigh; her grandchildren Stephanie (Tyler) Haberstock, Chris (Sam) Yeagle, Leah (Wayne) Sears, Zack Bartholomew; her great-grandchildren Sereniti, Alexis, Theo, Walter; and her great-great grandchild Sawyer.

Rita was valedictorian of her Wellington high school class of 1953. Rita graduated from Kansas University (KU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. KU is where she met and married Charles. Later, she returned to school and earned her Master of Science in Library and Information Science
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was a professional reference librarian.

Rita and Charles were founding members of Mahomet Christian Church (MCC) in Mahomet, Illinois. They were active church members throughout their various moves, and helped found another church in Pennsylvania. Rita moved back to Mahomet following Charles’ death and was again very involved in MCC life. She set up the church library, served on committees, and, of course, everyone counted on her pies for the potluck dinners. During the last several years, Rita cut up hundreds plastic bags that others then wove into waterproof mats for the homeless.

While her children were growing up, Rita was very involved with Girl Scouting, being a scout leader and becoming the President of the Green Meadows Girl Scout Council. She loved classical and jazz music and enjoyed going to symphony concerts throughout her life. She also took pleasure in attending live theater. Rita was a life-long learner and enjoyed art museums as well as going on many educational trips with organizations such as Road Scholar and OLLI (through the University of Illinois and Parkland College).

She was passionate about reading and volunteered for many years with the Friends of the Mahomet Public Library. For several years she helped organize the Mahomet Library’s book sales.

She was an excellent seamstress and made quilts and crewel embroidery artwork pieces. Rita did crossword puzzles and word search games every day. She was also an avid Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune fan.

On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 4 PM, there will be a Celebration of Life service at Mahomet Christian Church, 908 N. Lake of the Woods Road, Mahomet, IL. Family graveside services will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mahomet Christian Church, the Friends of the Mahomet Public Library, or a charity of your choice.