Rita Eileen Vinlove, artist and plucky matriarch, passed away on May 11, 2026, at the age of 91. Born to William and Mary Golden on September 28, 1934, in Perrin, Missouri, Rita grew up on a farm in Plattsburg, Missouri, and was affectionately called “Beets” for having round and ruddy cheeks. She was a longtime resident of her favorite Kansas City neighborhood, Brookside.

Rita is preceded in death by her parents and siblings and in-laws John Golden, Sid and Lorraine Willens, Jack and JoAnne Lizar, Robert Golden, Gerald Golden, and Olive Golden.

She is survived by her brother Vince Golden of Sarasota, Florida, and four children and their spouses: Michael and Cheri Vinlove of Hamilton, Missouri; Kathleen Vinlove and Ali Abderrezak of Grand Prairie, Texas; Judy and Pete Hutchison; and Laura and Jerry Gendron of Plattsburg, Missouri. Grandchildren include: Madeleine Vinlove and Jo Hildred of Wakefield, England; Alexandra Vinlove and Fecundo Solano of Marshall, Missouri; Mary Clara Hutchison and Travis Smorstad; Fritz Hutchison; Charlie and Makayla Hutchison; Rose Hutchison and Nick Carlson; Oliver Hutchison; Maggie Hutchison; and Joe Hutchison of Leadville, Colorado. She is also survived by three great-grandchildren--Juniper Carlson, Remy Smorstad, and Nora Hutchison--as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Rita began her creative life by drawing on the walls of the farmhouse attic and illustrating for the Plattsburg High School yearbook, The Gleam. Armed with a portfolio of her sketches on notebook paper, she interviewed with and was hired by Joyce Hall at Hallmark Cards. She designed greeting cards and wrapping paper there before marrying her former spouse, John Charles Vinlove, on February 12, 1955.

Having to raise four children as a single mother, Rita faced life with unflinching courage and boundless energy. She had a wicked sense of humor and often suffered from attacks of uncontrollable giggles, especially with her sisters and best friends. She was talented in fixing or making most anything but was particularly excellent at being a seamstress, making clothes for family and friends and teaching sewing to children in classes she called “Sweatshop.”

After retiring, she happily took up her paintbrush again, was an active member of Sketchbox, and exhibited her works locally. Her legacy as a role model is the creativity she inspires and the example of how a woman can roll with the punches of life, get back up with pride, and end with a saucy quip or two.

Visitation will be held at St. Peter’s Church on May 18 at 10:00 a.m., followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00. No graveside service will be held. Her last wishes were for those who loved her to “plant some tulips or jonquils or a tree,” and for us to have “music, singing, parties, laughter….how much I enjoyed them all.”