BURLINGTON, Kan. -- Rita Rae (Meek) Befort Niles, 88, longtime resident at the Life Care Center of Burlington, was called to heaven to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021.
She was born on April 2, 1933, in Arkansas City, to Ray and Maxine (Bullington) Meek. Her mother died when Rita was five years old so she and her siblings lived for a time with their aunt in Oklahoma. When her father remarried in 1944 they returned to Kansas where she was a resident for the remainder of her life, living in Great Bend, Wichita, Eureka, and finally Burlington.
Rita worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone as a switchboard operator and office worker for 30 years retiring in 1983.
She married Alois (Al) Befort on July 26, 1954 in Hominy, Okla. To this union one son was born. They divorced in 1969.
Rita married Jackie Dean (Jack) Niles on Dec. 26, 1971 at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Wichita.
Although she didn’t have a daughter, Rita served as a leader in the Girl Scouts of America organization for a number of years. She enjoyed traveling, quilting, sewing, crocheting, square dancing, bowling, and most of all loving her grandsons.
Rita was a member of First Baptist Church, Burlington.
Rita was preceded in death by her parents, stepmother Joanne Meek, husband Jack Niles, brothers James Meek, Benny Meek, and Ray Edwin Meek, sister Darlene Lyle, and grandson Christopher Jay Befort.
Rita is survived by her son, Warren Befort, Burlington; grandsons, Kory (Shayla) Befort, Burlington, and Aaron (Miranda) Befort, Kechi; great-grandchildren, Caleigh Befort, Mac Befort, Mackenzie Befort, Kaleb Befort, and Raelynn Befort; daughter-in-law, Lora Befort. Wichita; sister, Rebecca Drach, Portland, OR; sister-in-law, Linda (Rich) McCullum, Hutchinson; and brother-in-law, Charles (Linda) Lyle, Wichita.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the First Baptist Church and may be sent in care of Jones Funeral Home, PO Box 277, Burlington, KS 66839.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, Burlington.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Jones Funeral Home
P.O. Box 277
Burlington, KS 66839
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Sept. 24, 2021
