The eldest of four children of Ann Marie (Gatewood) and Edgar A. Sears II, she was born and raised in Decatur, Neb. She was a registered nurse, taught and trained at the Creighton University/St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing in Omaha. There she married Dr. Victor Mockus in 1960 at St. Cecilia's Cathedral. After one year in Berkeley, two years in Guam, a year in Stockton, and 3 years in San Jose, they settled in Santa Cruz in 1967.
Rita and Vic became members of Holy Cross Church where Rita was involved in her children's religious education; then later, served as Lector and Eucharistic Minister.
They had five children, John, Jeff, Anne-Marie, Letitia and Timothy. Never a swimmer herself, she was a faithful "swim team Mom" for her competitive kids' swim practices and meets, far and wide in (and out of) California; she was a "stroke and turn" judge for their Santa Cruz Aquatic Team (SCAT).
Rita was an enthusiastic player of tennis and remained a devoted fan of the sport all her life. She also became a runner, competing in more than 25 Wharf-to-Wharf 10 K races. In 1979, at age 45, she ran in the Salinas Valley Marathon, which she completed in less than 6 hours. Her father, hugely impressed, was visiting at that time and remarked, "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it!" She expressed her creativity in both knitting and quilting, and her elegant works earned awards at county fairs and the Pajaro Valley Quilting Association show. She was a member of the "Tea Timers," a small quilting group of friends from which she gained great stimulation and inspiration.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brother John Sears; granddaughter Olivia Mockus; and nephews Matthew McDonald and Dillon Ruby.
Survivors include her brother, Edgar Allison Sears III; sister, Mary Jane McDonald; husband, Vic; her five children; six grandchildren; and seven nephews and nieces.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Holy Cross Liturgy Fund would be greatly appreciated