Rita, age 98, passed away on September 14, 2025. She was a resident of Colorado Springs for 64 years and was formerly a resident of Divide, CO and Las Animas, CO. She was a secretary but most prominently a loving wife and mother.
Rita was born on February 14, 1927, on Valentine’s Day in West Point, Nebraska to Joseph A. Hunke and Theresa Barbara (Gentrup) Hunke. She graduated from Bent County High School in Las Animas in 1944. She married Jack Scott Crompton on April 26, 1949, at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Wichita, KS.
She was a member of Divine Redeemer Catholic Church for 64 years and volunteered at their food pantry for several decades. She is survived by her son, James (Sally); daughter, Cathleen Licht; and four grandchildren: Elizabeth (Sriram) Prakash, Emily (Sheena) Crompton, Scott Licht, Emma Licht; and her great-grandchildren: Kiran and Rohan Prakash, Haley (Jake) Pavlica, Keagan McCorkle; and a large extended family.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Crompton; son, Mark; parents, Joseph and Theresa Hunke; sister, Evelyn Leinhard; and brothers: Ray, Clarence, Dennis, and Joseph.
After high school she worked as a secretary at La Junta Air Force base and Ft. Lyon VA Hospital. She worked as an assistant to the counselor’s office at Wasson High School and at St. Mary’s High School. When she retired from Wasson High School, many called her “the guardian angel of Wasson High”.
A funeral mass will be held at Divine Redeemer Catholic Church on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 11 am, with a reception at the church hall to follow. A private interment will be at the Shrine of Remembrance, Colorado Springs.
Memorials may be made to the food pantry at Divine Redeemer Church or the Empty Stocking Fund. Cathleen and Jim recommend that if your parents are still with you that you should take a moment and give them a call. If they have passed, then take a moment and say a little prayer and think of the good times you had with them.