Rita M. Burkert

Rita Marie Burkert, 81, Greensburg, passed away on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at the Aspen Place Health Campus in Greensburg. Born, January 29, 1938 in Millhousen, Indiana, she was the daughter of Louis F. and Martha M. (Rolfes) Luken.  Rita graduated in 1955 from Greensburg High School.  She has been an active supporter and fan of the Pirates during and after her graduation.  She had been a member of the Delta Theta Tau Sorority, worked with Meals on Wheels, and worked with Visiting Nurses.  Rita was an active member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, serving as a eucharistic minister and former member of the board of education. Rita worked as a secretary for Frank I. Hamilton, Sr. and Mayor Sheldon Smith.  She then worked for 25 years on the Decatur County Courthouse as the Clerk, then the Recorder, and finally the Treasurer of Decatur County.  Rita loved playing bridge with her friends, but her favorite times were spent with her family especially her grandchildren.  Family holidays were very important to her.  She was married to James J. Burkert on September 13, 1958 and he preceded her in death on August 29, 1982. She is survived by one daughter, Marti (Dennis) MacKinnon, Wasilla, Alaska; three sons, Jay (Pam) Burkert, Indianapolis, Mark (Jane) Burkert, Greensburg, Jim “Bimmer” (Katie) Burkert, Elkhart; one brother, Ken “Gus” Luken, Greensburg; eight grandchildren, Greg, Michael (Lucy), John, Riley, Spencer, Thomas, Maggie, and Adam. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband; two brothers, Bert and Carl Luken; three sisters, Imogene Luken, Marian Hunter, Dorothy Overpeck. Family and friends will gather at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Porter-Oliger-Pearson Funeral Home in Greensburg to pray the rosary.   Visitation will follow until 5:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  The family will also receive friends from 9:00 a.m. until the funeral mass at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, December 2, 2019 at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greensburg with Rev. John Meyer officiating. Interment will follow in the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Greensburg. Memorials may be made to the St. Mary's Catholic Church Building Fund.