Rita M. Adrian's Obituary
Rita Marie Adrian, age 82, passed away peacefully on January 18, 2014, surrounded by her three children. She was born on August 8, 1931 to Paul and Veronica (Miszewski) Dionise in Muskegon, Michigan. She attended Muskegon public schools, and after a life changing trip to Europe in the Spring of 1954, attended the University of Chicago. In 1960, she moved to California for graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. In the early 1960s, she worked as a high school English teacher at Lincoln High School in San Jose, and James Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. In 1965, she married David E. Adrian, with whom she had three children. During her years as a stay-at-home mother, she was an active community volunteer in San Francisco with the All People's Coalition, Little Hollywood Improvement Association, and the public schools. In 1977, she began a new career in the field of community conflict resolution, working for the Community Boards of San Francisco for over 20 years. She was passionate about peace, justice, and equality; her Italian heritage; Democratic politics; music, literature, and film. She enjoyed traveling and dining out in San Francisco restaurants. She was a peacemaker and a champion for the underdog. She was loved by, and will by missed by, many. Survivors include sister and brother-in-law Jean and Ron Wasilewski of Traverse City, MI; husband Ken Cunningham of San Mateo, CA; daughter and son-in-law Veronica and Ed Souza of Oructt CA; daughter Rebecca Adrian and grand-daughter Chantreya Adrian-Derrah of Seattle, WA; son and daughter-in-law Paul and Cindy Adrian of Redwood City, CA; cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Paul (Buster) Dionise. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center (334)-956-8200; https://donate.splcenter.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=463). Funeral Services will be held on February 21, 2014 at 11 am at Shoreline Memorial Services,137 E. Laketon Ave. Muskegon, Michigan with burial to follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Muskegon Michigan. A San Francisco Bay Area memorial is planned for Spring 2014.
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