Rita Ellis Kinard McGuire (aka Rita Pat), born Dec. 22, 1941 passed from this world on Oct. 26, 2018.
From working as a motel maid in Estes Park, Colorado, to emu ranching in McNeil, Arkansas; from riding horses to researching genealogy; from sailing on the Queen Elizabeth 2 to a journey on the Orient Express, Rita had an interesting life.
She was the bossy sister, according to her family! She always knew what was best, and never hesitated to tell them - and everyone else. A passionate person, Rita loved good food, Toms shoes, emus, and decorating for Christmas, but the things nearest and dearest to her heart in recent years were her dogs, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and her brand new great-granddaughter.
Despite declining health lately, she maintained her passion for going out to eat, tending plants, reading and shopping for shoes. Life won’t be the same without her.
Rita (she outgrew Rita Pat after high school) had a radiant smile that could light up a room. She was a gifted gardener who had an incredibly green thumb, and there was almost nothing she couldn’t grow into something beautiful. She was an avid equestrian and frequent competitor in horse shows around south Arkansas for a number of years, worked several years in the Columbia County Circuit Clerk’s office, and managed a ranching and feed business (Ellis Emus) from her home in McNeil in partnership with her father, Tom Ellis. Arkansas Jaycettes, the Magnolia Junior Charity League and Asbury UMC benefited from her involvement, and her generosity and love of people and animals led her to collect strays - both the two and four-legged kind. They just seemed to find their way to her door, creating a sometimes interesting mix of individuals at and around the table for Thanksgiving dinner.
Born Espirita Patterson Ellis, December 22, 1941, in Little Rock, she was doted as the first child, grandchild, and great-grandchild on both sides. The eldest of four girls, Rita grew up in England, Arkansas, where she played high school basketball, sang in the choir, and rode sidesaddle (in costume) in the state fair parades. College days were spent at the University of Colorado and the U of A before she married and settled down with her new family in Magnolia, Arkansas, the the early 60s. Rita suffered many health challenges in recent years, and in 2016 she moved to Dallas to live near her son. As a resident at White Rock Court, she formed many friendships over jigsaw puzzles and games of Scrabble, Rummikub, and cards. Her family is most appreciative of the good care and loving kindness shown to her while that was her home.
Rita left her earthly life on Friday, October 26, in Dallas. She was 76. She joins her parents, Margaret and Tom Stelle Ellis, her husband, Duane McGuire, her daughter MargRyn Kinard Schomburg, and her sister, Sarah Ellis Barksdale. She is survived by her son, Lewis Kinard, and his wife, Dawn, of Dallas; her sisters, Eloise Ellis, of Austin, Texas, and Carol Thomas, of West Memphis, Arkansas; her grandchildren, Brittany Kinard Jones, and her husband, Daniel, of Austin, and Adam Kinard, of Dallas; and her great-granddaughter, Callie Rose Jones, of Austin, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory to the American Heart Association, or Asbury United Methodist Church, 1300 E. University St, Magnolia, AR 71753.
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” —Pericles