Rita E Dunn

Rita Elaine (Peterson) Dunn, 82 of Clarkdale, Arizona passed peacefully at home on January 8, 2026. She was born on September 25,1943 in Kalispell, Montana to the late Walter S. and Hazel T. Peterson. She married Roger E. Dunn on June 18, 1982. He joined her in eternal rest on January 11, 2026.

Rita lived in the Kalispell area until the seventh grade when her father was transferred by the U. S. Forest Service to Ketchikan, Alaska. She graduated from Ketchikan High School in 1961. She attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1965. She later earned her master’s degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.

She began her teaching career in Fairbanks, Alaska, then moved on to Pueblo, Colorado and Peoria, Illinois. She taught English in junior high and high school for over 30 years. She retired from East Peoria High School as the Chair of the English Department in 1994.

Upon retirement, she and her husband moved to Kalispell, Montana where they enjoyed many years of outdoor adventures with family and friends. Rita especially enjoyed hiking in Glacier Park and the surrounding mountains. After a few years of enjoying the winters in Arizona, they moved to Clarkdale permanently in 2015.

Rita was a talented writer who often gifted family and friends with a poem to mark special occasions. She also researched and wrote a family history book which she published in 2002. A talented artist since childhood, she began watercolor classes upon retirement. It quickly became her passion. She was active in the local watercolor societies in both Montana and Arizona and enjoyed learning new techniques from her fellow artists.

Rita is survived by her daughter, Amy Koepke of Peoria, Illinois and stepchildren, Valerie (Robbie) Musgrave of Pekin, Illinois, Denise Dunn of Peoria, Illinois and Chris (Eric) Dunn of Los Angeles, California. She and her husband also shared five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Rita and her husband Roger will begin with a visitation at 10:30 a.m. February 14, 2026, at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, 330 Scenic Drive, Clarkdale, Arizona. Following the service and internment of the ashes in the church columbarium, a luncheon will be served. Memorials may be made to Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, where Rita and her husband were active in choir, bible studies, and multiple committees of the years.

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