Rita Kay Trninich, 87, of Cedaredge Colorado passed away peacefully on August 17th, 2026.

Rita was born on August 3rd 1939 in East Chicago, Indiana to Edward Spilly and Mary (Westfall) Pfluhaupt. She was the firstborn, followed by her brother, Eddie, 2 years later.

After her parents divorced in 1948, her mother remarried a Calhan, Colorado cowboy, Harold I. Clark and she acquired a half-sister, Colleen and a half-brother, Scott.

In 1961, Rita graduated from Purdue University with degrees in English and Spanish. That same summer, she worked as a lifeguard at a Fort Knox swimming pool, where she met a fellow lifeguard, Hungarian immigrant and soldier, Zvonko (Jim) Trninich. One month later, she and Jim married. They lived in Kentucky for one year while Jim completed five years of military service to fulfill his obligation to the United States Army to achieve citizenship (Go Airborne).

In September 1962, Rita and Jim had their first child, Adrian James Trninich. Rita began teaching high school the following year at Pleasure Ridge Park High School, and continued her teaching career for the following 29 years working with the Denver Public school system. Their daughter, Katrina Elena Trninich, was born in August 1968.

Eventually the family moved to the Parker, Colorado area, where in 1971, Jim began building a Spanish style house that Rita had designed.

In 1985, the marriage dissolved, but 5 years later, Rita met her ultimate soulmate, Lewis R. Anderson, a Meeker, Colorado cowboy / attorney, who had two sons, Bradley and Charles.

Rita and Lewis purchased an abandoned, 60 acre farm with a 106 year old home that they renovated, while restoring the fields. They happily farmed it for the next 32 years until Lewis' death in 2022.

Shortly after her 87th birthday, Rita passed away peacefully (on her own terms) at her home on Cedar Mesa. A well attended, farewell party was thrown a day before her demise at her Cedaredge farm. She is especially thankful to the physicians who authorized her participation in MAID (Medical Aid in Dying). She asked that her body be donated to the Forensic Investigation Research Station at Colorado Mesa University for scientific study.

Rita is survived by her son Adrian Trninich, daughter Katrina Trninich, grandson Tyler Trninich, daughter-in-law, Debra Trninich, half-sister Colleen McMillan and half-brother, Scott Clark.

Rita will be remembered as creative, hardworking, friendly and cheerful. She loved dancing, riding horses, irrigating, snow and water skiing and working the land. She loved her dogs and also enjoyed music, interior design, literature, art and antiques.

Rita felt her life to have been long, happy and mostly healthy (until the mosquito bite / West Nile Virus paralyzed her). She felt especially thankful for having been given two wonderful children and having been lucky-in-love throughout her life.