14GA.  Rita Aileen Youngblood was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday, April 29, 1915. Donald Francis Sheehan was born in Chicago on Monday, July 12, 1915, and died in Florida on January 19, 2000. They were married in Chicago on Saturday, August 17, 1940. She took the name Rita Aileen Sheehan. She is the daughter of Henry Aurel and Eleanor (Quigley) Youngblood. He is the son of Michael and Mildred (Popp) Sheehan. They had two children:

Sheehan: David, Rita and Don About 1950

Per Rita's cousin, Dorothy (Galbreath) Gilbert:

Rita, the eldest child, was about my age, we had some good talks and correspondence about baseball among other things. One time when the H. Youngbloods visited us on the Trowbridge place on Phoenix Rd. they brought me a little silk purse, ivory white with dark blue dots of various sizes, lined with white. One of those things one never forgets. When the H. Youngbloods went to live in Denver, we wrote to each other. We were probably in high school at the time. That was after we had gone to the Jericho school together. Rita and husband, Don Sheehan, had a jewelry store in one of the upper floors of a building on Madison Avenue, near State Street. State and Madison is reputed to be the busiest intersection in the United States. Both Don and Rita worked in the store, Don owned and flew a private plane. He was also a pilot for Beckett Aviation for which he flew corporate jets. He stopped flying in 1982 when he developed glaucoma. After they retired they took to the road in a recreational vehicle (RV) and travel all over the United States. They also have a winter home in Florida.

After Don died while they were wintering in Florida, Rita moved to Coldwater, Michigan, to live with their son, David.

The following is her obituary taken from http://www.lifestorynet.com/print_lifestory.php?obitid=35368 .

Rita Sheehan was an incredibly generous woman who changed people’s lives for the better. By expressing her love through her actions, her words and her faith, she allowed herself to be a good friend to everyone she met. Kind and witty, Rita was a ray of sunshine for those close enough to receive the gift of her warmth.

1915 was a historic year for technology in the United States. While many Americans were finding work in the newly industrialized nation, Henry Ford celebrated the completion of the one millionth Ford to roll off the assembly line. Meanwhile, across the ocean, nations waited in fear as a German submarine sank the British ocean liner, the Lusitanian, killing thousands. For Henry and Ellen (Quigley) Youngblood of Chicago, Illinois, the most memorable event of the year was the birth of their first child. On April 29, 1915, they delighted in welcoming their beautiful daughter Rita into their hearts and home.

Rita had a big family; she was the oldest of nine children. They grew up on the south side of Chicago in the suburb called Midlothian. Her father was self-employed in the moving business, but also farmed on their land. Rita attended the area schools and played on the school’s basketball team. The Youngbloods were quite a musical family and while Rita played the piano, her father sang along. After graduating, Rita worked as a librarian in their town.

Rita was in her early 20s when she married her husband, Donald Sheehan, and they had two wonderful children together: David in 1945 and Susan in 1954. Don had a flying school in Chicago, but also formed another company with several other pilots called SKY ADS, which used airplanes to write "smoke" messages in the sky. The white smoke looked like clouds in the sky. In those days, “billboards in the sky” was a popular way of advertising, and Rita soon began working with Don in this business. Then, in the early 1950s, Don began taking aerial photos of businesses on the weekends and then had Rita go to those businesses and try to sell them the pictures by showing the samples of the pictures, called proofs. Rita sold the pictures, delivered the pictures and collected.

About the same time, Rita and Don undertook another business venture when they purchased a partnership in a jewelry store called Scott and Davis at 29 East Madison in the Loop of downtown Chicago. They later changed the store name to “Scott & Sheehan.” Eventually, the couple bought out their partner in the jewelry store so Rita and Don continued to work full-time running it. Don’s flying work increased as he became more involved as a Corporate Pilot and later as a General Manager in Corporate Aviation, so it fell to Rita to run the jewelry store by her self, which she did quite successfully for many years until Rita decided to retire and closed the Jewelry business. Her warm, friendly personality and great sense of humor made all her customers feel at ease and want to come back.

In the 1970's Rita and Don escorted BOB HOPE to the Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Illinois. Bob Hope arrived in Chicago at Midway Airport on a Corporate Jet when Don was the Manager of the facility of Beckett Aviation. Rita and Don helped to coordinate the Limo and the rest of the trip outside of the school activities. From the stories Rita told, the three of them had a great time. The reason for Bob Hope to show up at the local High School was that it was a special aniiversary of Bob Hope's first visit to the Eisenhower High School from years earlier.

Rita and Don eventually retired from everything in 1986, and moved to Mattawan to enjoy their retirement years. Their first retirement decision was to go to Florida for the winter of 1986.

Before the couple really put down their retirement roots, they took some time to travel all over the U.S. One of their most memorable trips was to Alaska with Rita’s sister, Marilyn, and they drove the entire way towing a small “Scotty” camping trailer. Rita loved to reminisce about the fun the three of them had on that long drive to Alaska and back.

One year, while retired in Florida they decided to buy themselves a 22-foot sailboat, which they brought back from Florida and sailed on Paw Paw Lake whenever possible.

Later on, Rita and Don started wintering in Florida, where they kept a 5th wheel trailer in a RV park.

When at home in Mattawan, Rita enjoyed knitting and going out to eat. Of course, her happiest moments always involved the time she spent with her family. Rita also enjoyed participating in various functions at her church, St. John Bosco Catholic Church. Her faith was a very important part of her life.

For many years, Rita suffered with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and was tenderly cared for by her husband Don. Sadly, she lost Don unexpectedly on January 19, 2000, after he suffered a heart attack while they were in Florida. Rita then went to live with her son, Dave, and his wife, Nina, for 3½ years, and she was still able to get around and visit relatives, though on a restricted basis. When her "care needs" were more than her son and daughter-in-law could provide, Rita moved to the Laurels of Coldwater and lived here for 4 ½ years until her death on Monday, April 14, 2008, at the age of 92.

Rita will be lovingly remembered for her generous nature, great sense of humor and her deep commitment to her family. She will be dearly missed.

Learn more about Rita, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends on Friday, April 18, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (375-2900), where a prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, April 19, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Monica Catholic Church. Burial will be at Maple Grove Cemetery, Mattawan. Rita was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Sheehan, and six siblings. Surviving are her two children: Dave (Nina) Sheehan of Reading and Susan (Buster) Jenkins of Park Forest, IL; two brothers: Peter (Donna Jean) Youngblood of Kalamazoo and Henry (Martha) Youngblood of Decatur; and many nieces and nephews. Please visit Rita’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory or photo with her family or sign her online guest book before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of West Michigan.

• Dorothy (Galbreath) Gilbert
• Barbara (Knight) Youngblood; July 2001
• Rita's obituary, April, 2008