Rita Marie Boyok (Lisowski)

SIOUX CITY -- Rita Marie Boyok, 79, of Sioux City passed away Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, at Bickford Cottage in Sioux City.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday in St. Joseph Catholic Church. The Rev. Michael Erpelding will officiate. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 5:30 to 8 p.m., a rosary at 6 p.m. and a parish vigil service at 7 p.m., at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home.
Rita was born in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 12, 1932, and was placed in St. Anthony Orphanage in Omaha. In 1936, at the age of 4, she was adopted by Joseph and Jennie Lisowski of Sioux City. She attended and graduated from St Francis Grade School and Cathedral High School for girls. She was a member of the last class before its closing and its affiliation with Heelan High School. She attended business college in Sioux City, studying and becoming versed in comptometer operations and procedures. Upon graduation, she was employed in the office at Armour & Co. meatpacking.
She married Philip Boyok on June 24, 1951, being the last couple to be married in the original St. Francis Church, which was closed when the new church was dedicated next door. She was a member of the St. Francis rosary society until the church's forced closing. She worked in the Biltmore dining room as a waitress, after which she was employed at Blue Cross Insurance Co., starting as a key punch operator, then progressing into the computer room, eventually as the lead computer operator. She retired in 1994 after 30 years at Blue Cross.
Philip and Rita joined St. Joseph Church after their beloved St. Francis Church was shut down by the diocese. On their 50th wedding anniversary they went on a 10-day tour of Alaska, when Philip suffered a light stroke on the last day of the tour. Philip passed away on June 24, 2009, in Sioux City.
In 2003, Rita was finally able to trace down a brother and sister living in California and was able to meet and join them for a wonderful and emotional reunion. She was a member of the Carmel Guild. She enjoyed embroidering, knitting and solving number and word search puzzles. Her biggest passion was being especially faithful to watching "Days of Our Lives" on television every day.
She is survived by five children, Philip "Otis" Boyok and his wife, Vicki of Sioux City, Joseph Boyok of Bradenton, Fla., Barb Boyok of Sioux City, Cathy Boyok of Sioux City, Patty Mahaney and her husband, Joseph of Sioux City; 14 grandchildren, Sarah Goff, Philip Boyok, Jason Boyok, Benjamin Boyok, Marissa Boyok, Alicia Varela, Rudy Boyok, Steven Boyok, Anjie Boyok, Jozey, Jeremy and Jayde Mahaney, Ashley Eastman, Ryan Eastman; 10 great-grandchildren; her brother, David Nelson; and a sister, Margaret McMaster.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her adoptive parents; and her birth parents, David and Mary Annette Nelson.