Rita M. Reese-Clark

Rita M. Reese-Clark, 75, of Edina, MN passed away on May 20th, 2026. Born to George and Bernice Reese on April 18th, 1951, Rita grew up with 6 brothers and 6 sisters on the East Side of St. Paul. She always said she was “lucky number 7” - born right smack in the middle, surrounded by her siblings. While it was a busy household with all those kids, she cherished her childhood and had many fond memories she loved to share with others. From fighting for time in the single bathroom, going to cheer on her dad when he would umpire for baseball games, calling “kee-a-kee” to her friends in the neighborhood, and building a snowman as tall as their three story house, Rita’s favorite stories all revolved around growing up in her neighborhood surrounded by friends and family.

Rita graduated from Archbishop Murray Memorial High School (now Hill Murray) and then moved to Madison, WI where she attended the University of Madison for two years. While living in Madison, she worked for Browndale House, helping youths and teens navigate tough times while taking care of them and the house they lived in. She worked a few jobs before settling into her career, but working at Browndale was an experience that meant a lot to her and sparked the joy of helping others.

She moved back to Minnesota and started working at the First National Company where she met her husband, Michael Clark. What started as coworkers going on lunch dates eventually evolved to Michael asking her to marry him, which she did on September 29th 1984. Together they started their lives together in Edina, MN and adopted two children from Colombia, Mathew and Andrea. Rita’s greatest joy came from being a mother, helping others, and giving back to her community; she was immensely proud of her career as an Early Childhood Educator at the Edina Family Center, and loved all the children she worked with as much as her own. She was truly passionate about her job, always going above and beyond to provide fun ways to teach and engage with the kids and staff. In addition to working with children, Rita also worked for a number of years with the Home program, providing companionship for elderly residents as well as running errands and helping with household tasks. She truly cared for her clients and developed meaningful friendships with many of them.

Rita was an adventurous spirit - always on the go and attracting people to her wherever she went. She had the personality that made you want to know her, and because of that she had many friends (as well as family) that she enjoyed having countless memorable experiences with throughout her life. An avid skier, runner, tennis player, hiker, and camper, Rita traveled from the Rockies in Montana to the beaches of Hawaii, from the ski trails and cabins of northern Minnesota to the national parks in the Smoky Mountains and West Virginia. She truly had a life well lived.

Unfortunately, Rita was diagnosed with Dementia in recent years and moved into White Pine, an advanced memory care home after the passing of her husband Michael in September 2025. Staff described her as kind and a joy to be around, always looking to connect with them and other residents. We are forever grateful to the staff at White Pine for their dedication to caring for Rita and all their other residents. Despite her diagnosis Rita was resilient, and was a loving sister, mother, and grandmother up until the end. We are all lucky to have been blessed by having Rita in our lives, and thankful for her love and the memories with her that will live on through us forever.

Preceded in death by her parents George and Bernice Reese, husband Michael Clark, in-laws Ernest and Ardith Clark, siblings George Reese Jr., Michael Reese, Linda Reese, Cecelia Warnecke, and brothers-in-law Aubrey Barker, Bill Warnecke, and Alan Clark. She is survived by her children Mathew and Andrea (Nick), grandchildren Milo and Marlene, siblings Gregory Reese (Patricia), Thomas Reese (Angelina), Mary Gieseking (Michael), Lorie Reese, Jerry Reese (Carrie), Susan Reese, Teresa Barker and John Reese (Jean), sisters-in-law Pam Irvin (Rick) and Jan Zahner (Greg), brothers-in-law Ernest Clark Jr. (Rafael) and Brian Clark, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins, and friends.

Mass of Christian burial to be held at 3:00 PM on Friday, June 5th at the Catholic Church of St. Peter followed by refreshments and visiting hour from 4:00-5:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made honoring her love of children to the Way to Grow Organization.