Rita Faye Johns Reynolds Heald, 85, passed away at 3:55 a.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2017 at Brookdale of Chestnut Hill Senior Living in Columbus, Ohio.

            She was born in Kennerdell on July 18, 1931 to the late Clifford C. Johns, Sr. and Gladys Witherup Johns. 

            She attended Rockland Schools and graduated from Rockland High School with the class of 1949.  She served as the secretary for the Rockland High School Alumni Association. 

            She was employed for a time at General Manifold and Printing Co. in Franklin, and also at Rochester Products Division of General Motors in Rochester, New York.  She attended the Franklin School of Science and Arts in Philadelphia and was employed at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia as the secretary to the associate director of nursing education and also at Germantown Hospital, and later at the Billy Graham Crusade office in Philadelphia.  She later worked at Crane Plastics (Taytec Corporation) in Columbus, Ohio, returning to Venango County for employment with Northwest Pennsylvania Bank & Trust Company (Mellon Bank) in the Oil City-Southside office and then transferring to the Northside office as a transfer agent in the shareholders department.  She retired from Mellon Bank following twenty years of service; and then worked as a bookkeeper at Seneca Hills Bible Conference in Franklin for six years. 

            Rita is a member of New Zion Evangelical Congregational Church in Emlenton, where she served as Sunday School treasurer and later as Church treasurer, and served on the steward committee.  She also attended the First Presbyterian Church of Oil City as well as the Rocky Grove Presbyterian Church. 

            She was married on September 16, 1993 to Ralph E. "Gene" Reynolds, and he preceded her in death on September 19, 1997.  She later married Charles J. Heald on April 6, 2003, and he survives.

            Rita is also survived by four step-children:  Kathy Gerner and her husband Rich, Ruth Scott and her husband Chuck, Pam Bigelow and her husband Gordon, and Chuck Heald and his wife Julie; and numerous step-grandchildren. 

            Also surviving is a sister-in-law, Donna Johns of Cranberry; four nephews:  Glen Johnson and his wife Bernice of Cleveland, Ohio, Timothy Johns and his wife Sharon of Cranberry, Wayne Johns and his wife Shannon of Knox, and Steven Johns and his wife Jeanette of Kossuth; three nieces, Cynthia Johns McFarland of San Francisco, Calif., Linda Schierberl and her husband Robert of Clarion, and Karen Mortimer and her husband Todd of Canonsburg; five great-nephews, eight great-nieces; and numerous great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews. 

            In addition to her parents and first husband, she was preceded in death by three brothers, Clifford Johns, Jr. and his wife Clara, Kenneth W. Johns, and William J. Johns; a sister, Lucille Johnson and her husband Allen; and two nieces, Nancy Johnson Keen and Barbara Johnson. 

            Friends will be received Saturday (Jan. 21) from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Hile-Best Funeral Home, 2781 Rte. 257 in Seneca, Cranberry Township.  A funeral service will be held in the funeral home Sunday (Jan. 22) at 3 p.m., with Rev. Rachel Johns, pastor of Rocky Grove Presbyterian Church, officiating.  Interment will be in Sunset Hill Memorial Gardens in Cranberry. 

            Memorial contributions may be made to Seneca Hills Bible Conference, 276 Damascus Road, Polk, PA  16342.

            Condolences may be expressed to Rita's family online by visiting www.hilebest.com  

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