Carita Lee Peters Roach, 90, of Columbia, passed away Saturday, July 29, 2017.
Visitation will be held from 1- 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 at Memorial Funeral Home followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
She was born in Poplar Bluff, Mo. to the late Emery T. Peters and Opal Steward Peters Jan. 19, 1927. She had a younger brother, George Thomas Peters, who predeceases her.
Carita graduated as valedictorian from Poplar Bluff High School in 1944, before attending Southeast Missouri State University and graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in education. Teaching was to become her career and learning and education her lifelong passion. She spent 22 years in the Columbia school system as a beloved teacher of world history at West Junior High School. "She loved her pupils." She was an active member for over 30 years in Alpha Delta Kappa and in 2016 was given the distinction of Emeritus member of the Missouri Retired Teachers Association "for your many years of devoted work on behalf of children and staff before and during your retirement." She was an active member of the Broadway Christian Church for over 50 years and leaves behind generations of friends in her church family.
In June of 1947, Carita married her high school sweetheart, Hugh Arno Roach. The early years of their marriage were spent in Poplar Bluff, Terre Haute, Ind., Detroit, Mich. and Toledo, Ohio. In 1965 they left Festus, Mo. and moved to Columbia where Hugh worked with State Farm Insurance until his retirement in 1989. They raised two children, Brenda Bass of Columbia and Bruce Roach of Saint Paul, Minn. In June of this year, Carita and Hugh celebrated 70 years of marriage.
A lifelong dog-lover, Carita had a passion for poetry and was a voracious reader. Also a sports lover, she was an avid fan of Mizzou football and basketball.
Carita is survived by her husband and two children, her sister-in-law, Mary Helen Duggar, 11 nieces and nephews, and many other relatives and close friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the youth programs at Broadway Christian Church (broadwaychristian.net) or to the scholarship fund of Alpha Delta Kappa (alphadeltakappa.org/ADK/Foundation/Donations).
Online condolences: www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com.
Paid