Rita Heatherly

Rita Mae Heatherly, 56, of Albemarle, passed away Saturday, August 6, 2022, at her home in Albemarle.

Rita was born on January 1, 1966, in Ohio to the late Richard Reed Martin and Loretta Mae Martin.

A memorial service in celebration of Rita's life will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, August 21, 2022, at Hartsell Funeral Home of Midland, officiated by Dr. Jeffrey Cleveland.  The service will be webcast: https://video.ibm.com/channel/hartsell-funeral-home-midland-nc1 The family received friends from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at Hartsell Funeral Home of Midland.

Rita was an incredibly loving wife, mother (and dog mom to Dottie Dew Drop, her fierce protector), daughter, sister, grandmother. Rita cherished being a Grammy to her precious grandson, Remington, who brought so much light to her life. Rita’s life calling was with Charlotte Pediatric Clinic and she took great pride in serving her clients and their families. If you’ve ever interacted with Rita for even just a few minutes, you know how beautiful of a soul she was. Rita was the human embodiment of sunshine and goodness in the world. She was always looking for ways to help others and make this world a better place- one interaction at a time. Her family and friends will forever miss her light, but know that her legacy will live on through each one of us.

Survivors include husband, Jeff Heatherly of Albemarle, NC; mother, Loretta Mae Martin of Locust, NC; son, Wade (Melinda) Robinson of Locust, NC and daughter Jessica (Haeley) Robinson of Albemarle, NC; stepdaughters, Ashlyn Heatherly and Ally Heatherly; grandson, Remington Robinson; sisters, Leigh Ann Martin, Shelly Bowling, Susan DeFazio, and brother Chauncey Smith of Simi Valley, California; nieces, Karrie Lambert, Jordan DeFazio, Tiana Driver, and great-niece Ariana Cooper.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Stanly & the Uwharrie, 960 North First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Midland is serving the Heatherly family.