Raebeca Herron Hite

Raebeca Herron Hite was an entrepreneur, a creative force, a social worker, and a Christian woman. She lived life to the fullest and will be missed by loved ones, family, and friends. She died in her Wheat Ridge home on October 27, 2013, at the age of 82.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 4, at 3:00 pm at Newcomer Funeral Homes and Crematory, 901 S. Sheridan Blvd. in Lakewood.

Named Evelyn Frances Herron, she was born in 1931 in Elk City, Oklahoma, into a large family. She and her six siblings grew up in mostly in Washington, later moving to Idaho. In 1951 she married Frederick John Walmsley in Nampa, Idaho. Majoring in Home Economics at the University of Idaho, she received her BA in 1955. She raised her three children in Buhl, Idaho, in the 1950's while holding several teaching positions in the public school system. In 1965 the family moved to Denver, Colorado, and Evelyn received a Master's Degree in social work from the University of Denver. For the next three years, she worked in the Denver Public Schools as a social worker. During that time, she also became active in the Green Mountain Methodist Church and, with her family, formed the Green Mountain Players, a small church theater company.

In 1975, Fred and Evelyn divorced. This event launched a religious transformation in Evelyn which led her to officially change her name to Raebeca.

In the late 1970s, Raebeca became an entrepreneur who created a number of companies in the Denver area. One was MASS Inc. which supplied interior design services to commercial companies. Raebeca married Denver architect Thomas William Hite in 1981. They had a full life together and enjoyed being grandparents to four grandchildren. Tom passed away in 1996.

After Tom's death, Raebeca started a home business called Westerday which featured designer clothing made from vintage men's wear. She opened a store called Jacketree in downtown Denver, sold her creations at art fairs and the National Western Stock Show, and ran a shop at the Grizzly Rose for many years. She continued to create art-wear clothing and accessories to her death.

During the past ten years, she has been active in her church, The Light on the Hill. She was Christian woman who reached out in love to those around her. She enjoyed family gatherings, scrabble, and was deeply interested in constitutional law.

Raebeca is survived by her three children: Gina Hanley, Dirk Reid, and Scott Walmsley; her four grandchildren, Krista, Adam, Brandon, and Rustin; her two great-grandchildren, Jackson and Madelyn; and two sisters; Edith Arnold of Portland, OR, and Lois Moland of Hahira, GA.

Raebeca was passionate about the teachings of Andrew Wommack. Contributions in her name can be made to the Andrew Wommack Ministries, Inc. P.O. Box 3333, Colorado Springs, CO 80934-3333.