Renita Ethel Ediger

Renita Ethel Hoover-Ediger was born on May 14, 1951, in Beaver, Oklahoma, and passed away in her home in Englewood, Kansas, with family at her side to join her Lord and Savior and many other family members on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the age of 72 years and 20 days.

After graduating from Beaver High School in 1969, she married the love of her life, Bob Ediger, on June 7,1969.  After a honeymoon to South Dakota the couple lived in various Southwest Kansas communities including Ashland, Fowler, Big Bow and Ulysses before moving to Beaver, Oklahoma, in 1974 where they raised their two children, Justin and Amy, until 1996.

While in Beaver, Renita enjoyed various jobs including working for the Beaver County Nursing Home, City of Beaver, and owned her own sewing and cloth store “The Cloth Cottage.”   Renita’s enjoyment and passion for reading, eventually, led to a long career as the Beaver County Librarian where she was instrumental in moving the library from an index card system to completely computerized. In addition to bringing the library into the computer age, she helped to make the Beaver County Library’s Summer Reading program for kids a highlight for hundreds of Beaver County children for many years.  

In 1996, both she and Bob moved to Englewood, Kansas, where they opened their own business, BOK Petroleum, a bulk oil and convenience store station.  While in Englewood, she and Bob opened a grill as a part of the convenience store where they were the source of many hot meals, coffee, and fellowship for the town of Englewood.  BOK Petroleum was the place to be, and Renita was the heartbeat that helped to make it thrive.  After retiring from BOK, she worked at the Ashland clinic, but in 2014 she re-established her librarian career in Laverne at the Delphian Library where she, once again, helped to advance the library into the modern age and established the Summer Reading program for the children of the Laverne community until her retirement in January of 2022.

Renita’s biggest passion and pastime was enjoying time with her children and grandchildren.  Known as “MeMaw” to her grandchildren, she was constantly bragging on their achievements to anyone who would listen and attending whenever and wherever she could each activity they were involved in.  Christmas time at “MeMaw’s” house included building gingerbread houses around the dining room table (no matter how old you were) and always reading the Christmas Story followed by singing of Christmas Carols, which ALWAYS had to include “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”    Near and dear to her heart was her church family at the Rosston First United Methodist Church where she played the organ for Sunday services until her health would no longer allow it.   Renita never met a stranger and will be missed by many people who came to love her in the Beaver, Laverne, and Englewood communities. 

Renita is survived by her husband, Bob, of the home in Englewood, Kansas; two children, Justin and is wife Jo of Elk City, OK, and Amy with her husband Larry Williams of Gunter, TX; seven grandchildren, Anna Mueller of Yukon, OK, Drew Ediger of Moore, OK, Jonah White of Orlando, FL, Hannah White of Elk City, OK, Trenton Williams of Tulsa, OK, Lizzie Williams and Jack Williams of Gunter, TX; two siblings Janice Campbell of Englewood, KS, and Dennis Hoover with his wife Sharon and their daughter Sarah of Waxahachie TX; and a host of other relatives throughout Kansas and Oklahoma.

She is preceded in death by one brother Alvin Neal and her parents Alvin and Reola Hoover of Beaver, Oklahoma.