Diana Kathleen McKivergan Rittscher

Diana Kathleen McKivergan Rittscher, 69, passed away peacefully at her home in Palm Bay, Florida, on October 7, 2015, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.Her life will be celebrated at a funeral mass on October 24, 2015, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ponca, Nebraska. A luncheon will immediately follow in the church basement and then ashes will be interred at Calvary at South Creek Cemetery in rural Ponca.Diane was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on May 2, 1946, to Frank Matthew McKivergan and his wife, Margaret Kathleen "Kay" (O'Gara) McKivergan, the third of their four children. Frank and Kay raised their children on the McKivergan farm in rural Ponca, Nebraska. During her high school years, Diane was a cheerleader and majorette. Through her life, Diane continued to be a cheerleader and source of encouragement to all who knew her. In 1964, Diane graduated from Ponca High School and she continued her education at Wayne State College. Diane married her first husband, Richard Odle, in 1965 and they had three children, Kimberly, Keith, and Kristin, during their 25 year marriage. On June 5, 1993, Diane married her soulmate, Keith Rittscher, and they lived in McCook Lake, South Dakota, before moving to Palm Bay, Florida.Diane was always very social and active in many organizations including The American Business Woman's Association, The Isaac Walton League, The Siouxland Ski Club and The Red Hat Society. She was an ambassador for the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors for the HPPOA where she lived. She was known for her keen business sense, her kind heart, and her adventurous spirit. She loved attending dances, plays, and musicals, playing cards, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Her fearless nature also led her to enjoy parasailing, scuba diving, and skiing. Ever the bargain hunter, Diane loved a good saleDiane was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Kay McKivergan.She is survived by her adoring husband, Keith Rittscher, children Kimberly Nodier and her husband, Charles of Palm Bay, FL, Keith Odle of Indialantic, FL, and Kristin Dreeszen and her husband, Justin, of Jackson, NE; grandchildren Kelsi Stoos, Kai Odle, and Charlie Nodier; brothers James McKivergan and his wife Glenna and Timothy McKivergan and his wife, Gwen; sister Lois and her husband, Gary Wilson; stepdaughters Rebecca and her husband, Scott Sherrick, Rhona Rittscher, and Erin and her husband Sean Thorton; plus many beloved nieces, nephews, step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ponca or toward a memory bench to be placed in Holiday Park, the site of Keith and Diane Rittscher's home. Diane's mantra was "Spread Kindness," which she did wherever she went. All who knew her are asked to "pay it forward" by continuing to do kind acts for others in her memory.