Rita Cox Berthold

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear mother, Rita Cox Berthold. Rita died peacefully, with family at her side, on April 23, 2025, at the age of 90.

Born in 1934 in small town Manti, Utah to Elizabeth and Bryon Cox, Mom spent her childhood playing on the family farm in the shadow of her beloved Manti Temple. In 1945, at the age of 11, she moved with her parents and younger brother Scott to Mesa, AZ. She helped to run her family’s grocery store which sat in front of their cobblestone home at the corner of University and Stapley.

Rita quickly adapted to her new environment and made many dear friends at school. While attending Mesa High, she joined just about every club and went to all the social activities. During these years she formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. Rita graduated from Mesa High in 1952, but her heart was forever a Jackrabbit.

Following high school, Rita attended Northern Arizona University where she fell in love with Flagstaff, the mountains, the pines, and the beautiful surroundings. Her affection for nature stayed with her and in later years she would visit Flagstaff every fall to enjoy the autumn leaves.

While attending the Gold and Green Ball in the old Mezona building on Main Street, Rita met her sweetheart James R. Berthold. While it wasn’t love at first sight, they very quickly knew they would be together forever. Jim and Rita were sealed in the Mesa Temple on July 18, 1958, and the following year their first of five children was born. They raised their family in the guiding principles of the LDS faith where Mom lovingly served in a variety of church callings. Mom was a proud descendant of Mormon pioneers, and she and Jim put the LDS church at the center of their home and family.

A lifelong lover of music and dance, Rita encouraged these passions in her children and led by example. She taught piano lessons to the neighborhood kids for many years to help fund a variety of music and dance lessons for her children. She and Dad were square dancing partners who did the do-si-do across Arizona while wearing elaborate costumes Mom had sewn.

Rita loved to travel and had the opportunity to see nearly all 50 states and 12 different countries. She would go with anyone who was going! Once, while in former East Germany, she was briefly detained by German Federal Customs Officers for inadvertently crossing the border before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Luckily, they let her go!

Shortly after their five children had grown up, Rita and Jim found themselves empty nesters. They wasted no time starting a new adventure when they founded the Notary Bond Agency in the early 1990s. Together, they revolutionized the way bonds were sold in the state of Arizona. After Jim’s passing in 2004, Rita continued to lead the agency for many years. She enjoyed the work as well as the camaraderie she shared with colleagues and clients alike.

Rita will be lovingly remembered by her children Shelley (Thomas) Farnan, Keith (Susan) Berthold, Kimberly (Michael) Britten, Nancy Berthold, and Heidi (Brandon) Jared. Rita was a loving grandmother and great-grandmother. She was preceded in death by her husband, James R. Berthold; parents, Byron and Elizabeth Cox; and her brother Scott.

A visitation will be held Friday, May 9, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at the Bunker Garden Chapel, 33 North Centennial Way, Mesa, Arizona. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the same location. Interment will take place afterward at the Mesa City Cemetery.

Rita was an avid animal lover, never without a pet cat or dog. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Arizona Animal Welfare League, aawl.org.

Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.