Serita Theis

Serita Theis, 84, of Wichita, Kansas, passed from this life on Christmas Eve. Serita was born on February 11, 1939, in Yates Center, Kansas to Richard and Esther Hoag Hardesty. Serita was named after a beloved aunt, Sister Serita. After her father passed away when she was 17, Serita helped care for her five younger siblings, fostering her vocation of caring for others. Serita left home to attend St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City to obtain her nursing degree. Instead, she met and fell in love with handsome Jack Theis, and quit college to marry and raise a family. Jack and Serita were married for 64 years. He survives. She is also survived by her five children, including Shelly (Steve) Starr, Marty (Alicia) Theis, Jamie (Donna) Theis, Sharon (Dan) Quaney, and Shirley (Patrick) McMonigle; 19 grandchildren, and 29 great-grandchildren; her siblings Carole Baxter, Yates Center, KS, Virginia Dillman, Medford, Oregon, Janie Riggs, Wichita, Kansas, Don Hardesty, Grants Pass, Oregon and Ruthie Zimmerman, Chanute, Kansas. Serita never knew a stranger. She could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, often embarrassing her adolescent children shamelessly. When the kids got a little older, she took jobs that many would find undesirable, but she loved working in nursing homes and as caregiver for older folks, because she knew she was doing something important. Her “old people” loved her and she loved caring for them. Serita was very proud to finally obtain that nursing degree she started, never regretting the detour to raise a family. She walked across the stage to accept her degree from Kansas Newman College, more than thirty years later. She worked at several doctor’s offices, remaining friends with many of the patients she helped care for. She ended her nursing career working at Guadalupe Clinic, where she was able to help so many people. Serita had such a generous spirit. She took Jesus’s call to serve others to heart. Besides many charitable gifts and tithing, she always kept a $50 bill in her wallet to give whoever she encountered that needed a little extra help. Serita’s generosity spilled over to how she kept her house. She had at least 4 of everything, and if you needed something, she had an extra one to give you. And if it was a battery, she had however many you needed. Serita’s hobby was rosary- and jewelry-making. She had quite a workshop in the basement for many years, turning out hundreds of rosaries, most of which were given away and donated. She was a beautiful, spunky woman of great faith. After Jack became disabled, Serita moved them both to Mount St. Mary convent, the same place where her namesake, Sister Serita is buried. She loved living at the Mount - the sisters and other residents surrounded her and Jack with so much love and support. They loved her and she loved them. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church where Jack and Serita were founding members. Rosary will 9:30 am, Funeral Mass will be 10:00 am both on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Private burial will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Guadalupe Clinic, 940 South St. Francis, Wichita, KS 67211. Services in care of Downing & Lahey West Mortuary.