Rita Volker, 63, of Hazlet, died Sunday, January 15th peacefully.

Rita grew up and was raised in Hazlet, NJ. She graduated from Raritan High School, and went on to earn her Associate’s degree in education from Brookdale Community College. She utilized that degree working as a preschool teacher at First Class Child Care in Holmdel. It was here that she met the love of her life, Lane Volker. They would go on to raise two loving children over 24 beautiful years of marriage.

Rita was passionate about gardening. She grew herbs, tomatoes and many different kinds of trees. She enjoyed classical music, the sound of birds chirping and being in nature. She was excited to celebrate and decorate for the holidays, specifically Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas. She was an avid animal lover, and would welcome a visit from any animal that visited her yard. She always made sure to have food for wild birds, and loved watching squirrels. Her favorite place to go was Smithville, and always made it a necessity to go to Two Country Ducks, a store that carried her favorite things.

Rita is survived by her loving husband, Lane Volker; her children Caitlyn Volker and Lane R Volker.; her grandchildren Charlotte Rose Volker and Elliot Vargas; her siblings Michael Folk, Richard Folk, and Annemarie Montaro; family pets Pearl, Winston,  and Molly.

Rita was full of life and spontaneous, strong and enduring; she would light up a room with her presence. Family was of the utmost importance to her. She loved spending time with her granddaughter and holding her grandson and always tried her hardest to make every holiday special. She will be missed by all who were privileged to know her.

All services are private.