Rita Elizabeth Gaw

Rita Elizabeth Gaw, 64, of Fishers, formerly of Owensboro, KY, ended her journey on this earth on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at home, surrounded by family, after battling ovarian cancer for 6 years.  She was born on January 22, 1953 to the late Joseph and Jean (Mattingly) Yeand in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Rita was a Registered Nurse for 40 years, retiring in 2016 from Community Health Network in Indianapolis. During her career, she worked in many roles as an RN at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital where she received their first ever Nurse of the Year Award. Rita also served as Director of Green River Heart Institute in Owensboro and an RN at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.  She was Diabetes Education Coordinator at Community Health Network's Heart and Vascular Hospital in Indianapolis where she was nominated for several awards and received the 2009 Leadership Award. Rita enjoyed flower gardening, traveling, and her family, especially her grandchildren. 
She is survived by her husband of 21 years, Tom Gaw; one daughter, Tonya (Bill) Wilkison of Indianapolis; son, Christopher (Arielle) Williams of Greenwood; step-son, Marshall (Gwen) Gaw of Westfield; three grandsons, Eli Kunkel, Lex Wilkison and Phoenix Wilkison; four sisters, Carol (Riley) Farmer of Seebring, FL, Jan (Mike) Martin of Owensboro, Mary Lou (John) Conrad of Louisville, KY, and Kathy (Pat) Buntin of Owensboro; three brothers, Joe (Brenda) Yeand of Owensboro, James (Tracey) Yeand of Lancaster, PA, and John Yeand of Tampa, FL; as well as several nieces & nephews.
Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday, June 23, 2017 at Randall & Roberts Fishers Mortuary, 12010 Allisonville Road, in Fishers.  A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church, 11441 Hague Road in Fishers, with an additional visitation one hour prior to the service.  Rev. Patrick Click will officiate. 
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions may be made to Rita's Hope Foundation, PO Box 337, Fishers, IN 46038 (a non-profit organization set up by Rita to assist the homeless); or Ovar'coming Together, Inc., 2625 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208 (a non-profit organization for Ovarian Cancer Awareness).