Rita Ann Bahan, 81, of Jacksonville, Illinois passed away Sunday, June 14, 2026.

Rita was born April 28, 1945, to Marquis Crum and Dorothy (Jokisch) Sinclair, and raised in Virginia, surrounded by grandparents, a sister and 15 first cousins. She graduated in 1963 from Virginia High School as valedictorian, received her BS degree from MacMurray College in 1967, and her MS in Ethology from Illinois State University. She married Daniel E. Bahan, Jr. of Jacksonville in 1968. They were married for 46 years until he preceded her in death in 2014.

Rita's first job was replacing her mentor, Mary Freiberg, at MacMurray in 1969 while Mrs. Freiberg was on sabbatical. In 1970 she began teaching biology and chemistry at Virginia High School. She was elected to the Illinois State Science Teachers Association Board where she spent a two-year term. One of her highlights of teaching at VHS was working with Jack Calhoun and her biology class to save prairie plants along the Ashland-Pleasant Plains railroad track and to help start the Rexroat Prairie in Virginia. After 15 years at VHS, she began teaching science at Illinois School for the Deaf. At ISD she escorted several classes of science students to a week-long Space Camp Huntsville, Alabama, participating and interpreting the Science Camp activities along with the students, a high point in her career. At both schools she worked at getting students outdoors to study the environment.

Rita loved travel and was fortunate to travel to Europe several times with two of her best friends from high school; and throughout the US, Canada, and Ireland with her husband; and on many birding trips to Central and South America, numerous US locations, and most recently, Australia with her "Birding Buddies" from Morgan County Audubon.

Rita was preceded in death by her husband Dan; stepson Dan Bahan III; and her parents. She is survived by her children; stepdaughter Melodie (Michael Bahauddin) Bahan, Jennifer (Armen Ezekielian) Bahan, and CJ (Tracy Chartier) Bahan; and her sister, Margi (Steve) West and her family.

A service will be held at 10:00 AM Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Diamond Grove Cemetery. The family will meet friends from 4:00 to 6:00 PM Monday, June 22, 2026, at the Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Memorials are suggested to Friends of the Rexroat Prairie, Morgan County Audubon, Nature Conservancy of Illinois, or the Jacksonville Area Community Food Center. The Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville is in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be left at Buchanancody.com.