Playground named for Rita Wilson
May 18—REDFORD — A children's playground has been named after a local women who spent a lifetime encouraging and supporting young people in her community and beyond.
The Rita A. Wilson Park was dedicated on May 5 as a crowd of residents, State Police and their K-9 unit, Forest Rangers, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Correctional Emergency Response team members, local fire departments, the Saranac Town Council, American Legion Post 1618 and many volunteers and community members gathered to celebrate Wilson's life and legacy.
Wilson, 78, went missing in October of 2021 near her home on Elm Street. She had dementia and her disappearance set off a widescale search by family, friends, officials and the community.
'THEY ALL CAME TO REDFORD'
Unfortunately, four days later, she was found deceased in a wooded area about a mile north of her home with the help of a trail camera sighting.
"They all came to Redford because one of ours was missing," Tom Doyle, Saranac Fire Department pastor, said of the search effort at the playground dedication ceremony.
"Perhaps the most amazing thing that happened in the midst of that tragedy was how this community became one family, galvanizing in unity and singular focus on one of its missing. Endless hours of dedication and determination resulted in Rita Wilson being brought home to family."
RITA LIVES ON
Doyle said that Wilson's story does not end on that fateful day in October of 2021, but will continue to live on for years to come through the park now dedicated to her memory.
"Rita spent much of her life helping, supporting and encouraging the young people of our community, and through her position at the Financial Aid Office at Plattsburgh State," Doyle said.
The new park is on Clinton Street near the ball field next to the fire station. It features several playground items such as slides, swings and other play areas. A plaque honoring Wilson and those who searched for her is affixed to a large rock on the playground.
A BEACON FOR OUR YOUTH
Wilson was also a huge hockey fan who encouraged and supported the youth of her community who played, especially her niece Ashley Terry, who starred for the Chazy/Beekmantown girls high school team, Chazy U-19 girls team and at Cortland State.
"This park that we are here to dedicate today will be a beacon for our youth to gather and play, to let their imaginations run wild, socially interact face to face and not electronically," Doyle said.
"Let her life story continue through its use and the enjoyment that is offered whenever it is utilized."
E-mail: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com
Twitter: @jlotemplio
