Rita A Yaroush, PHD

September 7, 1948 - December 2, 2022

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Rita Ann Yaroush peacefully at home in Boulder Colorado on December 4, 2022 at the age of 74. Rita was born on September 7th, 1948 in Connecticut to Anna Bulbert and William Yaroush.

The first in her family to attend and graduate college, Rita came from Connecticut to Boulder in the late 1960's to pursue an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Colorado. She graduated in 1970 and immediately thereafter attended the University of Denver, entering a joint training program in experimental and clinical psychology. From 1973 to 74 she took a year off to study psychophysiology at the University in Munich, Germany, and intern in a psychiatric hospital in the same city, supported by a Fulbright Award. She finished her PHD work at the University of Denver in 1980 and was appointed Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Tulsa that year. Her work there was outstanding, and she was in line for tenure. However, Rita was in love with Colorado. When an opportunity opened for her in 1982 to return to Denver at the National Jewish Hospital, she took it. She remained in the Denver/boulder area in various teaching, research, and clinical capacities. She eventually started a full-time clinical practice in Longmont, Colorado, where she treated brain injury patients.

Sometime in the 1970's, Rita also discovered a love for ferrets. It became her passion to care for and save as many domesticated ferrets as possible. She became a volunteer at the Humane Society of Boulder in 2001. As an expert in ferret care, she was at the Humane Society almost every day and took on the responsibility of training new volunteers and new staff members in ferret care and husbandry. Rita was also directly involved with research in animal radiation therapy to treat adrenal syndrome in ferrets that were not good candidates for surgery. When she discovered that one of her very own ferrets suffered from this disease, she brought Reni to the Flint Animal Cancer Center for Radiation Oncology after learning about the Center through her ferret rescue. Reni became the first ferret patient to be treated with a small animal irradiator.

Rita was very proud to say that the treatment was a success and can be used for other small animals in the future carrying on her legacy. Rita was generous and giving. She donated her time and money to many charitable and philanthropic organizations. One donation consisted of the establishment of the Bourne/yaroush Family Scholarship in Psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder. Rita, along with her husband, Dr. Lyle E. Bourne, Jr., established an annual scholarship given to promising Psychology or Neuroscience majors who are interested in cognitive psychology.

Rita is survived by her husband and best friend of over 50 years, Dr. Lyle E. Bourne, Jr; stepchildren (and spouses), Barbara (Phil) Anderson, Betsy (Ron Polanski) Bourne, and Andrew (Celia Lee) Bourne; sisters, Lillian Fasnacht and Juliann Kemp; numerous nieces and nephews; and four of her beloved ferrets, Rocket, Rowdy, Rueben, and Roodee.

She will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held in the spring.