Rita Roberts Poling

Rita Roberta Poling, devoted wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on May 4,2026 after an extended illness at the age of 90. She dedicated her life to raising her two sons, to singing as an exquisite coloratura soprano, and to performing in theatres throughout Northeast Ohio and across the country. 

Born in New York to Martha “Betty” Wroblewski and Adolph Mollinger, she was raised in Plains, Pennsylvania near Wilkes-Barre, eventually moving to the Cleveland, Ohio area, studying voice and opera at the Cleveland Institute of Music with further studies at Baldwin Wallace College. It was in Cleveland where she met Kermit Esley Poling, marrying him on August 25, 1956 at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church. In Cleveland she was known as an extremely accomplished singer and actress, working with conductors such as Stuart Raleigh and Jack Roberts, performing leading roles in countless productions at many theaters in Northeast Ohio including the Greenbriar Theatre in Parma Heights (now the Cassidy Theatre), Berea Summer Theater, the Chagrin Little Valley Theater, as well as surrounding community theaters throughout the region.

She was fiercely committed to ensuring the best for her two sons, Kermit and his younger brother Keith, and introduced both to the community of Greenbriar Theater from young ages, later encouraging Kermit in his professional musical career. More recently, she and Keith moved from Parma, Ohio to Shreveport, Louisiana where she not only lived her remaining years enthusiastically watching performances of the Shreveport Symphony and the Shreveport Summer Music Festival but also was herself featured at several theaters in the Shreveport area, including the East Bank Theater, where she worked with Richard Folmer. She became a member of St. George’s Episcopal Church, singing regularly in the choir and frequently as soloist.

She is survived by her son Kermit (Miranda), grandson Aiden (Maddison) and many friends who heard her sing as recently as this past December. She will be interred in a private burial at Western Reserve National Cemetery near Cleveland alongside her husband who passed in 2006, and will be remembered at a joint memorial service on Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 10 A.M. at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Bossier City, LA, which will also celebrate the life of Keith Allen Poling, who passed just 2 days after his mother.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Shreveport Summer Music Festival, Red River (public) Radio at LSUS, St. George’s Episcopal Church in Bossier City, or to the music or theater organization of your choice.