Small Town News

Rita Corbell-Lindsay among those to be recognized at 2010 Relay for Life

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Rita Corbell Lindsay was born in 1937 in Lordsburg and was the daughter of longtime Lordsburg citizen Genevieve Corbell Cleveland and the late Robert Corbell. She attended the Lordsburg schools and graduated from Lordsburg High School in 1955, the same year she was chosen football homecoming queen. She and her first husband, Bennie Williams, who lost his life in a tragic car accident, had three children - Tammy, Craig, and Bennie, Rita and her second husband, Preston Lindsay, had one son, Glyn Lindsay of Lordsburg.

In 1986, Rita lost her battle against cancer at the young age of 48. Her husband Preston is a cancer survivor since 2006.

Rita is survived by her mother, four children, seven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. Her brother, Gary Corbell, is owner and manager of Miller Chevrolet in Lordsburg. Rita's older sister, Roberta Corbell Steele, passed away in 2006.

Rita Corbell Lindsay and many others will be remembered at Lordsburg Relay For Life 2010 on June 18 and 19

Relay For Life (often shortened to Relay) is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries worldwide. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace. Although the main objective of Relay is to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients, the event is held to spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors, remember those who lost their lives to cancer, and unite a community in the fight against cancer. It is estimated that Relay For Life events have raised over 3 billion dollars to date. The first team to raise over one million dollars is the Rosebud Miners, and the largest per capita fundraiser for a college or university is Loyola College in Maryland. The largest virtual fundraising event is Relay For Life of Second Life, which has raised almost $700,000 since 2004.

Birth of Relay: In May 1985, Dr. Gordon Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Washington, decided he wanted to raise money for the American Cancer Society in honor of his patients. For 24 hours, Dr. Klatt walked around the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Throughout the night, friends paid $25 to run or walk 30 minutes with him. He walked approximately 83 miles and raised $27,000 to fight cancer. Nearly 300 of Dr. Klatt's friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. After this successful event, Dr. Klatt thought about how other people could partake in a similar 24-hour event in communities across the country. He recruited a small team of people and put on the first Relay For Life event in 1986. Since then, Relay has developed into an overnight event where people bring tents and sleep out around the tracks. People of all ages come out to bring the community together and reminisce about their loved ones who have died of cancer and honor those who have survived while raising money to fight for a cure. Now, almost 4 million people take part in Relay events in over 5,000 communities in the United States.



Copyright 2010 Hidalgo County Herald, Lordsburg, New Mexico. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 Hidalgo County Herald Lordsburg, New Mexico. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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