Rebecca Rallings

Rebecca Rallings, 74, of Fort Collins, Colorado, died Saturday, November 25, 2023. She was born in South Carolina, the oldest of four children of Bud and Vivian Rallings. As a child she lived and attended school in South Carolina, Florida, and Mississippi before the family settled in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1966. There she graduated from Curry High School in 1968 and from UNC-Greensboro with a degree in Interior Design in 1972. The next year, she married Michael Pawlowski and they shared an adventurous life together. Over the years, she and Michael lived and worked in many places, but their favorites were Alaska and Colorado. They especially appreciated the natural wonders of those states and often hosted friends and family to share in that enjoyment.

Rebecca took great pleasure in her career, but in 2000 she was diagnosed with scleroderma, a degenerative autoimmune disease, and soon had to stop working. Her family and friends continued to benefit from her flair for design, though, as she shared her advice freely with them over the years. Though frequently far away, she kept and cultivated closeness in her relationships. She enjoyed shopping both for herself and for others and was a generous and thoughtful gift-giver.. She also had an eye for fashion and was always so well put together that whenever she went out (with every beautiful hair in place!), most people were not aware of her illness.

Rebecca had a great love of music and wide-ranging tastes. She and Michael attended many concerts over the years in venues around the country. A gifted pianist, Rebecca eventually lost the ability to play but she continued to express her love of music by singing for several years in the Silvertones Senior Choir and the Sunshine Singers. She was also an avid reader.

After Michael died in 2012, Rebecca continued to live independently in spite of increasing physical limitations. She is survived by her three siblings and their families, by numerous in-laws and their families, by many friends who were as dear to her as family, and by Wee, her 15-year-old much-loved kitty.

Many thanks to Seniors Helping Seniors in Fort Collins and to Pathways Hospice for their compassionate care of Rebecca over the last few months. Memorial contributions can be made to the National Scleroderma Foundation (scleroderma.org), the National Park Foundation (nationalparks.org), Pathways Hospice (pathways-care.org) or to the charity of your choice.