It is with heavy heart we announce the passing of Rita Kaye (Lounsbery) Moses.
Born December 29, 1945 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Rita grew up on a working farm: a true Midwestern farm girl. Rita always knew she wanted to be a nurse and loved to learn, attending many schools of higher education including South Dakota State University, Wayne State University, and University of Colorado. Always strong and independent, she worked as a public health nurse for most of this period, traveling hundreds of miles through South Dakota, Idaho, and Michigan. During this time, she would travel back to South Dakota, visiting her folks and various friends and cousins. She loved spending time with niece and nephews Jeff, Shari, and Chris, taking them out to the movies and for a sweet treat. She loved camping and traveling, jokes and music, and following the adventure that life holds.
Rita moved to Seattle in the early ’80s. She loved the outdoors and the beautiful views and atmosphere of the city. She already had family in the area, her second cousins, “Grandparents” Miriam and Orville, living right down the road so to speak in Auburn. Rita moved to West Seattle soon after the completion of the West Seattle Bridge in 1984. She continued her nursing path, eventually securing a job on the psych ward at the University of Washington Hospital. Here she was a great mentor and also met the love of her life, a fellow nurse, Lenny (Leonard) Goodman.
In 1990 Rita adopted her beloved daughter Elizabeth Kathryn Moses. Above all Rita wanted to be a mom. She loved her daughter unconditionally and anyone who ever met Rita will have heard about Elizabeth. Rita was always so proud of her and happy for any time they got to share, especially loving the road and camping trips they took together.
A single parent after Lenny’s death during a liver-replacement operation in 1995, Rita started pursuing a different career within nursing that would allow her more time with her daughter, eventually becoming a school nurse for the Seattle Public School District in 1997. Serving at first on a rotating basis in many different elementary schools including Beacon Hill, Roxhill, Orca, and Concord, Rita eventually became a full-time school nurse for the district at Cooper Elementary on Pigeon Point, where she would work for most of the remainder of her career. “Nurse Rita” loved this job. She loved the kids and her coworkers as well as expanded opportunity to spend time, travel, and celebrate holidays with her daughter, family, and friends.
That being said, Rita also loved retirement when it came in 2017. Having had to wake up early all her life, Rita enjoyed sleeping in immensely and doing things on her own time. She started her daily routine driving with dog Mo to get coffee, then heading to Roxhill (Castle) Park to people-watch, walk the dog, and read the paper. She spent many an hour at plant nurseries and many a day in her garden, listening to books on tape or NPR while gardening. If not at home, Rita could often be found at Westcrest dog park or Lincoln Park — she’d almost always had a cat or a dog in her life. Rita’s human relationships were also extremely important to her and she greatly enjoyed going to visit and have lunch or dinner with friends, driving down to visit cousins in Vancouver, or going to see her family in the Midwest.
The last few years of Rita’s life saw her slow down, life complicated by long-term medical issues. The blessing in disguise came in the form of her Grandnephew Zac, who was able to relocate from Nebraska to Seattle to live with Rita full-time. Together with Rita’s daughter Elizabeth, who lived 2 miles down the road, Rita was able to live in and enjoy her house with her animals and family and friends. Rita, Zac, and Elizabeth also enjoyed going on day trips and walks by the water (with Mo of course), out to meals, a look at the mountains, and the yearly visit to the WA State Fair. Rita did admit to loving to delegate the cooking and cleaning to others. She enjoyed having friends and family stop by, bringing cookies or the like, and also loved watching many movies and shows with Zac, with her dog or cat lying atop her.
Rita passed away having recently celebrated her 80th birthday with her daughter, family and friends. Her sweet tooth was going strong up until her final moments and she passed with her dog curled in her lap and her daughter holding her hand. We feel this loss immensely as she was truly one of a kind, having experienced so much, and will be remembered as a strong, independent and loving woman, ready to joke and share a meal, caring for all those around and touched by her, ready to give you a great big hug.
Rita was preceded in death by her father, Eldon Lounsbery, mother Kathryn Lounsbery, her brother Ronald Lounsbery, and her husband, Leonard Goodman. She leaves behind her beloved daughter Elizabeth and her loving family and friends. Thank you for being part of Rita’s life.
Loved ones will be gathering at Rita’s house for a Celebration of Life on Saturday, September 19, at 2 p.m. If you will be able to join us or would like more information, please reach out to remember.rk91926@gmail.com
A more detailed homage to Rita is located at dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/seattle-wa/rita-moses-12723842
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Rita’s memory to local Seattle National Public Radio (NPR) station KUOW or The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
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