Rita Lewenauer

Rita Lewenauer, nee Zaret, left this earth of natural causes halfway to age 99 on the evening of March 7th, 2024. Being around Rita was to have the world snap into sharper focus. She had the eye of a perfectionist and the soul of an artist. She manifested these qualities not only in the pottery she created in her earlier years, but as a smart dresser and skillful interior decorator. She cherished her beautiful home for 52 years. There were no arguments with Rita that you were going to win. The age-old family question, “What’s the matter with you?” was always swiftly followed by the answer, of course being, “Nothing. What’s the matter with YOU?” A political and news junkie, she’d be sure to provide you with any article she read to prove her point. She considered herself a lifelong Roosevelt Democrat. Rita loved golf, or “swinging around outside,” as she said, winning several club championships, and her license plate memorialized her lifetime low score of 76IN78. She blasted around in a bright red car, always, almost to the end. She loved classical music, especially Rachmaninoff, and opera. She moved through life as a true individual and a list of what she loved could go on forever: Bloody Marys, films, books, Italy, NYC, jewelry, animals, art, travel, cooking, seafood, and especially food she could eat with her hands. She was a wonderful actress doing early stage work and TV commercials, a reader, writer, and listener. But nothing ranked higher for Rita than her love for family and theirs for her. Born to a Jewish family on August 24th, 1925, in New York (everything had to be done in a New York minute), moving to Miami Beach at 11 years old, attending college in Wisconsin and North Carolina and graduating with a journalism degree, Rita finally made her home in Milwaukee with her beloved husband Robert (Bob) to whom she was married for 56 years until his passing in 2003. They had two sons, Jim and John, two daughters-in-law, Sandi and Linda, and four grandchildren: Erin, Ben, Mark, and Rachel. Her family and friends were her world, but her loss of Bob was deep. Rita was not only passionate, but compassionate. She took a keen interest in people and was always there to help anyone in need in any way she could. She began at home, making sure her two hard of hearing sons had all the tools, training, and guidance to assure their success in life. This mission culminated in her thirty years of volunteer work on the board of what is now Hear Wisconsin, an organization serving the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. She also served at food pantries and supported numerous charitable and Jewish organizations. Writing her true obituary would take several lifetimes. She often said that she had life by the coattails. Stylish and youthful until the end, she would lament “I don’t know how to be old!” To those who knew her, it seemed she’d live forever. Private graveside services were held. Memorial contributions to Hear Wisconsin, www.hearwi.org or the Lewenauer Foundation at Children's Hospital would be much appreciated by the family.

Rita Lewenauer

August 24, 1925 - March 7, 2024