Rita Kaye Moses: Born December 29, 1945 to Eldon “Tuffy” and Kathryn “Katie Bug” Lounsbery in Centerville, South Dakota. Brother Ron was 4 at the time. Rita grew up on a working farm with a fully functional outhouse. She’d wake up at the crack of dawn and feed the chickens and help mom in the house. Rita loved caring for the animals and following her brother around the farm. Growing up she had glasses she never wanted to wear. She always loved helping her father and eating the sweets her mother made. In her younger years she walked a mile down to the one-room schoolhouse she attended. Still in grade school Rita became very sick with polio after swimming in a local river and had to wear a brace. Eventually recovering, she was never again a fan of swimming in anything other than a chlorinated pool. Always smart in school, Rita also attended church and bible school. She submitted various sewing works and showed livestock at the South Dakota State Fair, winning many ribbons.
Rita always knew she wanted to be a nurse. She’d do anything for her father who, due to a prior farming accident, had one hand and a hook on the other. She’d always had a big, caring heart and was excited to follow this path. She began her higher education at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. One of her first jobs was as a public health nurse, traveling hundreds of miles around South Dakota and Idaho. Married at 23 she ended up divorcing 5 years later as she and her husband found they did not share her dream of having children. Continuing with public health, Rita moved around, studying nursing at institutions including Wayne State in Detroit, Michigan, and the University of Colorado. She lived for a time in Pocatello, Idaho. Coming from a large extended family, Rita made an effort to travel back home to visit family and friends. She especially loved seeing niece and nephews Shari, Jeff, and Chris, taking them out to the movies or for a sweet treat or other adventure. Aunt Rita was the best.
Rita moved to the Seattle area in the early 1980s, eventually settling in West Seattle in 1984 shortly after the opening of the West Seattle Bridge provided a real connection to the rest of Seattle. Incidentally, Rita had family who lived right down the road in Auburn. Miriam and Orville Lease were Rita’s second cousins but were more like grandparents. Rita has always loved her family and this connection close by was a true blessing in Rita’s new home state with many a holiday having since been shared. Rita continued working in nursing and with her advanced nursing degree eventually got a job as a family therapist on the psych ward at The University of Washington Hospital in Seattle in the late 1980s. There Rita met fellow nurse Leonard “Lenny” Goodman and they fell in love.
In 1990 Rita adopted a baby girl from Guatemala, Elizabeth Kathryn Moses. The pair were welcomed home by friends and family at the airport in June 1990. Rita had always dreamed of having kids and this was the best thing that ever happened for both of them. She was always extremely proud of her daughter — anyone that ever met Rita heard a great deal about Elizabeth. The next few years saw Rita purchase a house in West Seattle and grow her relationships with Lenny and Elizabeth. Professionally she was a kind nurse and mentor, always interested in learning. Happily, Rita and Lenny wed at a joyous ceremony, including a coffee cart and a kids’ magician, in Lincoln Park, Summer 1993 at a double-trunk tree which still stands. These had been and were a fun time of family trips, naps, ice cream, and laughs.
Lenny died Christmas Eve 1995 after a grueling battle with liver cancer. 1996 was a rough year as the losses continued with the passing of Rita’s daughter-in-law Anna, Grandpa Orville, and Lenny’s “bruddahs” (as they called each other) Charlie and Freddie. Thanks to amazing child care at Fauntleroy Children’s Center, the help of wonderful friends, and strength in herself, Rita continued to be dedicated to her daughter and her career. She put herself through night school and starting her own individual and family therapy business. As Elizabeth got older, Rita wanted them to spend more time together. In 1997 she switched nursing tracks to become an elementary school nurse in the Seattle School District. She worked in many parts of Seattle with Cooper Elementary in West Seattle becoming her full-time school right up till its closure. Always a caring soul, this job was ideal for “Nurse Rita,” who loved the kids and the folks she worked beside. It also allowed her and Elizabeth to travel on road trips for camping, sightseeing, river rafting, star gazing, and to see family, especially her beloved niece and nephews who now had families of their own. They took many trips including to Guatemala, where they climbed the ruins at Tikal. Rita was always excited and happy to live and explore new things, especially with her daughter at her side.
In 2017 Rita retired and this suited her well. Having had to work and always be up at the crack of dawn from a very early age, she saw all the more reason to sleep in and go at her own pace. More often than not you would find her out in the garden, weeding away or lounging on the garden chair, cat on lap and dog at her side. There has never been a time where Rita didn’t have at least one cat or dog — usually both. NPR would be on in the background. She loved to spend time with her dog Mo and both were regulars at the local dog park. Rita loved to laugh and thoroughly enjoyed joke books as well as standup and comedy specials. She was an avid coffee drinker, an everyday sight at the coffee stand: pulling up with the dog on her lap, ready to do some people watching and newspaper reading at Roxhill Park as the start to her day. Rita was always a firm believer in Juila Childs and in using enough butter. Anything chocolate or caramel or sweet for that matter would find its way to her mouth. She read mystery books and was a regular subscriber to The New York Times Sunday edition, The Seattle Times, and National Geographic. She also loved watching movies, nature shows, documentaries, and anything on PBS. Rita’s 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. She loved chatting with her neighbors and watching their kids grow up. Being the night owl she was, those close to her knew if one was still awake at 10 or 11 p.m. and the phone rang, there was a good chance it was Rita.
The last few years of Rita’s life were complicated by medical issues with Rita slowing down and needing more help with errands and around the house. The blessing in disguise came in the form of her Grandnephew Zachariah (Zac) who relocated from Nebraska to Seattle to live with Rita full time. Together with daughter Elizabeth (who lived 2 miles down the road) Rita was able to stay in and enjoy her house with her animals and family and friends and garden. She did admit she enjoyed being relieved of cooking and cleaning chores and loved hanging with Zac watching many a movie and YouTube video, especially relishing nature-related (bird documentaries, grizzly bear videos, Planet Earth) or political commentary from such favorites as John Oliver, Steven Colbert, and Terry Gross. Together the three of them- Rita, Zac, Elizabeth– enjoyed going on day trips and walks with dog Mo by Puget Sound, looking out at the Olympic Mountains or Mount Rainier — “look the Mountain’s out.” She enjoyed going for meals and ice cream and the yearly visit to the Washington State Fair and always liked when friends or family dropped by and was doubly delighted if they brought cookies.
Rita passed away having recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Her sweet tooth was going strong up until her final moments and she passed with her daughter holding her hand and her dog curled in her lap. We deeply feel this loss as she was truly one of a kind and will be remembered as a strong 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, and 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.
Shortly after Rita’s passing, her best buddy and most loyal dog Mo passed away; he couldn’t ever bear to be apart from her and death was not stopping him. We’re sure they have since been reunited. We miss and love you too Rita, always. Thank you for being a part of Rita’s life.
Loved ones will be gathering at Rita’s house on Saturday September 19th starting at 2p. If you are able to be with us, please reach out to remember.rk91926@gmail.com
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Rita’s memory to the local Seattle National Public Radio (NPR) station KNKX or The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
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