Rita A. Lehmer, a woman whose laughter and love were as hearty as her famous Sunday roasts, embarked on her final star-gazing adventure and commenced her journey to the Lord's embrace on April 9, 2025. She passed away peacefully in the sun-kissed city of Bradenton, Florida, leaving behind a legacy of love and service that will continue to inspire all who knew her. Rita's life was a testament to the power of love and dedication. Born unto this world on December 28, 1924, in the historic city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Rita was a beacon of love and faith throughout her hundred years of life.
Rita's story is one of resilience and compassion. She was the loving matriarch of a family that admired her deeply, a family that learned the true meaning of strength through her example. Rita was a cherished daughter of the late Louis A. Creeden and Margaret A. Creeden (McKenna), and she walked in the footsteps of grace alongside her siblings, the late Louis A. Creeden Jr., Paul Creeden, and Josephine Ogden. Her journey on this earth was marked by the love she shared with her daughters, Diane (Bill) McGrath of Bradenton, Florida, and Mary Ann Fleisher of Westampton, New Jersey. Though preceded in passing by her beloved daughter, Donna Lehmer, Rita's legacy continues to flourish through her six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, who will carry on her teachings of love and compassion.
In 2016 after many cherished years, Rita brought her warmth and compassion from the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the sandy shores of Bradenton, Florida. For three decades in Pittsburgh, Rita was a woman of unwavering faith and was a humble servant of the Lord. She was dedicated to her career as a healthcare caregiver. Tending to the needs of those in group homes with a kind heart and a healing smile. During which she touched countless lives and Rita's nurturing presence brought comforting joy to those she cared for, and her dedication to her work was unmatched.
Rita was a woman of many passions, finding joy and solace in the simple pleasures of life. She was a master of the crossword puzzle, a craft that kept her mind sharp as a tack and her wit just as quick. The kitchen was her altar, where she conjured up feasts that nourished the body and warmed the heart. Her faith was as steadfast as the North Star, guiding her through life's storms and into peaceful harbors. She found wonder in the heavens, her eyes twinkling with delight as she gazed upon the celestial tapestry above, perhaps glimpsing the very face of God in the starry night sky.
A friend of Bill W., she walked the path of sobriety with grace, offering a helping hand and a listening ear to those who sought to tread that same road. Rita's life was a testament to the power of faith, fellowship, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
The words that best encapsulate Rita are kind, faith-filled, and witty. She embodied the essence of these virtues through her actions, her words, and the quiet, steadfast presence she offered to all who were blessed to cross her path. To be in her company was to feel the embrace of unconditional love, and to witness her faith was to see a glimpse of the divine.
As we honor her memory, let us recall the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Truly, Rita lived by this proclamation, drawing upon the Lord's strength to surmount life's challenges and to bestow blessings upon others.
Today, as we bid farewell to Rita A. Lehmer, let us not mourn as those without hope. For we know that she has been called to the eternal banquet, where she is undoubtedly sharing in the Lord's joy and preparing a place for us at the table. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that her journey continues in the loving embrace of our Savior, and let us carry forward the light of her spirit in our own lives.
We commend our sister to the Almighty with grateful hearts, knowing that her love, her faith, and her smile have forever left an indelible mark upon this world. Go forth, Rita, into the everlasting embrace of our Lord, and may you rest in the profound peace of His celestial kingdom, forever and ever. Your work here is done, but your legacy endures. Amen.
Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, 604 43rd Street West, Bradenton, FL 34209, is in charge of arrangements.
