Rita Brandt, 94 years, of Ellison Bay, passed away peacefully Monday afternoon, April 27, 2026.

Born Rita June Larson on June 11, 1931 in Marinette, Wisconsin, she was the youngest daughter of Willard and Meta (Linser) Larson.

Raised in Marinette, where Rita later met her husband Wally of 73 years, she was always in motion. Growing up on Liberty Street, Rita loved playing softball, tennis, kick the can, and other games with the kids and her dog, Shnooks.

She never stopped moving, always working hard at maintaining kinetic households through multiple relocations with her four children. She took special pride in nurturing their education, enthusiastically helping with essays and class projects.

Rita spearheaded family moves, from Madison to the Chicago, IL area-initially in Park Forest, near where Wally worked at Sears' Chicago headquarters; then to the family's next home in Elk Grove Village. Rita organized a family move to Berkeley Heights, NJ where Wally worked out of the Sears New York office. With the building of the Sears Tower, Wally was transferred back and Rita once again led the family pulling up stakes to move to the Chicago suburb of La Grange. Finally in 1989, Rita and Wally made the move up to the Ellison Bay family farm where they had always enjoyed family vacations.

Besides her home responsibilities, Rita was active in local events, serving on the local PTA board, running for local office, being a Girl Scout Leader and organizing numerous church events. She worked briefly for the U.S. Census Bureau in Chicago and proudly as a Sunday School teacher. She greatly enjoyed cooking and took pride in teaching her kids about good, simple, healthy food. At Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church in Ellison Bay, she was part of a team that created a fundraising cookbook, including many of her beloved recipes, that was featured on Jay Leno's Tonight Show, when during one of his headline segments Jay showed one of book's 'healthy' cookie recipes-in which the first 3 ingredients were butter, lard and shortening. Cue hearty audience laughter.

As lifelong Packers fans, Rita and Wally were thrilled when daughter Karen gifted them tickets to the 2013 playoff game against the arch-rival Vikings. On a frigid day, with just a day's notice, they bundled up and excitedly drove from Ellison Bay to Green Bay. While exploring Lambeau Field before the game, as Rita intrepidly led them through a restricted seating area, a friendly staffer presented Rita and Wally an official certificate commemorating their first-ever Packers game, which Rita proudly displayed in her kitchen.

Rita and Wally enjoyed many trips to the Pacific Northwest, where they visited family while exploring Seattle; the Olympic Peninsula; Portland, OR and the nearby Columbia River Gorge; and the magnificent Oregon Coast, where they were thrilled to stay at the Heceta Head Lighthouse bed and breakfast. Also, many visits to Atlanta, the Blue Ridge Mountains and enjoyed the fall colors throughout the Northeast from New York to Maine.

Rita was preceded in death by her parents; beloved daughter, Karen of Alpharetta, GA; siblings, Janet (Francis) Royer of Peshtigo, John (Phyllis) of Menominee, MI, Ray (Shirley) of Manitowoc, and Gary (Marge) of Kenosha; and nephew, David and niece, Sandy; and their many beloved cats, dogs, barn cats, and assorted wild animals too numerous to name.

She will be missed by her sons, Jim of Sister Bay, John of Chicago, IL, and Phil of Portland, OR; grandchildren, Megan (Matt) and Erin; great-grandchildren, Ryan and Ashton; son-in-law, Kevin, all near Atlanta; and nephews and nieces, Dan and Dale, Terry, Bill, Peter and Cary Wayne, Sherry, Lori and Hollie, Paul, Tom and Krisan, Steve, Jerry and Linda, their spouses and children.

Rita would have wanted to thank people for their generous and kind support throughout her later years, especially after Wally's passing, including Hospital and Ascension professionals and the Shepherd of the Bay Church staff and members, neighbors and lifelong friends and local son, Jim, for constant companionship and thoughtful, life-sustaining gifts, and Casperson Funeral Home. God bless you all.

Rita's life will be honored with Wally's with a memorial service at later date - to be announced.

Memorial contributions may be given for Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church (11836 State Highway 42, P,O. Box 27, Ellison Bay, WI 54210) who offered services to Rita and to others in need.

Casperson Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Sister Bay is caring for Rita and her family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Rita may be shared with her family through her tribute page at www.CaspersonFuneralHome.com.

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