Rita Ann Ehrle's Obituary
Rita Ann McMahon Ehrle was born on May 11, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois, to Michael Joseph McMahon and Ann Marie (Graham) McMahon. She was raised in Southside Chicago and attended St. Philip Neri and St. Thomas Aquinas School (1959), where she played the violin in the school orchestra. Rita began to follow her calling into nursing when she started working at South Shore Hospital and volunteering at the Marillac Settlement House her senior year of high school. Marillac Settlement House honored her as "Volunteer of the Year" that year.
After graduation, Rita moved to St. Louis, where she attended Marillac College and Convent. She earned her nursing degree in 1965 and relocated to New Orleans for a mission with the Daughters of Charity. Rita excitedly began her career as a floor nurse and operating room nurse at Hotel Dieu Hospital.
In 1967, Rita left the Daughters of Charity Community and moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana to work again as a floor nurse at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital.
While living and working in Lake Charles, fate intervened. Rita was introduced to Duane Ehrle on a blind date arranged by their engaged best friends. She later returned to New Orleans, where she worked at Tulane Hospital caring for patients in the experimental cancer treatment center. On April 30, 1970, she and Duane were married at St. Joseph Catholic Church (it had the second longest aisle in New Orleans and Rita wanted a long wedding veil!) Their family grew with the birth of their first daughter, Linda Ann. In 1973, Rita and Duane relocated their family to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, for Duane's position with Amoco Production Company. Soon after their move, they welcomed their second daughter, Mary Elizabeth.
Several years later, Rita faced one of her life's greatest challenges - a diagnosis of breast cancer. She fought relentlessly and won her battle against the cancer to stay with her young daughters and husband. After her recovery, she returned to a nursing role at Saint Francis Hospital. Sister Blondine recognized Rita's compassion and heart for practical service and created a special role for her as the Patient Family Liaison in the Surgical Family Waiting Room. In her new role, Rita offered comfort, clarity, and support to families navigating difficult medical journeys. Rita would later work as a surgery scheduler for St Francis Hospital and Central States Orthopedic Specialists.
Rita enjoyed traveling with her family and friends. In fact, she and Duane spent their honeymoon traveling in a pop-up camper to see the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest (where she wanted to know when they would get to see the trees!). For many years Rita and Duane traveled much of middle America with their daughters and their granddaughter, Emma, in the family camper.
Rita raised African violets and lovingly sewed much of her young daughter's clothing. She completed several beautiful art projects including a ceramic Nativity, needlepoint pictures, and a needlepoint quilt. She also left behind many enthusiastically begun projects! Such as half-knitted sweaters, unravelled crochet, and disorganized photo albums! She was an exceptional baker, and a brilliant Cajun-trained cook, known especially for her banana bread, Irish soda bread, fruit gems, red beans and rice, and gumbos.
Rita was kind, compassionate, "old-school RN" pragmatic, and delightfully sassy. She rarely met a stranger and made fast, lifelong, dear friends everywhere she traveled.
Rita is survived by her devoted husband of nearly 56 years, Duane W. Ehrle; her daughters, Linda Ann Ehrle (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) and Mary Elizabeth Byram (Buda, Texas) and husband, Clint; her cherished granddaughters, Emma Ehrle (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) and Maggie Byram (Buda, Texas); and her sister, Mary Alice Quintero (Naperville, Illinois) and husband, Edgar.
Rita led a life of quiet resilience, faith, service, and love - a beautiful life, a beautiful daughter, sister, wife, friend. A beautiful Mommy.
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