She attended Holy Rosary Elementary School and graduated from St. Joseph's High School in 1967, and was a Junior at St. Norbert College in West DePere,  Wisconsin at the time of her death.  Rita was a member of Holy Rosary Church and the Alpha Sigma Chi sorority.

She passed away at St. Catherine's Hospital from Hodgkin's disease on April 19, 1970. She was 21 years old.  She was survived by her brother, Ralph, and her parents.