Rita (West) Brown

December 2, 1937 - October 10, 2021

Rita (West) Brown, 83, of Hiawatha, Iowa, passed into Eternal Life on Sunday, October 10, 2021, surrounded by her loving family. The family will greet friends from 5 – 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a Rosary to begin at 4:30 p.m. for those who would like to attend. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 14, 2021, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Hiawatha. Burial will immediately follow Mass at Linwood Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. The casket will be closed at all times. Rita was born on December 2, 1937, in Cedar Rapids, to Catherine (Mackey) and Donald F. West. She was baptized on December 26, 1937, at St. Ludmila Parish. On December 27, 1957, Rita West and Jerry Brown were united in marriage at St. Ludmila Parish. Rita graduated from St. Ludmila Elementary and Wilson High School. She attended Coe College for three years and completed her education at Mount Mercy College in 1973, as a mother of five small children. She received a BA majoring in English Literature and Elementary Education. Rita taught at St. Patrick’s, St. Jude and St. Ludmila (Holy Family) for 35 years, retiring in June of 2013. She was deeply dedicated to her Catholic faith and a special love for the students she taught. Survivors include her husband, Jerry; children, Shelley (Steve); Rick (Heidi); Tom (Cindy) and Julie (Matt); brother, Jim West; sister-in-law, Dorothy Parson; thirteen grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Rita was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Catherine West; father- and mother-in-law, Lloyd and Velda Brown; brother, Don G. West and his wife Barbara; son, Dan Brown; grandchildren, Angela Brown and Elisa Brown; brother-in-law, Bill Parson; and sister-in-law, Paulette West. Rita and her husband of 63 years, Jerry, loved and enjoyed their family. Together they attended many activities and sporting events of their family. Special times together on vacations, holidays and gatherings brought many wonderful memories and traditions. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish or Holy Family Catholic School System.