On Saturday evening, January 25, 2025, Rita V. Howard was called home to be with the Lord. Rita was born on June 11, 1940, to Velma Heath and Toy Odell Howard in Bristol, Tennessee.

Rita graduated from J.F. Slater High School in Bristol and went on to serve on the Slater Alumni Board. For college, she attended Morriston College and Living Stone College. Rita worked in the Washington, D.C., school system for many years. She was a member of Hood Memorial AME Zion Church and served in the choir.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Velma Heath and Toy Odell Howard; sisters, Olivia Howard, Ethel Howard, Genevieve, Iris Ross, and Linnie Westmoreland; and brother, Roland Howard.

Rita is survived by four brothers, Harris Howard, William Howard, Milton Howard, and Aaron Howard, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.