Rita Annette Horn, 80, passed away peacefully at her Carson City home Nov. 29, 2022, after losing a battle with heart disease. At her side was her husband of nearly 55 years, Charles W. “Chuck” Horn, Jr.
She is survived by daughter Jennifer Jones (Matt) of Reno, and son Paul (Darlene) of San Diego, Calif.; younger sister Cherie (Rick) Garner of Valparaiso, Ind., sister-in-law Margery Horn of Royal Oak, Mich., grandchildren Nicole (Reese) Rigsby and Cody Jones, three great-grandchildren, three nephews and three great-nieces.
Preceding her in death include her parents, older brother Edward (Janice) Oszust, and eldest daughter, Dawn.
Rita was born in Michigan City, Ind. on July 20, 1942 to Stanley and Athelene (Bell) Oszust, and she schooled there as well, graduating from Elston High in 1961. Her teen years were filled with cinema double-features, doo-wop music and attending sock-hops with her friends, siblings and cousins. Early jobs included working a soda fountain at Scholl Dairy and creating advertisements by hand for a local variety store. In her mid-20s she met her future husband, Chuck, at their shared place of work in East Lansing, Mich. and married in 1968. The family moved from Haslett, Mich. to Carson City in 1979.
Rita deeply appreciated the arts and nature, calling Lake Tahoe her spiritual center. She was a voracious consumer of the printed word, as well as a broad variety of film, TV and musical genres; favorite movies included “Fanny” (1961), “Psycho” (1960) and “True Lies” (1994). Her
hobbies included photography, traveling, exploring the outdoors and reading everything from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to the latest medical journals. She was kind, altruistic and caring to the very end.
There will be a small service for the immediate family. In lieu of flowers, those so inclined may feel free to make a contribution to any charity or helping organization of their choice.