Rita E Czervinske

Prepared by the sacramental graces of the final anointing and surrounded by her loving family, Rita Ellen (Owens) Czervinske peacefully transitioned to her heavenly home on May 16, 2025.

Rita Ellen Owens was born in Alton, Illinois, on May 8, 1943, to her mother, Olga (Shive) Owens, and father, Frederick Owens.

Rita leaves a legacy of kindness and grace with everyone who knew her. Sweet Rita was her well-earned nickname.

Rita was a lifetime learner, earning both her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIU-E). After graduation, Rita was the Chorale music teacher for the schools in Collinsville, Illinois.

She played the piano and had a beautiful soprano singing voice. She sang in the church choir and brought the congregation to tears with her solos.

Paul said to Rita, “Marry me, and we’ll go places.” She married Paul Steven Czervinske on April 2, 1966, in Alton, Illinois. They honeymooned in The Ozarks in southern Missouri.

Their first daughter, Ellen Elizabeth, was born in April 1969 and their second daughter, Paula Lynn, in July 1974. They raised their girls to enjoy nature and being outside. As a family, they took long roadtrips in the station wagon and camped whenever they could. Rita gave great hugs and always made sure her daughters knew they were loved and supported.

While Rita was raising her two daughters, she taught piano and voice lessons from the living room at her baby grand piano, which was a gift from Paul.

When she re-entered the workplace, she was an educator again in Lamar CISD. In the early years, she was a special education and reading resource teacher, helping children increase their literacy levels. Her true passion was teaching first grade — running her own classroom and sparking curiosity in her students. She said that she saw a miracle every year when her students learned to read. She had an antique claw foot bathtub filled with pillows in her classroom that her students loved to sit in and read. Before she retired to be a full-time grandma, Rita was recognized as the tremendous educator that she was and named Teacher of the Year for Lamar CISD.

Rita was also a gifted artist. She painted with watercolors and sold her art. She was a talented seamstress and made her girls’ clothes when they were young. She created complex cross stitch scenes and large-format macramé pieces when that was popular in the 1970s. In later years, she took up quilting and created beautiful blankets.

Rita enjoyed watching game shows like ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ westerns like ‘Gunsmoke’ and mysteries like ‘Murder She Wrote.’ She always had a companion in a dog or a cat, or both.

Rita and Paul traveled the world: France, Italy, Mallorca, Santorini, Malta, Tunisia, a river trip from Budapest to Amsterdam, China, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Egypt, Russia, and Ireland.

In addition to her many hobbies and talents, Rita loved Jesus and studied The Bible. She was active at her church and had many friends there.

Sweet Rita was dynamic. Outwardly, she exuded that sweetness for which she was known. On the inside, she was sensitive and deeply empathic. She raised her two daughters to be independent and caring; qualities they have instilled in their own children.

Rita is survived by her husband Paul of 59 years, as well as her daughter Ellen Johnson (Greg), daughter Paula De Leon (Fernando) and her grandchildren Avery and Wyatt Johnson and Frederick De Leon. She was preceded in death by her parents Frederick and Olga and her brother, Ronald. Her family is comforted knowing that she has been called to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Rita by doing a kind deed, admiring nature, singing a song, making art or telling someone that you love and cherish them.

Visitation with Rita’s family will be held on Tuesday, May 27, beginning at 6 pm at Settegast-Kopf in Sugar Land, Texas. Celebration mass for Rita will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at 11am in Holy Family Catholic Church in Missouri City, followed by a reception at the church then graveside service at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston.