She was born on March 31, 1930, in Niederbiesheim Germany. Rita met the love of her life, Franklin Troutt while he was stationed in Germany, and they married in Butzbach in 1956. Together in 1956 they returned to the United States and made Columbus, Georgia home. For the next 67 years in Columbus, Rita lived her life to the fullest with her husband, loving family and many friends. She enjoyed many fishing trips to Kings Pond on Ft. Benning with her loving husband Frank, volunteering many hours at Muscogee Manor Nursing facility and the Fort Benning thrift shop, playing card games with friends, working with flowers in her yard, taking trips with her family, and enjoying the many, many weekends and great Sunday dinners she prepared for her family. She loved to prepare different dishes and bake. She was an excellent cook who brought her family together and we all cherished these times with her. She loved watching Atlanta Braves baseball and was their #1 Fan. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother who took pride in her family because they were her universe.
Rita is preceded in death by her parents Heinrich Ellenberger and Dorothea (Stieglitz) Ellenberger, husband Franklin J. Troutt and grandson Robert Skylar McClellan.
Rita leaves her loving memory to be cherished by her daughter, Sandra “Sandy” (Robert “Rob”) McClellan; her granddaughter Stacey Walden (Travis); and her very adored great grandchildren: Nolan (6), Vivian Grace (5), Zeke (4) and Cannon Walden (2).
On Saturday, July 22, 2023, a service to celebrate Rita’s life will be held at 11:00 AM in the Mill Room of Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Rd, Columbus, Georgia. Rita’s family will greet friends one hour prior to the service.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be shared with Rita’s family at www.shcolumbus.com.
