Rita Gregorio Zerr

Rita Gregorio Zerr passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in Metairie, LA at age 97. She was born June 9, 1928, in the French Quarter of New Orleans to the late Clothilde Senel Gregorio and the late Fernando Gregorio. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, George James Zerr and her brother, F. Peter Gregorio. She is survived by daughter, Jeanne Furse (Jack) and son, Gary Zerr (Penny) and is the grandmother of Jason Pizzuto (Mandy), Paul Furse (Jennifer), and Christopher Zerr (Kristi). She is the great-grandmother of Paige Pizzuto, Isaac Furse, Webber Furse, Tanner Zerr, and Marissa Dreyfus.

She graduated from John McDonogh High School, New Orleans in 1944 and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Newcomb College in 1948, Masters Degree from Tulane in 1959, and Doctoral Degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Southern Mississippi in 1969. She will be remembered by the numerous lives she influenced over the years with her passion for learning and teaching as an elementary school teacher in the New Orleans Public Schools and as a professor in her own Teacher Assistantship Program for Elementary School Teachers at Tulane. She also established an American Montessori Society (AMS) teacher certification program at Tulane before she retired from Tulane in 1996. Continuing to be active after retirement, she became known for her contributions with national recognition for leadership as a dedicated lifetime member of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, Epsilon Beta Chapter, and Tulane University Alumni Chapter. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society (an international society for women educators) for the past 57 years.

The family gives special thanks to the warm hearted and caring staff at Old Metairie Gardens Peristyle Residence, the House Manager Renada Simmons, Monique E. Brannon, R.N., and the incredibly compassionate and attentive nursing and support staff of Interim HealthCare Hospice.

For those who wish to honor her memory, the family invites memorial donations to the charity of your choice.