Born in Jersey City NJ, to the late Stanley Freedman and Irna Miller, Rita was the oldest of three children. Following Irna’s passing at a young age, Stanley married Lynn Katchen, and continued to grow the family with three more children. Together, the six children, with Rita as the oldest and sometimes mother-figure, shared a close, loving bond.
Rita graduated from Douglass College in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and friendships that lasted a lifetime. She began her career at IBM and then accepted a position at Monmouth Medical Center to support the earliest days of computerization of medical records, a role for which she held tremendous pride. Family was always Rita’s first priority; she stepped away from her career to raise her daughters. She later returned to work as a math teacher at Ocean Township High School, retiring in 2013 after a 25-year career in education with a close-knit group of teacher friends.
Rita was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Arnold, of 46 years, and is survived by three children who were the pride of her life: Laura (Larry) Shapiro, West Long Branch, NJ, Julie (Frank) Manley, Sanford, MI, and Susan (Christopher) Koegel, Winchester, MA, six amazing grandchildren: Jaclyn and Sydney Shapiro, Kayla and Charlie Manley, and Shelby and Lexi Koegel. In addition, she is survived by her sister, Lynn Newman, Portland, OR, four brothers: Michael (Elizabeth) Freedman, Boulder, CO, Richard (Marcy) Freedman, Marco Island, FL, Jon (Pamela) Freedman, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Jack (Elena) Freedman, Colts Neck, NJ, her brother-in-law Lewis (Barbara) Levin, Little Egg Harbor, NJ, and numerous nieces and nephews- too long to list yet never shorted on love.
The funeral will be held at the Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapel, 2130 Kings Highway (Route 35), Ocean, NJ on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 9 am. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in her memory to hospice care at Hackensack Meridian Health, the American Cancer Society, or a charity of your choice.
Family and friends are invited back to the home of of Laura and Larry Shapiro, 51 Parker Road, West Long Branch NJ 07764 following the burial on Friday. Shiva will be held on Saturday October 24th at 7pm at the Shapiro family home.
For those who wish to attend virtually,the funeral service will be available. Scroll down to “Services” and click on the play button labeled “Join Livestream”.
