Rita B. Brandon

She was born in Washington, D.C. on June 4, 1927, to Lavinia Rebecca Hayes Broughton and Norbert A. Broughton and was the youngest of five daughters—including Phoebe, Pauline, Agnes, and Dolores.

Rita was an adventurous child and a ringleader among her friends. She spent summers berry picking with her sisters at a family farm in Virginia, playing with her cat Gideon back on U Street in D.C., and initiating dance parties with her two best friends. They called themselves “The Pistol Packin’ Mamas.”

Rita is an alumna of the Dunbar High School class of 1945. She graduated from Howard University in 1949 where she received a Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in languages (Latin, Spanish and French). There she pledged membership to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

Rita married the love of her life, Brumsic Brandon, Jr. in 1950. While still in D.C., their family grew with the birth of their daughter Linda, followed by their son Brumsic, III.

A job opportunity for her husband brought the young family to Brooklyn, New York where one more child was born, Barbara. Soon after, they built a house in New Cassell, Long Island that would be their family home for many years.

Once her children were school-aged, Rita acquired her master’s degree in early childhood education from Hofstra University. She taught kindergarten and first grade in Westbury Public Schools for 20 years where she was instrumental in the development of the Major Achievement Program (also known as MAP).

After her children were grown and Rita retired from teaching, the couple left Long Island and began “snow birding” between their condos in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania and Melbourne, Florida. They ultimately landed full-time in Cocoa Beach at her favorite condo, Harbor Isles. There she taught fellow residents water aerobics, co-founded the Sunset Club (a nightly gathering of neighbors with drinks on the boardwalk), and volunteered at the public library and the local Playhouse Theater.

Rita enjoyed traveling the globe. She and her husband took many cruises—at least twice a year during their “go go” years and a handful more during their “slow go” years. They often booked jazz cruises —Rita’s favorite kind of music and a soothing comfort for her until the end.

When Rita’s husband began experiencing the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease, she became his primary care giver. However Rita had begun showing signs of dementia and aides were needed to help carry the load. Enter Jennifer Hobbs, the angel in our family for nearly two decades. When Rita’s husband passed, after 64 years of marriage, in 2014, Jennifer became and remained Rita’s most constant and treasured companion.

Rita is survived by her first-born daughter Linda Brandon, her son Brumsic Brandon, III, (his wife Robin Tucker Brandon), daughter Barbara Brandon-Croft, (her husband Monte Croft); grandchildren, Niles Brandon (his wife Celine), Brianna Brandon (her wife Meaghan), and Chase Croft, as well as Rita’s great grandchildren Cecilia "CeCe" and Noah.

A visitation gathering will occur on Friday, December 5, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Life Event Center at Florida Memorial, 5950 South US Highway 1, Rockledge, FL 32955, with a celebration of life beginning at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, consider sending a donation to Dementia Society of America or a Memory Care facility of your choice.