She was born on April 29, 1927, the oldest of four children to Marie (Schmitt) and Jerome Reisch in St. Louis. She was baptized on May 1, 1927, at St. Anthony Church in St. Louis, and named Rita Marie. She attended Our Lady of Sorrows School in St. Louis, under the guidance of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She enrolled at Notre Dame High School in St. Louis, and was taught by the sisters there.

During her high school years, the desire to become a religious deepened within her, but she did not share the desire until her senior year. Her parents were supportive but felt that she should work for a year. She was employed at the American Auto Insurance Company in St. Louis doing secretarial work.

She entered the candidature at Sancta Maria in Ripa on Aug. 28, 1946. During her second year of candidature, she was sent to teach third and fourth graders at Sacred Heart School in DuQuoin, Illinois. She was received into the novitiate on Aug. 2, 1948, and given the name Marie Jerome in honor of her father and brother. She professed first vows on Aug. 3, 1949, and final vows on Aug. 3, 1955. She later returned to her baptismal name. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the former Notre Dame College in St. Louis in 1959. She earned a master’s degree in education from Saint Louis University in 1967.

Following profession, Sister Rita spent 43 years as an elementary educator — 41 of those years were in Missouri. She taught at Holy Cross in Cuba, St. Joseph in Manchester, St. Peter in Jefferson City, St. Aloysius Gonzaga in St. Louis, Our Lady of Sorrows in St. Louis and St. Andrew in St. Louis. She was also the principal during her years at St. Aloysius Gonzaga. She taught for two years at Sacred Heart in Fort Madison, Iowa.

In 1989, Sister Rita became the assistant local leader at the St. Louis motherhouse. Three years later, she was appointed one of the two local leaders at Sancta Maria in Ripa. Following a sabbatical, she moved to live with several other sisters in Smithton, Illinois. She performed volunteer ministry at St. Peter Cathedral School and St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville, Illinois. She was one of the first six School Sisters of Notre Dame to retire at Meredith Memorial Home in Belleville in 1997. She continued volunteering at St. Peter Cathedral School.

In 2003, she moved to Sun City, Arizona, and for 13 years served as a volunteer in pastoral ministry at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Sun City. She visited the elderly and conducted Communion and prayer services in retirement and private homes. Returning to St. Louis, she continued to perform volunteer service at Theresa Center. In November 2019, she was missioned to Veronica House at The Sarah Community in Bridgeton.

Sister Rita is survived by a sister, Patricia Harte of Rohnet, California, and nieces and nephews. Burial was in Sancta Maria in Ripa Cemetery in St. Louis.