Marita "Rita" Ann Harsa-Logue, age 79, passed away on August 7, in The Villages, Florida, peacefully at Cornerstone Hospice House, surrounded by love and memories of a remarkable life.

Rita is preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Mary Harsa, her twin brothers, Jim and Joe.  She is survived by her devoted husband of 44 years, Edward Logue; her sister and best friend, Georgia Ferguson; niece Lisa Ferguson (Dawn); nephew Kevin Ferguson (Aimee) and great-nephew Daniel, nieces and nephews Jean, Michelle, Joe, Celeste, Jim, Therese, Sharon, Shanta.

Born on July 16, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio. She grew up in the Harsa Bakery, owned by her parents. She attended St. Vincent De Paul grade school, St. Joseph Academy high school and Cuyahoga Community College.

Always one to follow her adventurous spirit, Rita declared one day, "There's got to be more than this" and drove to the San Francisco Bay Area with her friends where they began their new California lives in the Twin Peaks neighborhood.

Rita developed a lifelong friendship with June Nakata. Together, they worked as tour guides for Grey Line Tours and the hotel industry.  June Nakata preceded Rita in death and those who knew them can easily imagine the two of them now organizing heavenly tours together.

Rita worked at the Jack Tar Hotel, the Hilton Hotel, and others in the city. Her next great adventure took her to Hong Kong with the Lee Garden Hotel. Focusing on sales in the Americas, she excelled by cultivating relationships with major travel companies in the U.S. and Canada.

A colorful chapter of Rita's life unfolded when Rita asked her friend Pat Biegel about a man she saw across the room at a funeral. "Is he married?"  When told he was going through a divorce, Rita replied, "That's good enough for me." That man was Edward Logue. The next day, at a gathering after the service, Rita told Pat, "I'm going to marry that guy." Pat replied, "You just met him!"  Rita and Ed began dating.

In May 1979, Rita invited Ed to join her on a three-week tour to China she was leading.  In Hong Kong on the train, one of the Chinese tour escorts asked if Ed was her husband. Rita replied, "No, he's my boyfriend." The escort responded, "It would be good if you got married. We can do a ceremony in Guangzhou." Rita eagerly agreed. A monk officiated a simple but symbolic ceremony by giving them each a warm bag of peanuts telling them to hold it to their hearts and said, "You are the Lamb, and he is the Tiger.  He will protect you for life."

On February 21, 1980, Ed proposed to Rita at an Italian restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco. She said yes with the condition that they have a Catholic wedding. Because Ed's prior marriage had been in the Church, he needed an annulment. So, Rita reached out to a former boyfriend and now an ex-priest, who helped them navigate the proper path to their marriage. They were wed in Cleveland at St. Patrick's church on November 29, 1980. A second celebration was held in Danville, California at St. Isidore's church. Rita often said, "We've been married three times!"

Years later, tired of being on the road constantly she partnered with Richard St. Dennis to open a travel agency. Later, she inquired about Kar Products where Ed worked, and if they were hiring. When she learned the company wasn't actively hiring "women", that did not sit well with Rita and insisted on meeting the boss.   After that meeting, Rita obviously made an impression on him and started her way into a 12-year career with Kar Products where she was one of the first women sales representatives they hired.

In 1998, Rita and Ed left Danville, CA, and moved to Gilbertsville, KY. Rita started a food co-op, coordinating large orders from Gordon Foods and rallying the local community to buy in bulk. Her organizing skills and social spark turned each food delivery into a community event.

Later, when asked to house-sit for friends in The Villages, Florida, Rita & Ed fell in love with The Villages and moved there.  Rita took up golf—despite never having played before— on July 4, 2020, she shot a hole-in-one.  Rita continued her love of travel, taking cruises and tours all over the world with Ed between 2008 and 2022.

On January 5, 2024, she moved into memory care housing due to the dreadful effects from Alzheimer's disease.

Rita's life was one of bold adventures, great love, deep friendships, and generous spirit. She will be remembered for her laughter, determination, and the way she inspired everyone around her to embrace life to the fullest.

A funeral mass will be held on October 2 ^nd at 10:00 AM at St. Mark's the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 7801 SE Hwy 42, Summerfield, Florida.

Rita would not want flowers in her honor but rather she'd want all the help we can get in helping end Alzheimer's.  We are asking you to donate to the Walk To End Alzheimer's – Tri-County & The Villages.  You can do so by using following website address:

https://act.alz.org/goto/forRita