Rita Frances Sousa

Rita Frances Sousa, 98, of Canton, GA (formally of Goodyear, AZ) passed away peacefully on August 5, 2026. She was born on October 25, 1927, in Chicago, IL to Mary Anna and Thomas Zelia.

Rita will be remembered for her love of family and faith. She is survived by her sister, Toni Kalchbrenner, her children Sharon Sousa, Kathy Dalton, Debbie Wienrich (Jeff), Annette Meadows (Norm), Valerie Stemple (Kevin), Rick Sousa (Steve) and Mike Sousa as well as 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren and was preceded in death by her husband, Richard.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at South Canton Funeral Home.

A Funeral Service is scheduled for 10:00 AM, on Thursday, August 13, 2026, from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church with Father Karl Bergin officiating.

Rita's family is grateful for the loving kindness and support shown during this time.

Per Rita's wishes, she wants everyone at her wake and funeral to dress in colorful clothing. She said she lived a very good long life and wants no sadness atmosphere in the church with people wearing black/dark clothing. Even the men can be in business casual (suits optional) and brave the colorful clothing.

She wants a celebration of her life! Her favorite colors were shades of purple and pink.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

BrightFocus Foundation @ brightfocus.org for macular degeneration research

OR

Alzheimer's Disease Research, 22512 Gateway Ctr. Dr., Clarksburg, MD 20871

South Canton Funeral Home, dedicated to the families we serve, 770-479-3377. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.thescfh.com