Rita was born in St. Louis, Mo. into a JWV family. One of her earliest memories was marching with her father, himself an active member, in a local parade. As an adult, Rita was a member of Auxiliary 346 in St. Louis and eventually became its President. She led this Auxiliary for many years until she relocated to the east coast of the U.S. in 2013, when she transferred her membership to Auxiliary 742, Department of NY. Rita was National President from 1997-1998 and was instrumental in bringing the Teddy Bear program to the attention of JWVA, which subsequently became a very rewarding segment of every National Convention. In honor and in memory of Rita, JWVA has named this program the "PNP Rita A. Panitz Memorial Teddy Bear Program." JWVA will always remember Rita, our Sister who never said “No” to any responsibility and who always “stepped up to the plate” when the need arose. Rita was the leader whom we all wanted to emulate.