Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

October 24, 2023

CHARLOTTE – Rita Lee Zalewski, 81, of Charlotte, NC passed away peacefully in her home on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.  She was born August 27, 1942, in Astoria, OR and raised in Toledo, OH the oldest of eleven siblings.

Rita met Edmund Anthony Zalewski through her work at the phone company and together they had three daughters.  The family moved in 1974 to Charlotte where Rita worked for many years as a client services manager in the insurance industry.  Rita was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.  Family and friends remember her as a passionate, strong-willed, and hard-working person who dedicated herself to her family and career.  She was known as a character with a wicked sense of humor.  Rita was an avid reader and loved to learn.  She was a fan of Neil Diamond and Jesus Christ Superstar (she saw the stage show at least five times).   Her greatest joy was her three grandchildren.  She spent many happy hours with them baking her famous pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and decorating cookies at Christmas.  She enjoyed frequent outings with them to the zoo, Renaissance Faire, Discovery Place, the movies including weekend adventures in the mountains and countless sleepovers.

Rita is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Shinn, Catherine Hargett, and Julia Zalewski; her grandchildren, Allison Hargett, Edmund Shinn, and Alexander Shinn who affectionately knew her as “Grammie”; her siblings, John Nichols, Carole Petersen, Judy Zalewski, Sam Nichols, David Nichols, and Becky Dazley; and many beloved nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Edmund and her siblings, Mary Catherine Nichols, Elaine Lewandowski, Theresa Alexander, Alice Nichols, and Tony Nichols.

A funeral mass will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in the chapel of St. Vincent De Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd, Charlotte, NC.  The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the assembly room at the church.  Inurnment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery.

Memorials may be offered in memory of Rita to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, 500-B Spratt Street, Charlotte, NC 28206 or The Humane Society of Charlotte, 1348 Parker Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208.

***ALL FLOWERS MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE CHURCH.***

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.