Obituary

Rita May Wheat (RiRi)

January 13, 1953 - May 11, 2025

Rita May Wheat (RiRi), age 72 and of Bogalusa, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

Born and raised in Bogalusa, Rita dedicated her life to family, friendship, and hard work. She became a licensed hairdresser and later worked many years at Thomas’s Restaurant, where she built cherished connections with coworkers and patrons alike.

Though Rita had no children of her own, she had a mother’s heart, she played a cherished and central role in the lives of her nieces and nephews, loving and raising them as if they were her own. She was a fierce, loyal and kind-hearted woman—funny, strong-willed, and full of love, known for her sharp wit and big heart. Her presence was a comfort and strength to all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Hilda Wheat; Partner Stanley (Flash) Parker, her brothers Roland, Ray, Gerald (“Bits”), and her twin Stanley; sisters Audrey Dillon and Betty Penton; nephew Shannon Jones; and niece Renee Wheat.

Left to cherish her memory are her loving sister Neomi (Ricky) Hoyt; sister-in-law Brenda Wheat; nieces Amy (Chris) Sinopoli, Brittany (Justin) Vaughn, Rebecca (Jessie) Buras, Sommer (Bobby) Schilling; Sheri (Don) Parker, Renotta Smith: nephews Billy Thomas, Blake Hoyt, Payton Butler and Preston Butler; numerous great-nieces and nephews; her lifelong best friend Debbie (Billy) Boyles; her dear friends and neighborhood watch partners Rick and Hook as well as her cherished neighbors who brought her companionship over the years and her beloved fur baby “Barking” Brownie.

Rita's legacy of love, laughter, and resilience will live on in the hearts of her family, friends, and all who were lucky enough to know her.

Services will be on May 14, 2025 at Brown-McGehee Funeral Home in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Public Viewing will from 10:00 AM until the Funeral Service at 2:00 PM. Interment will be at Pounds Cemetery in Bogalusa, Louisiana.