Rita Johnson

Rita A. Johnson, 93, died Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Riverside Transitional Care in La Crosse after a brief battle with cancer.

Rita was born on February 17, 1929, to Clarence and Catherine (Keefe) Sexton in Winsted, Minnesota. She was one of nine children, with her siblings being Lucille, Delores, Marvin, Eileen, Leo, Erwin, Patricia and Delbert.

She married R.V. Henriksen Jr., and they had three sons, Gregory, Lee and Steven. They later divorced. In May 1968, she married Donald Johnson, and they remained happily married until his death in September 2017.

Rita worked in cosmetics all her life, first at Doerflingers in downtown La Crosse and Valley View Mall. After they closed, she worked at Herbergers until her retirement in 1999. She was a deeply religious person and a long-time member of Blessed Sacrament Parish. She was very resilient and lived in her home until a few weeks before her death. She had a generous heart and a deep love for her family. She was always the classy lady in the room, dressed in her favorite pink or purple.

Rita is survived by her sons, Lee (Debra) and Steve Henriksen and daughter-in-law, Kathy Henriksen; grandchildren, Matthew (Renata) Cara, Kayla (Joe McQuoid), Sam (Ginna), Alex (Kylie), Erik (Mariah) and Katie Henriksen; great-grandchildren, Nicholas, William, Amaya, Nash and Hudson Henriksen and Thomas McQuoid; sisters-in-law Eleanor Davidson and Ardis Sexton, and many loved nieces and nephews from both her and Don’s families.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her siblings and son Gregory.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a,m, on Thursday, July 28, at 11:00 AM at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Father Samuel McCarty will officiate. Entombment will follow in the Catholic Cemetery. Friends may call at the church from 10 a.m. Thursday until the time of services. Online guestbook is available at www.schumacher-kish.com.