Rita R. Sachse Heim, 67, died at home on May 12, 2020, after a long illness. She was born Sept. 16, 1952, in Leavenworth, the daughter of Herman R. Sachse and Ann L. (Bromell) Sachse.
Rita graduated from Immaculata High School in 1970 and then attended Hutchinson Community Junior College. She married Eugene Heim on April 27, 1973, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Leavenworth. She was a parishioner of both St. Joseph Catholic in Leavenworth and St. Joseph of Valley Church in Leavenworth County.
Rita is survived by her husband of 47 years and her four children. Elizabeth (Beth) Mattox (William) of Leavenworth, Geri Wilburn (Jay) of Leavenworth, Stella (Janie) Presley (Jeremy) of Dodge City, and Jeff Heim (Kelly) of Leavenworth. Other survivors include her six siblings, MaryAnn (Toby) Brown of Easton; Marti (Frank) Judson of Denver, Colo., Richard (Sue) Sachse of Easton, Herman J. (Kim) Sachse of Leavenworth and Laura (Jerry) Cross of Atchison; and one brother-in-law Don (Gerrianne) Heim of Sabatha, and two sister-in-laws, Alice Theis and Carol Heim, both of Leavenworth.
Raised as a farm girl, Rita enjoyed life on the farm and was a helpful hand to both her family’s farm and husband’s farm. She drove grain trucks, prepared lunches to take to the fields and enjoyed riding around to check cows.
Rita was an accomplished seamstress, making her daughters’ wedding dresses and quilts for several family members. She made many homemade outfits for her children and grandchildren, and she did numerous alterations for the community. She was the sewing leader for many years for the Happy Hollow 4-H Club.
Rita was most proud of her children and 12 grandchildren: Emily and Alice Mattox; Kailey, Nathan, and Wyatt Wilburn; Ty, Tate and Trace Presley; and Lucy, Natalie, Sadie and Jackson Heim.
She retired from Leavenworth Public Schools Child Nutrition in 2016.
She is preceded in death by her parents.
Services for Rita will be private with Rev. David McEvoy, O.Carm. and Father Francis Bakyor as co-celebrants. Burial will be at 3 p.m. Monday, May 18, 2020, at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Leavenworth. Arrangements in care of R.L. Leintz Funeral Home. Memorials may be given to Kansas Palliative and Hospice Care, St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Joseph of the Valley Catholic Church.