Rita Kay Suddarth, 69, of Bowling Green, Virginia, passed away peacefully on May 29, 2025, in Fredericksburg. Born in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the beloved daughter of the late Gary C. and Margaret Gertrude Thomas.

Rita proudly served her community for 28 years as a Facility Support Contracts Manager (GS-12) with the federal government at Quantico. She also pursued her own business and started Dane World Magazine in 1994 and proudly owned and managed it for 19 years. She also pursued other interests and worked in Real Estate for several years as well as running car transport for multiple dealerships within Country Chevrolet.

Rita was a very avid and active member of the dog show community for the past 45 years. She purchased her first Great Dane in 1980 and was immediately bit by the “show bug”. She has bred, owned, loved, shown, and finished many Great Danes through the years. She also purchased her first Brussels Griffon in 2008 and fell in love with the breed. She proceeded to breed several litters of Griffs and finished some of them as well.

Rita was a member of the Great Dane Club of Metropolitan Washington for 44 years and served as the President for many of those years and was currently holding the position of Club Secretary. She also joined the Great Dane Club of America (GDCA) in the early 1990’s where she served as Top 20 Statistician from 1993 until recently. She also served on the GDCA Board from 2007-2011 and was the Show Chairperson for the GDCA Northeast Division National Specialty in 2001, 2007, 2013, and 2019. In addition to this, she also served as a Trustee on the Great Dane Club of America Charitable Trust since 2013.

Her dedication and strong work ethic were matched only by her compassion and loyalty to her family and friends. She was the cherished mother of Jennifer Suddarth Beazley, William “Matt” Suddarth, and Kristi Suddarth. Rita’s joy was multiplied in the love she shared with her seven grandchildren: Caitlin, Brayden, Isabella “Bella”, Summer, Noah, Ethan, and Aiden “AJ”. She also leaves behind her sister, Toni Parry (Ron), and was preceded in death by her loving husband of 42 years William T. Suddarth, Jr “Bill” and sister Zaney Sue Thomas.

A funeral service to celebrate Rita’s life will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Storke Funeral Home in Bowling Green, with visitation for family and friends from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Reception will follow at Roma’s Italian Restaurant in Bowling Green at 2:30 PM.

Rita will be remembered for her kindness, unwavering strength, and the deep love she had for her family. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and the memories she created. She will be missed more than words can express, but her spirit will remain forever in our hearts.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Great Dane Club of America Charitable Trust or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Please watch the livestream of the service on our facebook page which is call “Remarkable lives”.