Rita Evelyn Trotz

Rita Evelyn Trotz died peacefully at her West Jones Street home in downtown Savannah on
March 31, 2023.

She was 96 years old. Rita was born to Henry and Harriet Levine on June 27,
1927, in Plainfield, New Jersey. She pursued nursing as her career and eventually moved to
Savannah, Georgia, where she married her first husband, Leonard Harris, in 1952. Rita worked
as both a surgical scrub nurse and a pediatric nurse. In 1955, she helped open the then
newly-built emergency room at Memorial Medical Center. In 1965, Rita married Sam Louis
Trotz, who owned Thrifty Hardware in downtown Savannah.

Rita was an accomplished woman, business owner, and intellectually curious lover of history,
literature, and the arts. After retiring from nursing, Rita became a rare book dealer, selling
thousands of volumes, prints, and maps through her business, The Printed Page. She loved
being a member of the close-knit community of antique dealers in Savannah and around the
world.

She lived and breathed the history of her adopted hometown of Savannah, publishing the
miniature book The Founding of Georgia, which she dedicated to her friend and mentor Lilla
Hawes. She was committed to improving and preserving her community, volunteering at the
Georgia Historical Society, which recognized her with the Sarah Nichols Pinckney Volunteer of
the Year award. Rita also was proud to be a member of Congregation Mickve Israel. Her love of
history was a factor in her family moving from a ranch home on Savannah's southside to an
1850-era home downtown in the late 1970s when the renovation of Savannah's historic district
was getting underway.

In 2002, the Telfair Academy in Savannah exhibited over fifty prints from Rita's private poster
collection, which gave a comprehensive overview of poster art from the early 1800s through the
modern day. She enjoyed all things related to classical music, playing piano at home, singing in
the Savannah Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and serving as a symphony usher for many years.
Rita also enjoyed performing as an extra in a number of movies that were filmed in Savannah.
Another of Rita's joys in life was her love of animals, dogs, and cats in particular. Over the
years, she had and loved a wide variety of dogs, including a Chihuahua, an English sheepdog,
an Australian cattle dog, and many other beloved dogs. Her dear cats included a Seal Point
Siamese and a Maine Coon.

Rita was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 36 years, Sam, and her sister, Hilda
Katz. She is survived by her sons Jerry Harris of Savannah, Joseph (Amy) Trotz of Atlanta, Seth
(Cynthia) Trotz of Harvard, Massachusetts, and her grandchildren whom she adored: Zachariah,
Gabriel, Caleb, Samuel, Noah, and Eliana, as well as by her loving nephews and nieces.

The family extends its appreciation to Rita's friend and caregiver, Kathleen Donovan, as well as
Peggy Moriarty, Barbara Price, Janae Godbolte, Rose Corbett, and all of the other kind
caregivers who supported and comforted Rita throughout the years.

A Graveside Service will be held Sunday April 23, 2023 at 1pm at Bonaventure Cemetery with Rabbi Robert W. Haas officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Rita's memory may be made to Congregation Mickve Israel, 20 East Gordon St, Savannah,
GA 31401