Rita Tilley

Funeral services for Mrs. Rita Tilley, 77, of Lone Star, Texas, will be 12:00 noon, Saturday, November 7, 2026 at Hughes Springs Missionary Baptist Church under the direction of Reeder-Davis Funeral Home in Hughes Springs. There will be a time of visitation for family and friends beginning at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at the church and continue until service time.

Some people leave behind memories. Others leave behind a lifetime of love, laughter, and a family forever changed by having known them. Rita Joyce Tilley, lovingly known to so many as “Mimi,” was one of those extraordinary people.

Rita Joyce Tilley, 77, was born on April 2, 1949, in Crosby County, Texas, to Ira Freddie Ware and Billie Ruth Munden Ware. On November 5, 2026, she peacefully took her final breath surrounded by the family who meant everything to her.

To know Rita was to know laughter, love, and a little bit of sass. She had a wonderful sense of humor, a personality that could brighten any room, and a way of making even the simplest moments unforgettable. She loved listening to music, dancing, laughing, and spending time with the people she cherished most.

Above all else, Rita loved God and her family. Her faith was an important part of who she was, and her family was her entire world. Nothing brought her greater happiness than being surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Whether it was a family gathering, a trip to the beach, a special celebration, or an ordinary day spent together, Rita treasured the moments that brought everyone close.

Being “Mimi” was one of the greatest joys of her life. She wasn’t just a grandmother or great-grandmother; she was a source of comfort, laughter, unconditional love, and countless precious memories. She had a special way of making the people around her feel loved, and the bond she shared with her family was truly something special.

Rita is survived by her loving children: Rodney Tilley and his wife, Kasha; Rebecca Tilley Rau and her husband, Greg; and April Tilley Hall and her husband, Darren.

She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren and their families: Stacie Fair and her husband, Michael, and their children, Juliana McCutcheon and her spouse, Justin, and Colton Fair; Kagen Tilley and his children, Elise and Lincoln Tilley; Reilly Tilley and his wife, Bailey, and their children, Parkyr and Emmitt Tilley; Brookelyn Staner and her husband, Joe, and their children, Paislee, Emersyn, and Joseph; DaultonHall and his wife, Jordann; McKenzie Hardin;

Jordan Lalonde; Pearl White husband Rance & Warren and Hunter Perry, Isabella Tilley & son Kashton

She is further survived by her siblings, Lynda, David, Dilton, Jesse, Michael, and Gary Ware, along with many other family members and friends who will forever cherish her memory.

Rita was preceded in death by Bobby Tilley; her loving husband; her parents, Ira Freddie Ware and Billie Ruth Ware; her brother, Jerry Ware; and Jeffery Dean Rau and Jeffery Peter Rau.

Although her family would have given anything for more time, they find comfort in knowing that Rita’s final moments were peaceful and that she was surrounded by love.

Her family will forever remember her laughter, her humor, her love of music, her dancing, and the countless ways she made life brighter. They will remember the woman who could make them smile, who loved them fiercely, and whose greatest happiness was simply being together.

Rita’s life was not measured by the years she lived, but by the love she gave, the laughter she shared, and the generations of family who will carry her memory forward.

Her dancing feet may now be still, but the love she gave will continue to move through her family for generations to come.

Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our Mimi.