Rita Compton

Rita Compton, 89, of Hardy, Arkansas passed from this life on June 9, 2023. She was born Rita Anne Pera on January 8, 1934 in Memphis, Tennessee to Samuel and Martina Pera and grew up in a close-knit Italian family. Rita married Metford Compton, also of Memphis, on September 8, 1956. They raised five children together and retired to Hardy, Arkansas in 1993. She was an avid cook who collected and read cookbooks like they were novels. Rita loved sewing and needlecraft and took great pride and care in making her home a warm and inviting place for friends and loved ones. A lover of the outdoors, Rita also enjoyed walking in the woods near her home, tending her garden, and identifying all the wildflowers around her. With her husband she was a member of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association and participated in club events in Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and Arizona. Rita was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and a good friend. She is sorely missed by those she left behind. She was predeceased by her husband, Metford, in 2014; a sister, Marie; and three brothers: Tony, John, and Leo. Survivors include her children: Michael (Sherry) Compton, Martina (Al Graham) Compton, David (Holly Keefe) Compton, Laura Compton, and Angela (Robert) Loe; three grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; a sister-in-law, Louise (Bill) Tyson; other relatives and friends. Committal will be in Memphis on Friday, July 21, at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, after which there will be a private Celebration of Life for family and friends at the home of Michael and Sherry Compton, 5021 Coro Road, Memphis, TN 38109. Family requests memorial donations in Rita's honor be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/donate or P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38101.