Rita Mae Thys, age 69, of Victor, died on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 28, 2012, at St. Bridget Catholic Church in Victor with Fr. Brian Shepley officiating. Pallbearers will be Chris Boeding, Craig Buscher, Ed Loventisky, Mike Loventisky, Adam Thys and Paul Thys. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery in Victor. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday at St. Bridget Catholic Church. Memorials may be designated to the Rita Mae Thys Memorial Fund, PO Box 485, Victor, Iowa 52347. Memories and condolences may be shared with her family on the Smith Funeral Home website at www.smithfh.com. Rita was born on July 22, 1943, to Henry and Alvira Boeding Naber in Dyersville, Iowa. She was raised in Lamont, Iowa, and she graduated from Lamont High School with the class of 1961. She was united in marriage to John Thys on December 28, 1963, in Lamont. The couple moved to Victor where they farmed and later began working at Victor Manufacturing where she worked for 26 years. Rita was very energetic and always had a positive outlook on life. The simple blessings in her life were her family, faith and friends. She was an active member of St. Bridget Catholic Church in Victor and the Altar and Rosary Society. Her enjoyments included gardening, going to the casino, playing board games with her grandchildren, talking to her sisters on the phone, and staying in touch with everyone's activities on her Facebook page. Rita is survived by her husband of 48 years, John Thys of Victor; four children, John (Deb) Thys of Belle Plaine, Iowa, Joel (Dawn) Thys of Blairstown, Iowa, Julie (Mike) Klein of Brooklyn, Iowa, Jeff (Stephanie) Thys of Victor; six sisters, Jan (Tom) Wilhelm of Columbus, Ohio, Rose Ann (Gary) Davis of Scottsdale, Arizona, Laura (Allen) Behning of Mason City, Iowa, Mary Elaine Boeding of Dubuque, Virginia Wise of Spring Hill, Kansas, Dorothy (Wayne) Loventinsky of Marion, Iowa; and two brothers, Al (Patsy) Boeding of Ely, Iowa, and Francis (Lois) Boeding of Hopkinton, Iowa; and twelve grandchildren. Rita died on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. She was 69 years of age and was preceded in death by her parents; and her brothers, Leo, Linus, and Herman Boeding.