Rita Lois Ledet Kane

Rita Lois Ledet Kane passed away peacefully at age 87 on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Hammond after a sudden, brief illness. She was surrounded by her devoted family and was at peace in her final hours.

Rita was raised in Port Sulphur where at age 13 following her mother’s death, Rita became the mama of the family and helped provide care to her younger siblings. We all suspect that her take charge attitude came from that experience as she remained an integral part of her own children’s lives--guiding them with patience and unconditional love. Rita was a loving and kind mother and grandmother who treated everyone she met as family; she never met a stranger.

Together Rita and John raised their six children on Lyndell Drive in Chalmette where they lived for almost 50 years. Their home was the gathering place for family, friends, and neighbors for countless holidays and get-togethers. Following Katrina, Rita felt blessed to have all six of her children live within ten miles of her new home in Hammond.

She was queen in her home, and we all respected her, but that didn’t prevent us from teasing her about so many little things. Rita was “a good ole sole” as Jay used to say. They shared coffee and the newspaper each morning to start their day and in Jay’s final years when his vision faded, Rita read the newspaper to him.

Rita and her son, Johnny, shared a loving home with their dog Ro who provided Rita with loyal devotion for the past year. She was a great cook and loved family dinners after which a game of dominoes was usually on the agenda. She never held grudges, forgave easily, and served as a great example of what it means to live life in the way Jesus commanded. She was known as Mama Rita to many of her children’s friends and after they lost a parent, she offered herself and her love to help fill the void.

She is survived by her six children John Kane, Mary Kane (Donna), Carolyn Kane, Theresa K Avergel (Daniel), Michael Kane, and Daniel Kane; grandchildren Bryan Virga, Aubrey Kane-Milani, Vanest Padmanaban, Yvette Wolford, Jackie Schaul; 13 great grandchildren; brother Ernest Ledet and sisters Florence Hansen, Judy Domingue, Debbie Schmidt; and dear friend Debbie Honard.

Rita was preceded in death by her loving husband of 58 years John J. “Jay” Kane Sr., parents Ernest and Eunice Ledet; brothers Alfred and William Ledet, sister Pauline Poletti, brother-in-law Chris Hansen, sister-in-law Joan Ledet; stepmother Gladys Ledet, grand-daughter Rachel Crider; and nephews Eric Hansen and Aaron Domingue.

Rita’s six kids all have so many “Rita-isms” that represent her sense of humor and strong opinions on many subjects. She read a daily newspaper with the coffee that Johnny had ready when she awakened. She highlighted and saved articles that she felt we needed to read. She also became competent on the computer and enjoyed searching for the perfect emojis for her comments on social media. She mastered email years ago and regularly communicated with her family and friends- even those who didn’t share her liberal point of view. She thoroughly enjoyed the fresh flowers from her garden that Johnny nurtured and placed in her bud vase collection throughout the house.

Rita attended Holy Ghost Catholic Church, and the family is thankful that her favorite priest, Father Cayet, was at the hospital to say final prayers.

A celebration of Rita’s life will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Grace Funeral Home, 450 Holy Trinity Drive, Covington, LA 70433. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. until the Mass in the chapel at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the charity of your choice or one she supported such as Tangi Animal Friends at venmo.com/u/TangiAnimalFriends-TAF or paypal.me/tangianimalfriends and St. Jude Children’s Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/

Following the Mass, family and friends are invited to a reception at the Tope là Catering Room, 113 E. Thomas Street, Hammond, LA 70401.

A private inurnment will take place at a later time.