Rita Michelle Veeder

Rita "Michelle" Veeder, of Chesapeake Beach, age 76, passed away on March 18, 2024, in the presence of her loving husband and children.  She was born November 17, 1947, in Washington, D.C. to Lloyd Williams Vanderman and Ghislaine Louise (Henri) Vanderman.  The second of four children in a military family, Rita Michelle spent her very early years primarily in Europe and later in Prince George's County.  She is survived by her husband Jan Richard Veeder; her daughter Lauren Elizabeth Leighton, son-in-law Jeremy Curtis Leighton, and their children: Alexandra Elizabeth and William Curtis, all of Edmond, Oklahoma; and her son Matthew Richard Veeder of Huntingtown, Maryland.  She is also survived by her brothers Guy Vanderman of Alabama, Kris Vanderman of Pennsylvania, and her sister Lori Wilmot of Washington state.

Rita Michelle is known to her birth family by her given name of Rita.  To the rest of the world, she presented herself as Michelle, her middle name.  A graduate of Surrattsville High School, she attended Richmond School of Nursing, now known as Virginia Commonweath University.  She later met and married Vincent Calvin Scott, Jr.  Unfortunately, the marriage was short-lived, as Captain Scott died in combat as an Air Force pilot in Vietnam.

Newly widowed, Rita Michelle applied to Woodward and Lothrop where she was hired and accepted into their management training program. She was later assigned to their fashion office and remained with them for over ten years.  Following her marriage to her husband Jan and the birth of her children, Lauren and Matt, she later accepted employment as an interior designer. She continued in the field of design as a self-employed interior designer, a floral designer, and as a floral department manager.  

Rita Michelle’s hobbies and interests changed over the years, but she always cherished the relationships she enjoyed with her family, and later, her husband's family.  She also treasured the friendships she established with her husband's 'family' with the Prince George's County Police Department and the Calvert County Sheriff's Office.  As her husband assumed a leadership position with the Washington, D.C. chapter of his college alumni association, Rita Michelle soon became one of their favorites; they always insisted she be included in their formal group photographs as one of their own.  Other interests included cooking, sewing, reading, family history and genealogy, feeding wild birds, and most importantly, her small collection of four-legged children.  Rita Michelle dearly loved all of her fur babies, but a black and white Shih Tzu named Chuckie truly captured her heart for many years.

Services will be handled by Lee Funeral Home in Owings, Maryland, on March 29, 2024, with visitation at 12:00 p.m., followed by a memorial service.  Interment will be private at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a local charity known as SMILE, https://smileinc.org, the Salvation Army, https://Salvationarmyusa.org or your favorite charity.