Rita Audrie Hunt, 72, of Sturgeon Bay, passed away after a short illness on Jan. 7, 2024, at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. She was born Nov. 5, 1951, in Sturgeon Bay to Eldon and Audrie (Nelson) Watkins. On Jan. 12, 1974, she married David Hunt at Bay View Lutheran Church in Sturgeon Bay.
For several years, Rita worked at Door County Memorial Hospital and for the Door County Co-op. In 1996, after experimenting with gourmet mustard recipes, she perfected her own recipe and took it to market under the trademark “D.C. Mustard”. In 2022, she won 3rd place in a worldwide mustard-making competition.
Rita was also an active member of Bay View Lutheran Church in Sturgeon Bay and the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club. For the past forty years, she and Pam DeMelle organized events for the Sun Downers Golf League at Idlewild Golf Course.
She is survived by her husband, David; a daughter, Megan (Adam) Delfosse [and their children, Ethan, Ashlyn, Aiden, and Aubri]; a son, David (Danielle) Hunt [and their children, Cameron and Griffin]; two sisters, Judy Palmer, and Myrna Herrbold; a brother Dean Watkins; brother-in-law Don (Cheryl) Hunt; two sisters-in-law, Mary (Al) Hryniewicki and Kathy Haines; a special nephew Dr. Fran Herrbold; and a special niece Amy Dickson. She was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Sarah, and two brothers, Lory and Bruce Watkins.
Funeral Services will be at 11: 00 a.m. Friday, January 12, 2024, at Bay View Lutheran Church. The burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery. Friends may call from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Thursday at Forbes Funeral Home and after 10:00 a.m. Friday at the church until the time of services. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established.
