Greta M. RIZZUTI

Greta Marlene Rizzuti, a devoted music lover and teacher all of her life, died of causes related to aging, on Tuesday, August 6, at Windriver Place in Spokane. She was 88.

The first child of Walter and Kate Johnson, she was born Feb. 9, 1936, in her grandmother's living room in Deadwood Gulch, Kellogg, Idaho. The family moved to Spokane when she was 6. She attended Willard and Madison Elementary and North Central High and earned her degrees at Whitworth College.

Music was a large part of Greta's life from a young age. When the family first moved to Spokane, she would tap-dance while her father, a ventriloquist, performed, often for appreciative audiences of World War II soldiers in the area. Greta was also a gifted ventriloquist, performing in the community with her dummy, Sally Ann.

A talented musician, she played the piano, the organ, the recorder, and the accordion. She often practiced the organ at St. John's Cathedral and belonged to a small recorder group. Known as "Miz Rizz" by her students, she taught music at several elementary schools in Spokane's District 8 and was a pioneer in the use of the Orff Schulwerk method of teaching music in the Inland Northwest. She also taught at St. George's School in Spokane and gave private piano lessons at home. She loved attending concerts by the Spokane Symphony and was a season-ticket holder for many years.

It was while giving accordion lessons in downtown Spokane, that she met Bruce Nissen, the son of the owners of a nearby floral shop. Greta and Bruce married in 1956 and had two sons, Mark and John. The couple later divorced.

In 1971, she reconnected with a high school friend, Stanley Rizzuti. The couple were married and lived in Spokane until he died in 2007.

Greta enjoyed gardening. She also always had a cat, usually a Siamese.

Survivors include her sister and brother-in-law, Brita and Norman Knapp of Columbus, Ohio; grandsons, Dylan Jahmai Auvil of Spokane and Ty Auvil of Sandpoint; daughters-in-law, Traci Topping of Moscow, Idaho, and Catherine Auvil of Sandpoint; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sons and her second husband.

Per Greta's wishes, there will be no service. The family suggests memorial donations be given to the Spokane Symphony Society, PO Box 365, Spokane, WA 99210-0365.