Rita Sahlein

Rita Lenore Sahlein

August 26, 1935 - April 25th, 2026

Pasadena, California

Rita Sahlein, a beloved mother, grandmother, wife, friend, vocalist, Realtor, civic leader, and longtime Pasadena presence, has passed away at the age of 90. Born Rita Lenore Reddish on August 26, 1935, in Chicago, IL., Rita carried throughout her life the warmth, polish, humor, and grace of a woman who knew how to make a room brighter simply by entering it.

Rita lived many lives in one. In the 1950s and 1960s, she pursued a singing career that reflected both her talent and her unmistakable personal style. She had the kind of voice that fit naturally with the great American songbook: elegant, rhythmic, expressive, and always alive to the lyric. Decades later, from the 1980s through the 2000s, she returned often to the music she loved, performing with The Swing Kings, an eight-piece local band, and with The Best of Times, a twelve-piece band. Whether singing standards, dance-band favorites, or the songs that brought people to their feet, Rita gave audiences the same gifts she gave her family and friends: joy, glamour, timing, generosity, and heart.

In 1979, Rita married Hugo Sahlein, beginning a long devoted marriage that lasted until Hugo's passing in November 2013. Together, they shared a life rich with family, friends, travel, music, community involvement, and deep roots in Pasadena. Rita was quite proud of the Sahlein family name and carried it with elegance, loyalty, and strength till the end.

Professionally, Rita built a distinguished real estate career in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley communities. She worked through several respected firms over the course of her career, including Century 21, Podley, Caughey, & Doan, DBL, and Sotheby's International Realty. Her work was never only about property; it was about people, neighborhoods, trust, and guiding families through some of the most important decisions of their lives.

Rita was especially devoted to the Realtor community. She gave many years of service to the Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors, serving as its President in 2003 and as a Director for ten years. PFAR later honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a Realtor career spanning more than thirty years, as well as prior honors as Realtor of the Year and Woman of the Year for her philanthropic work. Family and colleagues also remember her tireless involvement with the California Association of Realtor and her strong commitment to professional standards, service, and the dignity of the real estate profession.

Rita's civic life extended well beyond real estate. Through the Pasadena Woman's Civic League, she invested her time and energy in programs that lifted up women and celebrated achievement. In 2015, as Education and Youth Co-Chair, she helped honor exceptional eighth-grade girls from Pasadena-area middle schools, presenting certificates and flowers and helping create a memorable recognition luncheon. It was exactly the kind of work Rita valued: personal, encouraging, polished, and rooted in service.

Those who knew Rita will remember the details: the voice, the fashion, the poise, the laughter, the standards, the loyalty, and the way she made people feel seen. She had a performer's sparkle, a Realtor's discipline, a civic leader's sense of duty, and a mother's fierce devotion. She loved Pasadena, loved music, loved her family, and believed in showing up beautifully for the people and causes that mattered to her.

Rita is survived by her son, Steven Sahlein; Steven's fiancee, Denise Mandelbaum; and her grandchildren, Rachel, Erik, and Brianna. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Hugo Sahlein.

Her family, friends, clients, colleagues, and community will remember Rita as a woman of song, service, sophistication, and uncommon grace. Her life was a melody carried across generations, and it will continue to be heard in the stories, standards, and love she leaves behind. Rita has chosen to be cremated, and she will be interned at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills in a brief family service later this month.