Sept. 18, 1954 – Sept. 24, 2013

Baton Rouge — Services for Rita Manel Traylor, 59, of Natchez, formerly of Monroe, La., who died Tuesday, Sept, 24, 2013, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, will be 2 p.m. Friday at Resthaven Funeral Home, in Baton Rouge with the Rev. Eddie White officiating.

Visitation is noon until service time Friday at the funeral home.

Mrs. Traylor was born Sept. 18, 1954, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the daughter of Cyril and Therese Meewella.

She was a 1971 graduate of Milagiriya Girls High School in Colombo and 1980 graduate of the Woodlands Training Center for the Montessori Method of Education in Maharagama, Sri Lanka.

Manel was a recent citizen of Natchez, a city that she loved and former resident of Monroe, La., a community that she loved and in which she raised her family. She has also lived in Columbo, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka; London and Baton Rouge. She was thoroughly and belligerently an American.

Mrs. Traylor worked as a Montessori teacher at the Montessori School of Baton Rouge from 1982 – 1986;  she ran her own school in Monroe from 1986 – 1989, and worked as a teacher at Grace Episcopal School in Monroe from 1989 to 2011. She took an extreme interest in, more than anything, teaching children. She also took an interest in her animals, growing saltwater coral and fish, and orchids and roses.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Survivors include her husband and best friend of 32 years, Dwain Traylor; two daughters, Jenna Nicole Ortego and husband, Jeffrey, of Baton Rouge, Alexis Louise Traylor of Monroe; son, Christopher Caleb Traylor of New Orleans; three brothers, Samath Wijesinghe and wife, Kusum, Upendra Wijesinghe and wife, Shanthi, Chrys Meewella and wife, Prema; two sisters, Mary Perera and husband, Antony, and Anne Meewella; brother-in-law, Doug Traylor and wife, Sandra; sister-in-law, Debbie Dixon and husband, Stephen; her very adored grandchildren, Karleigh, Clark and Dylan Ortego; and a number of neices and nephews, including Priyan and Romina Meewella, Hannah Traylor, Dave Marley and Nicholas Dixon,  and Sriyan and Ruwani Perera.

Pallbearers will be Nicholas Dixon, Dave Marley Dixon, Caleb Traylor, Doug Traylor, Stephen Dixon and Priyan Meewella.

Donations in Manel’s memory may be sent to the Preschool Program at Grace Episcopal School at 1400 N. Fourth St., Monroe, La. 71201.

To send online condolences or sign the guestbook visit www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.