Rita O'Hara Riberdy's Obituary
Rita (O'Hara) Riberdy passed into the hands of our Lord, Saturday June 13, 2020. Rita was born in Lowell, Massachusetts February 27, 1928. She graduated from Lowell High School and worked as a "Mill Girl" in the Merrimack River Textile Mills. She met Bernard Joseph Riberdy shortly after World War II and they were married August 14, 1949. She was a fiercely devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She taught several generations the artistry of cooking and with songs and humor she taught us all important life skills, like how to tell the right from the left. After raising their family for many decades in New England, Bernie and Rita retired to Fort Myers, Florida and later moved to Germantown Plantation Senior Community in Tennessee, where they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last year. Everywhere Rita resided or traveled, her warm smile and personality attracted new and old friends alike. She is survived by her husband, Bernard Riberdy and her three beloved children, Maureen Wallace of Tyngsboro MA, Bernard Riberdy Jr. of Silverthorne, CO, and Janice Riberdy of Germantown, TN. She has 6 grandchildren (Nicole Canavan, Nathan Wallace, Emily Persons, Avey Riberdy, Josie Riberdy, and Alena Riberdy) and 3 great-grandchildren (Gwen Canavan, Caroline Wallace, and Isla Wallace) and a new great-grandson, soon to join the family. Her love for family is only surpassed by the depth of her faith. She is a member of the Catholic Church of the Incarnation in Collierville, TN. Rita will be missed by everyone whose life was forever changed for the better by her gentle hands.
The family requests memorial contibutions be made in Rita's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html).
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