Rita was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 24, 1917 to Nunzio and Frances Di Palma. Her younger sister Frances predeceased her many years earlier.  She and her parents lived briefly in Sorrento, Italy and moved back to NY where her father purchased a large Apple and Dairy Farm on Robinson Lane in the Town of Wappingers Falls sometime during the early 1920’s. She was a graduate of Poughkeepsie High School and for a short time attended nursing school. During the Second World War she married, left school and went to work at the Hudson River State Hospital in the nursing program.

Rita was a loving caring person who enjoyed listening to the problems of others, always with an open heart and kind word. She was never judgmental.   She would spend her days attending daily mass at St. Columba in Hopewell Junction, always sitting in the first corner of the back pew. Here she made many wonderful friends. She lived to help others. She prayed daily to the Blessed Mother and she brought great calmness and peace to those around her.

Over the years both her parents suffered long illnesses. She moved in with them, worked a full time job to support her two sons and put one through college while at the same time nursing both parents at home until they passed. She was both mother and father to her boys.  She did so with love and pride and with never a complaint.

She was surrounded by friends her entire life, many of these friends were generations younger than herself while others were life long. If a person had no where to go on a holiday, they came to her home and they were welcomed with open arms.  She was young at heart and even her suffering in the last year of her life could not rob her of that.

Rita passed away on March 15, 2008. She is survived by two sons, Francis Jason Di Palma, coincidentally also born on September 24, 1947 and her oldest son, Donald Grossman. Mr. Grossman gave her three Grandchildren, Donald Scott Grossman (and his wife Linda), Craig Grossman and Jeanette Grossman Lee and her husband Donald. She was extremely proud of her two great grandchildren Donald John better known as “DJ” Grossman and Corey Grossman. They were like stars in her eyes.

She lived on Robinson Lane most of her life but spent the last thirty years living side by side with her son Jason. They were rarely apart and enjoyed the pleasure of each others company each day. In her words, they were two people with one soul.

Rita enjoyed cooking huge meals, and entertained her heart out for everyone who would come to visit. She enjoyed gardening, watching her grandchildren play softball and just making others happy. She was a true lover of animals and is survived by Blondie,” her cat without a tail”, and her two adoptive Grand Dogs, Sammie and Sarah.

Her loss leaves a huge void in the lives of everyone she has touched. Our world will never be the same without her.