Rita (Hildreth) Antalek died peacefully in her sleep on July 7th after a long illness. She was the beloved wife of the late Francis “Babe” Antalek who died in 1973.
Rita was born in Framingham, the devoted daughter of the late Fred and Emily (Torti) Hildreth and loving sister to the late Fred Hildreth, Jr. who died in 2015. She graduated from Framingham High School in 1944. Rita was working as a secretary when she met her future husband, Babe. They were married April 18, 1948 in Saxonville among their large extended families from Natick and Framingham and raised their children in Framingham. Rita held a variety of jobs over the years including working as a cashier at Giovanni’s Restaurant, as an aide at Leonard Morse hospital and as a school crossing guard in Framingham. After she retired from Verizon where she worked as a data entry operator, she moved to Bellingham where she remained until 2015 when she moved to Oak Knoll in Framingham. Rita loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, cooking the Italian food she grew up with, traveling with her friends Netta DeQuattro and Carol Roberts to domestic and international destinations, going to the beach, watching movies, and reading mystery and intrigue novels. She had many pets over the years and she loved wildlife, often feeding squirrels, hummingbirds, and other critters that showed up on her doorsteps. Her home was a second home for many people as well. Rita was always charitable, and would appreciate donations in her memory to St Jude’s Hospital for Children or the ASPCA.
She leaves five children Michael Antalek and his wife Eileen of Grafton, Paul Antalek and his wife Marlene of Shrewsbury, Mark Antalek and his wife Mary of North Grafton, Cindi Abbott of Bellingham, Susan Antalek and her fiancé Mark Marrone of Bellingham, grandchildren, Peter Antalek and wife Amanda, Sarah (Antalek) Hughes and husband William; Dawn (Antalek) Firmin and husband Scott, Kevin Antalek, Cole Antalek, Daniel Abbott, Emily Abbott and James Abbott; and great grandchildren Amanda and Zachary Firmin and Cameron (Abbott) Pilotte.
She was also the mother in law of the late Leon Abbott who died in 2014.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral on Tuesday at 9:00 A.M. from the John Everett and Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Patrick Church at 10:00 A.M.
Visiting hours are Monday from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M.
Interment Dell Park Cemetery.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to St Jude’s Hospital for Children, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to MSPCA, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130