MONTANARI, Rita F. Age 82, of Wellesley, a loving wife, beloved mother and cherished grandmother "Nonna", passed away peacefully on August 11, 2021. Rita was born in Drogheda Ireland to the late James and Mary (Mitchell) Fay and spent a majority of her youth on Eyre Street in Galway – a place she would regularly visit with her two boys. She moved to the Boston area in 1960, met her late husband of 57 years, Lenny, at the old Sunshine Dairy in Wellesley in 1961. They made their home on Westerly St. in Wellesley since 1968.
Rita worked for the Town of Wellesley as a Crossing Guard. Many will remember her stopping cars on Weston Road so children could safely cross to Hardy School. After leaving that position, Rita was employed by Instrumentation Laboratory Company in Bedford/Lexington working as an accountant prior to her retirement. Rita busied herself with ‘Rusty’, her orange tabby that she absolutely adored. Her current cat ‘Pumpkin’ provided much needed comfort since the loss of her husband.
After retirement, Rita remained active with her husband, taking daily walks around Wellesley, hand in hand, along Linden Street. She exercised at the Senior Center and fell in love with Mahjong. She could be found playing Mahjong from Needham to Woburn. Her love of Irish music carried over to her children and she always added milk to her tea, not cream.
Rita loved her family unconditionally and found true happiness in their success and well-being. Her children and grandchildren will remember her as being very fair – what one got, the other one always got the same. Rita was preceded in death by the love of her life, Lenny (12/18/2020) and she is survived by their two sons, James and wife Christina of Danvers, MA and Michael and wife Dana of Edmonds, WA; grandchildren Samuel, Elizabeth, Madelyn, Spencer and Patrick; the extensive Fay Family from Galway, Ireland; sisters Angela and Peggy, brother Noel and wife Mary, and brother Eamon and wife Loretta; many wonderful nieces and nephews in the States and Ireland; in-laws Allan Montanari of Wellesley and his partner, Sharlene Harris (Medway), and Denise (Montanari) Rogers and her husband Dwight "Smitty" Rogers also of Wellesley.
Visiting hours will be held at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., (Rt.16) Wellesley on Monday, Aug. 16 from 4-7pm. Funeral begins at the funeral home on Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 9am followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Paul's Church, Wellesley at 10am. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Private interment will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123, cancer.org or the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005, heart.org.