MacQUARRIE, Rita M. (Fiola), of Clearwater, Fla., formerly of Norwood, October 10, 2026. Beloved wife of the late James J. MacQuarrie, who died in 2016. Mother of Brian of Jamaica Plain, Dennis and his wife Catherine of Kittery, Maine; Gordon and his wife Barbara of Allentown, Pa.; and Lesley of Clearwater, Fla. Survived by her sister Marianne Sweeney of Attleboro. Grandmother of Fiona Helmuth of Clinton, N.Y.; Meghan Cahill of South Berwick, Maine; Andrew MacQuarrie of Rockland; Jennifer Miller of Largo, Fla.; and Allyson O’Malley of St. Johnsbury, Vt.; and 12 great-grandchildren. Daughter of the late Alfred and Helen Fiola (Jordan). Sister of the late Frederic Fiola, Helen Monahan, Loretta Jones, Mary Giancioppo, and Willam Fiola.
Born in East Dedham in 1927, Rita enjoyed a long, warm life filled with tenderness, joy, and a bountiful love of family until her death at age 99 in Florida, where she lived with her devoted daughter, Lesley. Rita attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Brighton, graduated from Dedham High School, and studied at Burdett College in Boston before serving as administrative assistant to the dean of Suffolk University. She moved to Norwood after her marriage and worked as a legal secretary at Factory Mutual Insurance.
Rita and her late husband moved from Norwood to Clearwater on a full-time basis in 1996. Over their 65 years of marriage, Rita and Jim developed a passion for Scottish country dancing, and for Scottish and Irish music, which they shared frequently with a wide group of enthusiastic friends. Rita was a gregarious storyteller with an infectious sense of humor, a ready laugh, and never tired of reminiscing about growing up in her close and lively household.
Most of all, Rita loved her family -- both the immediate and extended, including dozens of nieces and nephews -- and was deeply proud of them and their accomplishments.
Visiting hours will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Wilson-Cannon Funeral Home, 456 High St., Dedham, on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. Funeral from the funeral home on Friday, Nov. 6, at 9 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass in St. Mary’s Church, Dedham, at 10 a.m. (accessible parking in the rear of the church). Relatives and friends kindly invited. Interment in Mount Benedict Cemetery, West Roxbury.