Anita Y. Riccio, 90, of Chester, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on October 30, 2026, at Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH. Born on June 17, 1936, in Newark, New Jersey, Anita attended Newark public schools and graduated from Westside High School in 1952. She went on to earn a degree in Education from Montclair State College in 1956. After graduating, she taught third and sixth grade in the Linden Public Schools in Linden, New Jersey.
In 1960, Anita married Frederick Riccio and settled in Belleville, New Jersey, where they welcomed their two sons, Michael and Anthony. The family later lived in Springfield, New Jersey, before moving to Amherst, New Hampshire, in 1973. While in Amherst, Anita worked as a valued substitute teacher in the Amherst school system. Later, she was a hostess at Cafe Teresa, Londonderry, where she was loved by all . Anita remained in Amherst until 2017, when her beloved husband Frederick passed away. For the past nine years, she made her home in Chester, New Hampshire, with her son Michael and daughter-in-law Judy.
Anita was a kind, gentle, and loving woman who had a smile and a kind word for everyone she met. She was a fixture at her grandkids sporting events. Above all, she cherished her family, delighting in all family gatherings and visits from grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
She is survived by her sons, Michael and Anthony; her daughter-in-law, Judy; her grandchildren, Dominick, Finn, Sofia, Michael, Caleigh, and Alec; her cherished sister-in-law, Diana Manfredi; her niece, Donna Murphy; and her nephews, Robert and John O’Brien, Ronald and Lon Phillip Manfredi, Chris Riccio, and John Riccio III.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 from 3 – 5:30pm in the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch Street, Derry with a Catholic prayer service at 5:30pm. Entombment will be on Thursday November 5, 2026 at 11:30am at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in E. Hanover, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Anita's name to Community Health Hospice in Merrimack, New Hampshire.