HAVERHILL: Rita V. (Coco) Forte, 86, died Thursday, June 10, 2010 in the Hannah Duston Healthcare Center in Haverhill. She was the wife of the late Joseph J. Forte.
Born in Haverhill on September 18, 1923 she was the daughter of the late Alfred and Mary R. (Mercier) Coco. She attended Haverhill Public Schools.
Rita worked for several years at Western Electric in Haverhill and previously worked at Woolworths in downtown Haverhill as a young woman. She and Joseph then started their family together in Haverhill.
Rita was a good mother to all of her children but extremely devoted to their daughter, Barbara who had Cerebral Palsy. She tended to Barbara and her needs with much care until she passed away in 1978 at the age of 21.
She enjoyed cooking and had a love for animals, especially cats. Rita was known to take in and care for lost cats in the neighborhood as she hated to see them not taken care of.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, John J. and Diane Forte of Haverhill, a daughter, Nancy Murphy and her fiancé, John Piecuch of Haverhill, four grandchildren, Caitlin and Mary Murphy and Joseph and Theresa Forte all of Haverhill, a sister, Barbara Carmical of AZ and a brother, Edward Coco of CA. She was also predeceased by her grandson, Anthony John Forte, and her four brothers, Samuel, Alfred, William and Richard Coco.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday in the St. James Church, 161 Winter St., Haverhill at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. At the request of the family, there are no visiting hours. Interment will be held in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Haverhill.