Rita Margaret Scully

Born and raised in Manhattan, NY to Bridget (Norris) and Thomas Boyle. Preceded in death by her siblings Thomas, Mary (Mae), Martin, John (Jack) and Joseph.

She is also preceded in death by first husband Dominick Calbi who she married in February 1957 until he passed in 1975 and second husband Richard Scully who she married in June 1982 until he passed in 2011.

Rita shared and imparted her courage, strength, and faith to her daughters, family, friends and everyone she crossed paths with. Upon retiring in 1994 after 43 years with the New York Telephone Company - Rita was a parishioner at Our Lady Mother of the Church in Woodcliff Lake where she was an Altar Person and baked many cakes and desserts for monthly coffee hours that she arranged to celebrate birthdays. She was a devoted supporter of Saint Jude and Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Rita was always the first one her family called when someone needed a prayer said for them; and once someone was placed on her prayer list – they never came off. She was an avid bowler where she was on 3 leagues at a time. Rita was a blood donor at the Bergen Community Blood Bank and donated blood and platelets for many years. Rita enjoyed spending time with family which included being an assistant softball coach and Girl Scout Leader for her granddaughters.

Rita adored spending time with family, whenever asked what do you want for Christmas her response was always the same “As long as we’re all together that’s the main thing.” Through her 89 wonderful years of life she spent countless hours with her focus on other people and teaching them how to see the world through her positive eyes and faced each day with her selfless heart.

If you ask her kids, grandkids and great grandkids, there are some things that Rita just did better than the rest. Some of their favorites including her being the best eyeglasses cleaner, scrambled eggs maker, storyteller, side eye giver, lotto scratch partner, confidant, nursery rhyme singer, dance partner, and her independence. One of the things that will be missed the most is her laugh and her generous giving heart. But there was nothing Rita loved more than spending time with all of them – especially going out to dinner; where if you knew her, she always looked at the desert menu first.

No one could quite ever make a raisin bread like Rita – but her family is willing to try.

Rita is survived by her three blessed and loving daughters Rita Berardo (John) Roseann Hunnewell (Donald) and Mary Calbi Bayles. Very proud grandmother (Gram, Nana) to Sara, Franchesca, Cristin, Ashley, Nadia and Nicholas. Great-Grandmother (GG) to Dalton, Brittany, Carter and Amelia. Also survived by sister-in-law’s JoAnne and Terry, and many nieces and nephews.

Rita always had encouraging words and was everyone’s biggest cheerleader. If you were facing a new challenge or opportunity you would be met with Rita’s loving words of wisdom and one of her most famous sayings “You go knock their socks off!” and “Enjoy.”

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Saint Jude Children’s Hospital in Rita’s name.

Services are being held at Becker Funeral Home in Westwood, NJ on October 16th 2022 with visiting hours from 2-7 PM. Funeral Mass will be at Our Lady Mother of the Church in Woodcliff Lake, NJ on October 17 at 10AM, Rita will then be laid to rest at Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, NJ.

In addition, there will be a memorial service held in Calabash, NC on November 12th, 2022.