Rita Claire Dee

Rita Claire Dee, 93 of North Bergen, New Jersey died peacefully on January 11, 2023 after a life well lived. She was born in Jersey City on October 28, 1929 (she would always say “the day the stock market crashed”). Rita graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in West New York and started her career at New York Life Insurance Company. At New York Life, Rita met some of her lifelong friends who became part of her family.

She met her future husband, William at a bowling alley in Queens and they were married in 1956. Shortly thereafter, they moved to their new home in North Bergen, where they welcomed five children. After William’s sudden death in 1977, Rita went back to work – this time at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Her grandchildren were thrilled at the Snoopy stuffed animals (Met Life’s mascot) and other goodies that came their way from that position.

Back in New York City, Rita was happy to reunite with several of her friends from the old New York Life days and they enjoyed the theater, the ballet (which she tolerated) and many fine meals at some of New York’s finest French restaurants (and a couple of favorite Irish pubs too). Rita also enjoyed her annual family vacations on Long Beach Island as well as trips to Cape Cod and San Francisco. She took several trips to the Midwest and Niagara to transport two of her sons to and from college. She had a great sense of humor, loved to laugh, have a good time and played a mean game of mini golf.

Rita was an active and devoted parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Bergen and later at Our Lady of Fatima Church, where she was a Eucharist Minister and a “coffee lady” for the bingo games (she always had some interesting stories from that activity).

Rita was predeceased by her parents Joseph and Florence Snyder, her sister, Florence Ciborski, her son-in-law, Lou and daughter-in-law, Laurie. Rita is survived by her children, Patricia, Maureen, Kevin (Christine), James and Brian and her grandchildren, Elizabeth, William, Chelsea, Catherine (Kevin), Ryan and Francesca.