Obituaries

Community Remembers Rita Holt

Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Rita A. (Turner) Holt, 93, a lifelong resident of Marlborough, passed away peacefully on Dec. 3, 2013, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Marlborough, Rita was the daughter of the late Stanley and Alice Turner. In 2001, she was predeceased by her husband  Ernest R. Holt, to whom she was married for 59 years.

She is survived by her son, James Holt, and his wife, Trish, of Marlborough; her daughter, Judith Ryan, and her husband, Richard, of Acton; her daughter, Mary Saltus, and her husband, Lloyd, of Concord; and her daughter, Patricia Cumming, and her husband, Randy, of Northborough; two sisters, Lucille Brigham of Marlborough and Jeanne Thivierge of Marlborough; and a sister-in-law, Nita Holt, of Westborough; 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to Ernest, Rita was pre-deceased by her brother, Clifford Turner, and her sisters, Dorothy Hannigan, Lorraine Quimby, and Ruth Gabriel. Rita also leaves behind many dear friends and families in the Greenwood Street neighborhood.

Rita graduated in 1938 from Marlborough High School. She was a homemaker, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and will always be remembered for her love, devotion, and generosity to her family and friends. She loved gardening, cooking, reading, listening to music, and providing welcome snacks and drinks to the many neighborhood children who would come to visit her.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Rita’s family from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 at the William R. Short and Son Funeral Home, 95 West Main St., Marlborough. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Immaculate Conception Church, 11 Prospect St., Marlborough. Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Marlborough.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Marlborough, 169 Pleasant St., Marlborough, MA 01752.  


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