Obituary of Rita C. Lafferty

Rita Cecilia Lafferty (nee Ricci) of Stratford, NJ, entered into eternal life on May 5, 2017 surrounded by her loving and devoted family.  She was the beloved wife of the late John J. Lafferty; cherished mother of John (Cathy), Connie (Robert Bittner), Thomas (Denise), and Patricia (Joseph McNally); and Mom-Mom to 11 grandchildren: Patrick, Katharine (Justus Guerrieri), John, Joseph, Allison, Thomas, Matthew, William, Kristie, Elizabeth, and Michael.  Rita was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Consiglia (nee Donatelli) Ricci, and her 14 siblings: Anna, Mary, Angelina, Carmen, Elizabeth, Rosemary, Anthony, Nicholas, Margaret, Francis, Thomas, Joanne, Cecilia, and Rocco.Rita was born and raised on Porter Street in South Philadelphia, the second youngest child of Italian immigrants from Abruzzo. She graduated from South Philadelphia High School, graduated business school, worked at the Marine Corps, and was employed at the Veterans Administration in Philadelphia where she met her sweetheart, John. They were married on October 20, 1951 and had 57 long and wonderful years together raising their family. Rita was an amazing cook, loved to garden, and had a beautiful singing voice. She was an active member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church and School and St. Luke’s Alter Rosary Society.  While John was the Navy man, nobody could deny Rita was the anchor of the family. Underneath Rita’s sweet and unassuming nature, her family always found her to be the master of sage advice on life, which can be attributed to her deep faith in God and sense of familyRelatives and friends are invited to attend her viewing from 9:30 to 11:30am on Thursday May 11 at Our Lady Guadalupe Parish at St. Luke’s Campus, 55 Warwick Rd, Stratford, NJ. A mass of Christian burial will follow at 11:30am. Interment will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 300 White Horse Pike, Berlin, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to EWTN (Global Catholic Network), 5817 Old Leeds Rd, Irondale, AL 35210. Condolences at www.dankshinskifuneralhome.com