Obituary of RITA BERNSTEIN REICH

Rita (Bernstein) Reich passed away peacefully on January 17, 2023 at the age of 98. Born in 1924 to Alice and Leo Bernstein of Maplewood, NJ, she was the eldest of four siblings. Rita graduated from Columbia High School (where the sport of Ultimate Frisbee was born!), where she formed friendships that would last a lifetime. In 1946 she met and married William Reich, and together raised their two children, Arnold and Roberta, in New Jersey. Rita and Bill moved to Lake Worth Florida in 1984. In 2015, Rita moved to Orchard Cove in Canton, MA to be close to her daughter. She more recently, in 2020 moved to Newton, MA for the remainder of her life.

Rita was the consummate mother and hostess with a home filled with warmth and hospitality. On holidays, her large extended family would gather creating strong bonds between all. Rita traveled extensively with Bill, including a 6 week vacation to Italy where they visited many of the places Bill fought in WW II. Rita was blessed with four grandchildren, Sarah, Eli, Emily and Alex. While her children lived on different coasts, she and Bill committed themselves to frequent visits, as well as hosting family vacations that created life long bonds and memories. Her generosity of spirit was rewarded by her grandchildren’s devotion.

Rita loved entertaining with wonderful food and an impeccably set table. Rita was an avid tennis and bridge player, and continued to expand her social network among like-minded folks when she moved to Massachusetts. During her last years, she enjoyed close proximity to her daughter, two grandchildren and four great grandchildren, and thoroughly enjoyed using new technologies to keep in touch with family scattered across the country. She leaves behind a legacy of love for family and friends.

Rita was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, William Reich, and her brothers Louis and Harold Bernstein. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Larry and Judy Bernstein, her sister-in-law Sheila Bernstein, her son and daughter-in-law Arnold and Anita Reich of Seattle, her daughter and son-in-law Roberta and Myron Rosenberg of Newton, and her grandchildren Sarah Baskin, Eli Reich, Emily Bhargava and Alex Rosenberg. She leaves behind 8 great grandchildren: Moshe, Yossi, Zev, Avi, Adia, Cosmo, Leo and Luca, and numerous loving nephews and nieces. Everyone will miss her dearly.

Donations in Rita’s memory may be made to EmpowerSCI.org, or ProjectBread.org, both organizations that were meaningful to Rita and her loved ones.

Shiva will be observed at the home of Roberta and Myron Rosenberg in Newton, MA, Sunday, January 22, from 1:00-5:00, and the home of Arnold and Anita Reich in Seattle, WA.