Rita M. Maher

ASHLAND Rita M. (Cusack) Maher, 83, a resident of Ashland since 1959, passed away peacefully at her home on Thursday, July 24, 2008, with her daughters by her side. Born in Framingham, she was the daughter of the late Edward V. and Elizabeth (Joyce) Cusack. Raised on Mission Hill in Roxbury, Rita was a graduate of the High School of Our Lady of Perpetual Help/ Mission High, with the Class of 1941. She was a 36 year employee of NYNEX, currently Verizon, starting as a switchboard operator, and retiring as an executive secretary in 1986. Rita enjoyed bowling on Tuesday mornings at Fairways and volunteering her time at the Ashland Public Library. She loved to travel with her girls, especially to Disney World in Florida. She leaves her daughters, Jacqueline Maher of Hopkinton, Janice Maher and her fiance, Larry Farrington, of Greenville Junction, Maine, and Joyce Angelo and her husband, Robert, of Framingham; many nieces and nephews, and her former husband, Michael "Joe" Maher, of Framingham. She was the sister of the late Mary F. Mooney, James V. Cusack and Ruth E. Noonan. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral Mass on Monday, July 28, at 9 a.m. at St. Cecilia's Church, Esty Street, Ashland. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Ashland. Visiting hours are Sunday, July 27, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Boyle Brothers Funeral Home, 173 Union Ave., Framingham.