Rita (Vecchi) Palumbo CANANDAIGUA - Rita (Vecchi) Palumbo, age 96, passed away peacefully at home, with her family by her side, on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, following a gradual decline in health due to congestive heart failure. Rita was born in Canandaigua to Venanzia and Secondo Vecchi. She was predeceased by her husband, Victor L. Palumbo in 2008; and brothers, Peter Vecchi in 1929 and Renato "Ray" Vecchi in 2006. She is survived by four sisters, Elda Kurzjeski, Eva Aldrich, Laura (Sal) Christafano and Anita Herz; sister-in-law, Betty Vecchi; six children, Gary (Brooke) Palumbo of Boulder, Colo., Mark (Priscilla) Palumbo of Lakewood, Colo., Victoria (Stuart) Tucker of Canandaigua, Robert (Kit) Palumbo of Canandaigua, Martha (Alan) Peterman of Syracuse, N.Y., and Andrew Palumbo of Ashland, Mass.; 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Rita was a graduate of St. Mary's School, class of 1937, and Canandaigua Academy, class of 1941. She went on to study nursing at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Utica, N.Y., from where she graduated with a registered nursing degree in 1945. After briefly working as a nurse in New York City she went on to serve as an operating room nurse at the U.S. Marine Corps Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1945 to 1949. Rita and Victor were married in Canandaigua on Oct. 22, 1949. Rita was a lifelong parishioner of St. Mary's Church and a member of the former rosary altar society. She was a renowned cook and an accomplished knitter. She produced and donated hundreds of hats, scarves and gloves to those in need through the St. Vincent dePaul Society. As her children grew to adults and left the family's home, Rita returned to nursing in the mid-1970s as the school nurse at Marcus Whitman Valley Elementary School in Rushville, a position to which she was devoted until her retirement in 1985. Legions of Marcus Whitman students were benefited by her care and deep concern for their well-being as attested by the fond memories and thanks expressed to Rita in casual encounters around town with former students and staff after her retirement. Throughout her life Rita maintained a fervent love and appreciation of Canandaigua Lake and all that it means to the Canandaigua community. From her earliest childhood experiences at Kershaw Park and the adjacent former swimming school, she became an avid lake swimmer and encouraged her children to take full advantage of the lake's many accessible recreational opportunities. In 1978, she fulfilled a modest dream when she and her husband acquired a cottage in Crystal Beach which enabled her to become a daily summer swimmer and provided a location to host summer dinners and visits with family and friends. Rita quickly assumed a prominent role in the Crystal Beach community as an active member of the Crystal Beach Betterment Association and worked diligently to improve and maintain the lake accesses and other facilities available for the use of Crystal Beach residents. Rita's funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, November 28, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, 95 N. Main St., Canandaigua. A graveside service will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Canandaigua. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ontario ARC Guardianship Program or Recreation Program, 3071 County Complex Dr., Canandaigua, NY 14424. Arrangements are by Johnson-Kennedy Funeral Home Inc., Canandaigua. Condolences may be offered at www.johnsonkennedy.com.