Marie Concetta Drowne

Marie Concetta Drowne of Middletown, Rhode Island, passed away on January 8, 2025 after suffering from a long illness. She lived a long and fruitful life of 95 years.

Marie was born October 6, 1930 in Athens, NY to Ralph C. and Jeanette L. Apa. Marie was the oldest of five siblings and took pride in being a role model to her younger siblings. She was someone you could always count on. Marie graduated top of her class at Coxsackie Athens High School in 1949, completed secretarial school and went on to work for the State of New York Department of Corrections for eight years. While working full time for the state, she would pick up weekend shifts working at her Uncle's bar in Castleton, NY which is where she met a young piano player named Rayfield Drowne Jr. Ray was also picking up extra shifts playing piano while on leave from the US Navy. Marie would affectionately tell the story of how she turned down Ray multiple times when asking her out on a date before she finally agreed. Three months later (July 1956) they were married.

The family was stationed in Newport, RI in the early part of Ray's naval career and when he retired in 1971 they decided to make Middletown, RI their permanent home. They lived together on Murphy Circle for the rest of their married life spanning 65 years until Ray passed in 2021.

Marie worked as the general manager of Howard Johnson in Middletown, RI for over 20 years as well as helped launch and run the family business Aquidneck Island Marine. Marie was an incredible woman and would spend the day running multiple businesses then come home and cook an Italian feast that was better than anything you could buy on Federal Hill. Marie was intelligent and witty with a dry sense of humor and big smile. She completed the crossword daily and knew every answer to Jeopardy. She enjoyed reading (mostly romance genre), and looked up her horoscope daily.

Marie cherished family connection and made sure that her RI family continued to have a strong bond with her large Italian NY family. Multiple times a year NY relatives would visit the ocean state and enjoy a lobster dinner and our family would travel back to Athens and the Poughkeepsie area for visits and family parties.

Marie is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Rayfield Drowne, Jr., sister, Jeanne DeBenedictus, brother, Michael Apa, and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Camillo DeBendictus, Margaret Apa, John Vita, and Susan Apa.

Marie is survived by her children; Antoinette Gomez of Portsmouth, Cynthia Morgan of Portsmouth, and Rayfield Drowne of Richmond, VA, her siblings; Ralph Apa of Southport, NC and Sharon Vita of Wappingers Falls, NY, and her brother-in-law, Mal Drowne of Jupiter, FL. She will be missed by her five grandchildren Jeffrey Gomez, Carla Greichen (Patrick), Kyle Rich (Danielle Dutra), Daniel Drowne and Isabella Drowne and four great-grandchildren.

Calling hours will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026, from 10:30am-11:30am at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport. Funeral Service for Marie will immediately follow at 11:30am in the funeral home.

Burial will follow at Middletown Four Corners Cemetery, Turner Rd at Wyatt Rd., Middletown.

In lieu of flowers donations maybe made in Marie's honor to Visiting Nurse Home and Hospice, www.visitingnursehh.org