Rita Bonamo

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Rita Bonamo please visit our Sympathy Store.
Rita requested only bright colors at her funeral mass ( no black ) and no flowers. In lieu please donate to http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/Rita
On Friday, June 3rd, 2022, Rita Bonamo, wife, mother, sister, daughter, and grandmother passed away from heart failure at the age of 79.
She is predeceased by her loving husband Nicholas J. Bonamo and her parents Rita and Vincent "Sonny" Graziano.
Rita is survived by her sisters Anne DeNicola and Denise Grosso, her daughter Annette and son-in-law Kevin, her daughter Rita and her son-in-law Paul, and her grandchildren, Kevin, Nicholas, Ariana, Juliana as well as a multitude of loving family and friends.
Rita was born on May 2nd, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York and spent her childhood in Bensonhurst during a time when the neighborhood was an extended family that included other family members and friends. She met the love of her life Nicholas Bonamo and married him at the age of 19. They would celebrate nearly 57 years of marriage when Nick died just one day before their anniversary on September 22nd, 2019.
Rita was a student of the trades with creative and artistic talent. She was an extremely talented beautician working in her mother's Beauty salon Rita D's, an excellent seamstress who made matching gowns and dresses for her daughters, painter who created artwork for her own home, a successful salesperson for SHE dresses due to her outgoing personality, lithographer working for Modern Litho, and window trimmer for the Stuarts department stores. As a lithographer in the early 1970's, she was truly "before her time" in a male dominated field.
After retiring from Stuarts in the late 1980's, she dedicated her life to her Catholic faith and became a Rosarian and a Third Order Carmelite through her love of the Virgin Mary. She was a Eucharistic Minister and an active member in each of the parishes she served which included Saint Adalbert's (S.I.,N.Y.), Saint Ambrose, (Old Bridge, NJ), Saint Aloysius, (Jackson, NJ), and nearly fourteen years at Saint Matthews, (Charlotte, NC.) Rita was a volunteer for many outreach organizations and would feed the homeless, assist the Knights of Columbus and create beautiful baskets for the many fundraisers held by her Catholic communities throughout the years. She applied her creative talents to honoring Mother Mary by creating floral and bead encrusted crowns used in many May crownings and some of her crowns still grace statues of Mary in three states. Rita was a true missionary of her faith as she hosted monthly prayer services in her home in Old Bridge, Jackson and Charlotte which is a period of nearly thirty years. Many attendees of her prayer groups either found, returned or received Christ in their lives at just the right time.
Rita loved to dance and was the life of the party. Nick would complain that she was always the last to leave and even that process took another hour! She loved fashion, dressed beautifully, and wore heels every day. She was the ultimate host and would cook feasts for family and friends. Backyard pool parties, holiday hostess, and "any" time meals with friends - her house was a home to everyone. She would feed you until you couldn't eat another bite. Her hospitality and cooking are well renowned and cherished by three generations of family and friends. Rita's last words to her daughter were, "I can't dance anymore, I can't throw parties, I have had a good life – I am ready," and after a brief pause she added, "Are you ready?"
Rita loved her dogs falling in love with her first "baby" Brandy in 1984. Brandy would be followed by Prince, Max, Crystal, Tina, Rico, Moose, Savannah and Fatima. Savannah and Fatima lived with Rita until her passing and now reside with Rita's daughter.
While born in Brooklyn, New York, she settled her family in Staten Island purchasing their first home on Ada Drive in 1974. In the mid 1990's they moved to Old Bridge and then Jackson, New Jersey. In 2007, Rita and Nick moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina where she remained until after Nick's death. In February of 2021, Rita moved to Sarasota, Florida to spend more time with her sister Anne, niece Toni-Anne and nephew James. In October of 2021, Rita returned to New Jersey due to her failing health and to be closer to her children who could assist her. She was a resident of Sunrise of Shrewsbury with her two "girls" Savannah and Fatima, all of whom were loved by both residents and staff alike. She was known for her laughter, light and fun loving spirit.
The truth is, we are never ready to lose a vivacious beautiful loving person like Rita. We believe she rests in the grace of eternal life but will still mourn our loss of the one and only Rita Bonamo.
A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, June 15th at 3:00 pm at The Parish of Saint Mary in Colts Neck, NJ with a Celebration of Life party immediately following at the Osteria.
A memorial mass is planned at Saint Matthew's in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday June 13th at 11:00am.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the:
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
In Memory of Rita Bonamo http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/Rita
Click the link to watch Rita's family video Tribute: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/Z47ZC85M46HN2CRB?e=1