Rita Joann Sepp

Rita Joann Sepp

City of Poughkeepsie - Rita Joann (Ferrucci) Sepp

This wonderful woman, dear to so many, suddenly entered the realm of puffy, white clouds on August 2, 2011. At 88 she is reunited with her beloved husband, John "Bo" Sepp, who predeceased her in 2005. Together they are watching over their children: Sue and partner Christi (Finksburg, MD); Deidre (Poughkeepsie, NY); and John and wife Bonnie (Ann Arbor, MI); and grandchildren Andrea and fianc? Ben, Johnny, Kiki, Amy and step-grandson, Alex.

Born in Hoboken (NJ) in 1923 to Francis and Philomena Ferrucci, Rita married her high school sweetheart on July 4, 1945. They moved to Ramsey (NJ) in 1952. While Bo went to college on the GI Bill, Rita raised their children and was also instrumental in establishing the Town's Shade Tree Commission, Girl Scouts and Public Library. Ever artistic, she would design award winning floats for community parades and pass her love of crafts on to others. Rita made sure that her home was beautifully decorated for holidays and that her children had fun and creative birthday parties. She also made sure they knew which fork was which and that they sampled foods from many countries. She was an excellent cook.

Rita also had a dream and the guts to pursue it. As a child, she excelled in school and longed to go to college. When her youngest child started kindergarten, she enrolled at Patterson State College (now William Patterson University) taking classes three nights a week for six years. The last three of those years she also taught 3rd Grade full-time at Immaculate Conception School (Mahwah, NJ). She graduated magna cum laude and then earned her master's degree in speech pathology and audiology. Rita was an inspirational teacher, speech therapist and learning disabilities consultant in the Mahwah, Harrington Park and Hoboken schools (NJ).

Rita painted in oils and watercolor. She sculpted in clay and sketched in pencil and charcoal. She designed furniture pieces (that Bo then built) and excelled in decorative arts and crafts. Always called upon to write witty song lyrics for birthday parties and other celebrations, she had both a flair and love for words. She always won at Scrabble and routinely aced the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. She supported art, music, theatre and literature and made sure that her children were immersed in them. Often seen at MOMA (NYC) she visited her friends Picasso, Klee, Mondrian, Cezanne, van Gogh, Calder and Moore. She quoted from Shakespeare, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, and e.e. cummings, among others. She loved Broadway musicals and plays as well as opera and classical music. She and Bo traveled to the Shakespeare and Shaw festivals in Canada.

In retirement she taught and supervised student teachers in addition to being a member of the Care-ring at the Unitarian Fellowship of Clemson (SC) where she helped to make sure those going through difficult times received comfort and support. Rita and Bo traveled the U.S. and then Europe, including her parents' birthplace in Ischia, Italy and his in Friedberg, Germany.

Rita spent the last five years as a Dutchess County resident at The Fountains at Millbrook (NY). There, she was loved, hugged, laughed with, sung with ("Coconuts!") and in so many other ways tenderly nourished by the kindness of Sally, Rosemary, Sandy, "Nutty Buddy," Diane, "Goldie," Carol and everyone else who crossed her path. The Family is forever grateful for the love and care she received there.

Rita bravely fought breast cancer in 1988 and survived in remission for 23 years. She died from complications of congestive heart failure. The Family thanks the VBMC Respiratory and Cardiac Units for their care and compassion.

This was a woman of remarkable intelligence, drive, passion and wit. She enjoyed a rich sense of humor and the inestimable art of whimsy. She loved well, enriched the lives of many, and will be missed by those lucky enough to have known her.

There will be a Service of Remembrance at The Inn (The Fountains at Millbrook), 79 Flint Road, Millbrook, NY, on Friday, September 23 from 2:00-3:00 PM.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Marist College in support of the Art Program, c/o Marist College Advancement, 3399 North Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.