Rita M. Moran

MANVILLE - Moran, Rita M., 97, of Wellington, FL., died peacefully on Christmas Eve. She was the wife of the late John E. Moran and the late William Byrne.
Born in Manville, Rhode Island, she was a daughter of the late John E. and Julia (Casey) Conway. She lived in Cumberland Hill while raising her family eventually moving to Wellington, FL. She also maintained a home on Nantucket for many years.
Rita was a graduate of St. Xavier's Academy in Providence and following graduation went to work for McLaughlin and Moran, Inc. which was in Cumberland Hill at the time. It was there she met her future husband. She and John Moran were married for 58 years.
While family was most important, she was very active in her community and in her church. She and John were one of the founders of Mercymount Country Day School in Cumberland. It was this commitment to her community that led her and John to start the John E. Moran Foundation to benefit those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Rita was a remarkably warm and kind person. Growing up in Cumberland Hill the door was always open at the Conway home to cousins, aunts, uncles and friends who needed a warm bed or hot meal. Laughter and song filled the house and Rita's sunny disposition added much to the warm home. She always kept a beautiful garden, played the piano and welcomed anyone regardless of circumstances to her door. She maintained her great sense of humor and quick wit during her final days. Rita will remain alive in our memories for her tremendous spirit, energy and talents.
A loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother, she leaves her 6 children: Mary Jane (William) MacLean of Newport, John (Jacqueline) Moran of Providence, Anne (James) Jennings of Roanoke, VA, Timothy (Joan) Moran of Juno Beach, Fl. Paul (Jean) Moran of Narragansett and Terrence (Patricia) Moran of Providence. She also leaves a sister Barbara Brown of Woodstock, VT., 17 Grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. She was the grandmother of the late Benjamin Russell Moran and sister of the late Mary Hayes, Margaret Sherry, Dorothy Goodier, James, Eugene and John Conway.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday January 7th at 10am in St. Joseph Church, 97 Hope St., Providence, RI. Burial will be private and calling hours are respectfully omitted. Donations in her memory may be made to the John E. Moran Foundation, Box 1163, Slatersville, RI 02876. Condolences may be left at monahandrabblesherman.com