Rita Grassi of East Cambridge passed away peacefully at Beth Israel Hospital on September 10th. Rita was the daughter of the late Manfredi Grassi and Mary A. (Pasquariello) Grassi. She was the cherished sister, best friend and confidante to her sister, Mary Grassi, loving sister to brother Anthony and his wife Kelley, and brother Joseph and his wife Dawn. Devoted aunt to Kristen Rollins & her husband William Rollins, Matthew Grassi and his wife, Rebeca, Michael Grassi and his wife, Bridget, Anthony David Grassi and Montserrat Quintero and Stephanie Mary Grassi. Great Aunt of Madison, Mason, Carter, and Teddy. Godmother of Matthew and Anthony Grassi and Elizabeth Ciampa. Rita will be missed by her many relatives and friends.
Rita graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Somerville and from Wilfred Hairdressing Academy. She was employed as a Senior Fraud Investigator at the Bank of New England for 20 years until the bank merged and relocated operations out of state. At the bank she supervised a staff of five, verified credit card loss and theft. She worked with local and federal officials to coordinate investigations into fraudulent accounts. Rita also worked at Kaufman Inc as receptionist and most recently held the position of Committee Receptionist for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She responded to constituent inquiries and assisted committee staff on preparation of legislation for new sessions. She retired in September of 2023 due to health issues after a twenty-seven-year career.
Rita was a loving, caring and generous person. Despite her many health issues, she always remained positive and welcomed all who came into her life. The family would especially like to thank the doctors and nurses at Mt. Auburn Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital for their dedication, compassion and respect shown to Rita and her family during these last seven weeks.
Relatives and friends will remember Rita’s life by gathering at the Rogers Funeral Home, 380 Cambridge Street, Cambridge on Wednesday, September 18th from 4:00 – 8:00 pm.
Funeral from the funeral home at 9:00 am on Thursday, September 19th followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 325 Cambridge Street, Cambridge. Burial to follow at Cambridge Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Francis of Assisi Church, 325 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02141 or to St. Jude’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105