Anna Rita Ruppel was the second child of John and Anna Ruppel. She was born on Thursday, October 1924, 1912. Her family lived in an apartment on 89th Street in Manhattan. She was named after her mother, but was always called by her middle name, Rita. She was baptized on Sunday, November 10, 1912 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Yorkville. Her godmother was Josephine Brady, the fiancee of Willam A. Smith, best man at her parents' wedding and her godfather was William J. Gleeson, the 26-year-old police officer cousin of her mother.
Rita was confirmed at Our Lady of Good Counsel on November 15, 1923. Her Confirmation name was Veronica and she began to use this as her middle name.
Rita attended Our Lady of Good Counsel School until fourth grade, followed by St. John The Baptist School. She recalled that although she did not enjoy reading and writing, arithmetic was her best subject (and a talent that was passed on to her children). She graduated from St. John the Baptist on Monday, June 28, 1926. She didn't attend high school but decided to get her working papers. She worked at the Library Bureau in Brooklyn and then at New York Life Insurance Company where she stayed until, according to company policy, she had to resign when she married.
Rita and her family rented a bungalow in Bay Park in the summer, and it was there that she met the love of her life, a handsome charming Irishman named Frank Curtis. The two quickly fell in love. When summer ended and Rita returned to her home at 553 Kosciusko Street in Brooklyn, their relationship continued and on Thanksgiving Day, 1934, the two married at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. After a honeymoon in Washington DC, they moved into an apartment on Macon Street. Since Rita had to quit her job, she spent time fixing up their home, visiting her mother and hoping to start a family quickly. A few years after the wedding, she had a beautiful little girl named Noreen, followed by Rita a couple of years later. With the apartment getting small, they decided to buy a home in East Rockaway, near Frank's family and moved into 42 Lawson Avenue. The family grew with two more daughters, Judy and Melanie, and they moved to a larger house on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Mill River Avenue.
Rita, with her love of arithmetic, handled the bills and like many people who lived through the Great Depression, was very frugal. But she spent money where it was important, which often were the things that made her husband, Frank, happy. Vacations and travel was one priority. For much of their life, this involved camping, first in a tent, then a camper and finally a travel trailer. I'm not sure she loved camping, but she was enthusiastic in supporting Frank. In addition to camping, the family eventually started a tradition of annual trips to Florida. Rita also made sure that Frank could have art lessons and purchase the history and art books that he loved. She never asked for very much for herself. She didn't have fancy jewelry or buy clothes at expensive stores. She liked nothing better than to find a bargain, and she passed this onto her daughters as well! She was a talented seamstress and enjoyed crafts of all types. As a matter of fact, if you needed something fixed, Rita could always make it happen.
As the children grew up, Rita did various part-time jobs so she could save money for retirement. She was very proud that her savings was able to pay for their retirement home in Holiday, Florida, where they moved in 1972. They spent summers with their family in New York and New Jersey, and cold winters in Florida. Then in 1978, Rita and Frank were in a terrible car accident. Rita was very close to death but somehow after months of hospitalization, made it through. Although the accident left her with permanent injuries, she didn't let that hold her back. In 1984, when Frank was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer, she took wonderful care of him so that he could stay at home until his death in June. Afterwards, Rita developed a social life with friends, usually involving bingo, cards or eating out. Her family and grandchildren kept her busy too, especially when she had a couple of Florida grandchildren. Eventually she moved to Orlando, Florida to live with her daughter. While there, in her 80's, she started two organizations at St. John Vianney Catholic Church: Young at Heart Social Group and the Rosary Makers. Rita's Catholic faith and her devotion to Mary and the rosary were extremely important throughout her life. She continued to be very active until her death in 2000 at the age of 87.
