1969
Rita
2022
Rita Blais
December 31, 1969 — October 3, 2022
Born on February 23, 1955, in Bennington, Vermont, she was the daughter of the late Frederic Sr. and Martha Alice (Fine) Driscoll. She was raised in Bennington and attended Mt. Anthony Union High School and graduated with the class of 1973. She graduated from nursing school, becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse, and worked for nearly 30 years at the Vermont Veterans Home, as well as the Hoosick Falls Health Center.
On December 9th, 1989 Rita married John Gordon Blais in Hoosick Falls, NY. They were married for 26 years. John passed away on July 19, 2016.
Rita was a deeply artistic and creative woman and she had the ability to recognize the beauty in everything that she encountered. She enjoyed painting, drawing, poetry, and photography. At Mount Anthony she played field hockey, she was involved in student government, and she was a member of Camera Club as well as the National Thespian Society. Rita loved acting and she starred in numerous school plays.
Rita loved nature and she enjoyed living in New England surrounded by the beautiful Green Mountains. She was an avid gardener with a green thumb and an impressive knowledge of horticulture. She loved sharing plants with family and friends.
Rita was also an animal lover that considered her many cats and dogs over the years to be part of her family, always remembering to sign their names (along with a paw print) at the bottom of cards or letters that she would send. She loved talking about each of them and describing their many personalities.
Rita was an old soul that preferred to do things the old-fashioned way. She was never the first to embrace new technology and she got enjoyment out of going to her collection of books to look something up.
Rita was a connoisseur of collecting. She had an eye for antiques and she would never pass up a good tag sale opportunity. She thought of others constantly and she would start a Christmas gift collection in January for her son Nicholas, or any of her cherished nieces or nephews, if she saw something that reminded her of them.
Rita was a free-spirited person with a playful sense of humor. Whether it was her patients at work or her family at home, she had the ability to bring out smiles and laughter in people during otherwise sad or gloomy situations. She could spark up a conversation with anyone, making no one a stranger.
Above all, Rita was a caring and selfless person that loved her family deeply. Many would describe Rita as the most sentimental person that they knew. She had a keen memory for anniversaries and other important life events and she remembered details or stories about family and friends that many forgot even mentioning briefly in passing. She loved spending time with all of her family and catching up over the phone when she could not. She included her family in her prayers daily.
She loved her husband John and her son Nicholas deeply and often said that they were the two greatest joys of her life. Rita will be missed dearly by all those that knew and loved her.
Rita is survived by her son Nicholas and his fiancé Haleigh of Albany, New York; her siblings: Bill Driscoll (Toni) of Bennington, Vermont; John Driscoll of North Bennington, Frederic Driscoll III of Bernard, Maine; and Lynn Longhurst (Jim) of Marshall, Michigan. Rita is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Rita is predeceased by her husband John Blais. a sister-in-law, Kathleen (Shelly) Driscoll. and a niece; Jessica Longhurst.
Friends and relatives are invited to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in North Bennington, VT at 12:30 pm on October 15th, 2022 for an hour of visitation. There will be a funeral mass held at 1:30 pm and the burial will follow in the family lot at St. John the Baptist Cemetery.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Rita Blais, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Visitation
Saturday, October 15, 2022
12:30 - 1:30 pm (Eastern time)
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Funeral Mass
Saturday, October 15, 2022
Starts at 1:30 pm (Eastern time)
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Guestbook
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