Rita Marie Dee

December 8, 1955 — February 27, 2025

Rita Marie (Stewart) Dee, 69, passed away in the arms of her loving husband, Tom, at their home in Bennington, VT, in the early morning of February 27, 2025.
Rita was born in Brooklyn, NY on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1955, to Dolores and the late Jerome G. Stewart. At a young age, Rita developed an eternal love for horses that gave her an indomitable spirit and vigor for life. She shared this love with her sisters and spent hours with them in the barn, and out riding horses together through the countryside of Charlton, NY.
In high school, she met the love of her life, Tom Dee, and even summoned up the courage to ask him to Prom. From that time on the two of them were inseparable. They married August 18, 1978, and built a life together that Rita described as “Christmas morning every morning.” She loved Tom with all her heart, mind, and soul and they lived each day for one another. They spent their young married life, raising their family, living in the Hudson Valley New York Region and later settled in Bennington, VT where each one of their five children moved to be together. She loved her five children dearly and gave each one of them what they needed mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Rita was also a nationally acclaimed artist and blended her equine passion with her incredible artistic talent, creating captivating driftwood horses that were larger than life and magnificent to behold.
Rita shared her love of horses with her children, and especially with her daughter, Tara. The two of them ran Wilden’s Run Farm in Pownal, VT—a boarding, training, and riding facility. Rita was the face and heart of the farm. Tara and Rita spent countless hours together, riding and training horses. Rita especially loved the art of liberty training and worked hard honing her skills and abilities in this method of training and communication with horses. Rita often quoted Churchill saying, “There’s something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
Rita was the consummate friend. Always there to check in on others and ready to roll up her sleeves to get things done for you, Rita made sure that everyone else was cared for before herself. She brought so much joy and laughter to all those around her and knew how to make you smile even when you were suffering. She always saw the best in others and could find humor in any situation.
The crowning gift she gave her family was her love for Jesus and His Blessed Mother, and devotion to the Catholic Faith. She was a strong woman of faith and shared this gift with all those she knew and loved. You could be sure of her prayers when promised.

Rita leaves behind her ever-faithful loving husband, Tom; her children, Jessica (Patrick) O’Connell, Natalya Raposo, Alexander (Melissa) Dee, Tara (Nicholas) Ratzer, and Vitaly Dee; her adored grandchildren Aiden, Ambrose, Ava, Dolores, James, Felix, Mia, Cecilia, Max and soon-to-arrive, David. She is also survived by her mother, Dolores Stewart, and her brothers and sisters, Jerome Stewart Jr., Victoria (Patrick) Maloney, Jennifer (Angelo) Lotano, and Thomas (Chantel) Stewart; as well as numerous loved nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death, were her father Jerome G. Stewart and her mother-in-law and father-in-law James and Cecile Dee.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, March 8th from 10:00am-12:00pm at Sacred Heart St. Francis De Sales Church in Bennington, VT with her Funeral Mass to immediately follow at 12:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rita’s memory to The Sisters of Life, please visit: https://sistersoflife.org/donate/

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Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Saturday, March 8, 2025

9:00am - 12:00 pm (Eastern time)

Sacred Heart Saint Francis de Sales Church

238 Main Street, Bennington, VT 05201

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