Rita Arlene

Barry Elliot

Lived Life With A

Full Dance Card

Rita Arlene Barry Elliot, 86, died October 10 after a short illness. Born December 31, 1921, in Chicago, she was the youngest of nine children.

She is survived by her sister, Helen Herbold of Sandy Hook/Kinderhook, N.Y.; her brother-in-law, Biff Elliot and his wife, Connie, of Studio City, Calif.; her children, Michael and his wife, Cheryl, of Sandy Hook, Richard of Brookfield, Peter and his wife, Rosalyn, of Newnan, Ga., Sue Elliot-Bearce and her husband, Charlie, of Greenfield Center, N.Y., Robert of Scituate, Mass., Marilyn Elliot-McDonough and her husband, Dan, of Avon, Patti Elliot and her husband, Reuel Warkov, of Los Gatos, Calif., and Douglas of Saugerties, N.Y; her son-in-law, Peter Cobb of Greenwood Village, Colo.; 19 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. She was predeceased by her husband, Win; her daughter, Kathy Elliot Cobb; and son, Chuck Elliot.

An actress and singer, Mrs Elliot spent her early adulthood doing summer stock. She met her husband of 46 years, Win, at the NBC Studios in New York and together they raised ten children.

A woman of great faith, she was an original congregant of St Luke’s Church in Westport. Over the years, she served as a lector, a Eucharistic Minister, a St Stephen’s Minister, and a Minister of Mirth.

Rita’s passions were the theater, singing, tennis, and synchronized swimming. Whether it was participating at the Theater Artist Workshop in Westport, singing with the Pitch Pipers, performing with the Dolphins Synchronized Swimming Team, playing tennis at the Patterson Club of Fairfield, or participating in the many activities at the Westport Senior Center, her dance card was always full. Rita was active in volunteer service throughout her life. She taught swimming through STAR, worked at local soup kitchens, and was known as Jazz the Clown as part of the St Luke’s Clown Ministry providing entertainment for the elderly and infirm.

Mrs Elliot’s family would like to thank her many wonderful friends and the professional caring staff members of Norwalk Hospital, Meadow Ridge, and Mid-Fairfield Hospice for their loving care.

Visitation was scheduled at the Shaughnessey-Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Road, Fairfield, Thursday, October 16, from 4 to 8 pm. Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial Friday, October 17, at 11 am directly at St Luke’s Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road North, Westport. Interment is private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Charles M. Elliot Scholarship Fund, C/O Staples Tuition Grants, PO Box 5159, Westport CT 06881-5159.

The Newtown Bee        October 17, 2008