Rita (Rosen) Spitz

Rita (Rosen) Spitz, 83 years of age, of West Hartford died Monday, March 9, 2009 at the Hebrew Home & Hospital. She was the widow of Samuel Akiba Spitz. Born in New Haven, she was the daughter of the late John and Celia (Wagner) Rosen, and step-daughter of the late Gertrude Rosen.She graduated from the University of Connecticut with high honors. Rita was a life-long volunteer with her late husband in the greater Hartford Jewish community. She was an active fund raiser for Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and for many other local, national and international Jewish causes. She was a Lion of Judah member of the Women’s Division of Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. Rita was a substitute teacher in the West Hartford Public School System and taught Hebrew High School for over 20 years. She served as president of the local chapter of Hadassah, and until recently served as co-chair with her best friend of over 60 years, Shirley Wachtel. With her close friend, Lillian Grossman, she led Great Books’ classes and a Jewish book club for many years. She lectured on many topics of Jewish interest especially Jewish humor. Rita was a founding member of Beth El Temple of West Hartford and a former member of the Board of Directors of Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. She was a life-long student and until recently took classes at the University of Hartford. She was also active in Democratic Politics and in her 20’s she was elected First Select Woman in the Town of Bloomfield. She was also a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Connecticut State Judicial Review Board. She was an avid mystery story reader and a fabulous cook. Rita was a contributor to and support of many philanthropic organizations. She leaves her daughters, Carol D. Schulz and her husband Theodore A. Schulz of Canaan, Marjorie Spitz Nagrotsky and her husband Stephen Nagrotsky of Bethesda, MD; her grandchildren, David A. Schulz and his wife Felice of Sterling, VA, and Victoria Cattelan of Canaan; her step-grandson, Jonah Nagrotsky of Bethesda, MD; and her great-grandchildren, Anthony and Sarah Cattelan, and Alexandra and Samuel Schulz. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 2:30 PM in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Ave., Hartford with Rabbi James Rosen and Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler officiating. Interment will follow in Beth El Temple Cemetery, Avon. A memorial period will be observed at her home, Thursday following the funeral through Sunday afternoon. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, 333 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford 06117. For further information, directions, or to share memories of Rita with her family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.