Rita Matilda Burrafato

Rita Matilda Burrafato of Fairfax Passed away on Saturday March 18th 2023 at the age of 97 years young. Rita Divita was born on December 4th 1925 to Dante Divita and Victoria Michaletti in San Rafael, at the San Rafael Cottage Hospital. After Rita graduated from Francisco Junior High School in San Francisco on June 12th 1940, she went on to Galileo High School and graduated from there on June 15th 1943. When Rita was in her twenty’s she met and fell in love with Emanuel Alfred Burrafato. They would go on to wed in Eureka on August 4th 1949. A year after Rita and Manny married, Rita gave birth to their son Gary Michael Burrafato on June 10th 1950. She started working for Blue Shield doing insurance and continued to work there until she retired at the age of 65. After Rita retired it freed up more time for her to do all the things she loved; being a grandma, playing ping pong, mushroom hunting, joining the Cannon Tennis Club where she played tennis with her girlfriends Jeannie Vaccaro, Jean Saia, Dottie Hansen, Rita Knap, sister in law Pat Arrigoni and many more. She would play in tournaments often and bring home the trophies. One of her biggest pleasures was calling her granddaughter Gina to tell her she beat all the young girls up at the club. She would say, “Your grandmothers still got it.” Rita also enjoyed working and spending time in her beautiful flower garden, and growing the most amazing vegetables’. Rita’s passion was to cook for the entire family and their friends. She took pleasure in making sure there was enough food on the table. Rita was predeceased by husband Manny, son Gary, brothers Peter, Frank, Fred and sister Rose and nephew Pete Jr. She is survived by Granddaughter Gina, Great Grandsons Riley and Cody and Great Granddaughter Karlie.

Services will be held at St. Rita’s Church on Sunday May 21st at 1:00 p.m. Followed by a small reception at the Hall for family and friends to share memories and stories of Rita.

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