Legal secretary for American Mutual Insurance Company
LYNNFIELD — Rita M. Gately, 95, a former longtime Lynnfield resident, died June 19 in Rochester, N.Y. after a long period of failing health.
Mrs. Gately was born Jan. 29, 1920 in Concord and was the daughter of the late David J. and Hannah (Johnston) Foley. She was raised in Maynard and later attended both Regis College and Fisher College in Boston. She was retired as a legal secretary for the American Mutual Insurance Company.
Mrs. Gately was the beloved wife of the late Thomas J. Gately III. She was the loving mother of Sheila M. Zappala of Andover; Maureen Stricker of Pittsford, N.Y.; Patricia A. Gately of Rochester, N.Y., and the late Joyce C. Gately. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her brothers, David, James and Charles Foley.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Friday, June 26, beginning at 9 a.m., which will be followed by a funeral Mass in St. Maria Goretti Church, 112 Chestnut St., Lynnfield at 11 a.m. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Lynnfield.
Memorial contributions in Mrs. Gately’s name may be made to St. John’s Foundation, 150 Highland Ave., Rochester NY 14620.
Published in the June 24, 2015 edition
