Rita A. Niro

Rita A. Niro, 53, of Sarasota, Florida passed away Saturday, June 8, 2019 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Framingham, Massachusetts on November14,1965, she was the daughter of Michele Niro and Connie (Carpinelli) Niro-Palmieri. Ms. Niro was a 1983 graduate of Nipmuc High School in Upton, MA, and a 1988 graduate of University of South Florida. She had a ten-year career as a newspaper reporter for the Hartford Courant newspaper in Hartford, CT. In 1998 she moved to Sarasota, FL to help her mother Connie manage her salon/spa and boutique. Ms. Niro became a licensed aesthetician and massage therapist. While working in the salon she returned to school to obtain her master’s degree in education from USF. She then taught kindergarten at Palmetto Elementary School in Palmetto, FL until February of 2019. She had a passion for teaching her young students not only how to be good learners but also how to be compassionate, forgiving and caring people. She also had a passion for animals, especially dogs. She volunteered at Satchel’s Last Resort, a rescue, rehab and rehome facility for animals in Sarasota. Ms. Niro rescued several dogs, including her beloved dog Red, which she also trained to be a therapy dog. Her hobbies included tennis, designing greeting cards, music and dancing. Ms. Niro was Catholic and a member of the Church of the Incarnation in Sarasota. She was a kind and gentle person who always saw the positive in everyone and will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate to know her. She is survived by her mother Connie of Sarasota, her father Michele and his wife Dawnette of Fort Myers, her brother Michael of Sarasota and many cousins and relatives in Italy, MA, CT, RI, and NH. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday June 15 at the Church of the Incarnation, 2901 Bee Ridge Rd, Sarasota, FL. Family and Friends are invited to the reception immediately following in the Palm Center at the Church of the Palms, 2901 Bee Ridge Road, In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance https://give.ocrahope.org/RitaNiro or to Satchel’s Last Resort https://satchelslastresort.org/donate/.

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Rita A. Niro

November 14, 1965 - June 8, 2019