Rita Divine

Age 97, of Northampton, MA passed away on October 9, 2021. Preceded in death by her husband, Harold Divine; sister, Annette; brother, Dr. Jerome Kaufman; and sisters-in-law, Dorothy and Idelle. She is survived by her children, Tom (Donna), Dr. Rick (Karen), Lori (Vitek) and Amy; 12 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren. Rita was a life member of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America and co-chaired, for some years, its Great Neck, NY, chapter. She was a member of Temple Israel of Great Neck. Rita met Hal when she was 14 years old, and theirs was a love story which lasted more than eighty years. She was his Eshet Chayil, the Woman of Valor to whom the Book of Proverbs refers. It is difficult to imagine Hal without Rita at his side, nor Rita, without Hal. They are now reunited. Rita understood and taught her children the value of family. Her siblings, their spouses and children were among the most important figures in her life and hardly a week (sometimes a day) went by without telephone conversations with mission central – Minneapolis. She had meaningful relationships with her nieces and nephews across the country. Those relationships translated into enriching ties among the cousins, who, to this day, remain devoted to each other. It is impossible to think of Rita without calling to mind a posse of dear friends who enriched her life as she enriched theirs. Among these are Shirley, Eleanor, Nettie, Lila, Judy, Carol, Jane, Jessica, and others too numerous to mention. She was well loved. In her last years, Rita lived with and was cared for by her daughter, Lori, together with caregivers Taylor, Janet, Maria, Suzanna and Nancy. The family wishes to acknowledge the singularly loving care they all lavished on Rita. We will be forever grateful. While self-deprecating, Rita was by no means without her own brilliance. She is rumored to have been at the top of her high school class. While we cannot confirm the truth of this claim, we can vouch for the assertion that she was the most beautiful woman in her class. When visiting Minneapolis, her children have been approached by strangers who, upon learning of the tie to Rita, have praised both her beauty and her kindness. Her thoughtfulness and kindness throughout her life were widely recognized. Rita lived the maxim she learned from her mother, Rose Kaufman, zt’l: if you don’t have something nice to say about somebody, don’t say anything at all. Some say they never heard Rita voice anything ill or mean spirited about anybody. Remarkably, this observation is very likely true and serves as both a challenging and inspiring standard for her children, grandchildren and their descendants. May God bless her and hold her close. Graveside service 10:30 AM on THURSDAY, October 14th at UNITED HEBREW BROTHERHOOD CEMETERY, 2605 W. 70 ½ St., Richfield. Memorials preferred to donor’s favorite charity. Shiva will be by Zoom. Further details regarding Shiva will be announced by the family. Graveside service is also available on zoom. Email zoom3@hodroffepstein.com to request link.