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Rita M. (Cote) Banister
May 14, 2018

Obituary

CHICOPEE – Rita M. (Cote) Banister, 85, of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Monday, May 14, 2018. She passed into Eternal Life at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family. She was born at home on East Main Street in Chicopee on February 21, 1933, a beloved daughter of the late Philemon M. and Henrietta M. (Asselin) Cote. She was raised in Chicopee, graduated from Chicopee High School and was a lifelong resident of Chicopee. She furthered her education and received an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Springfield Technical Community College. She was employed at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee for over 35 years and retired in 2000. She was a communicant of Sainte Rose de Lima Church and was a longtime volunteer at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry and the Harmony House, all in Chicopee. Rita spent many happy years at her mom and dad’s camp in Holland, MA. Above all, Rita was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and aunt who showered her family with her love and affection. She was predeceased by her beloved husband and best friend, Loyde F. “Larry” Banister who was Called Home on July 28, 1982. They were married on April 4, 1959 at Saint George Church in Chicopee Falls and were blessed with over 23 years of happiness together. She leaves her three loving daughters, Louise King and her partner, Paul Soja, Christina Carbaugh and her partner, John Nimchick, and Theresa Banister, all of Chicopee; her five cherished grandchildren, Matthew King, Melissa Motta and her husband, Giuseppe, Tonna Dieter and her husband, Eric, Rachael Carbaugh and Richard Betterton; her many dear nephews and nieces including Diane Bissonnette, Marie O’Connor and David Cote; and her many dear friends and extended members of the Banister and Cote families. In addition to her parents and husband, she was also predeceased by her dear brother, Richard Cote and his wife, Doris (Brown) Cote. Her Funeral will be held on Friday, May 18, 2018 beginning at the St. Pierre-Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 8 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Sainte Rose de Lima Church, 600 Grattan Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her Burial will follow the Mass at Sainte Rose Cemetery, 49 Olsen Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday morning, May 18, 2018 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. prior to the Mass. The funeral home parking lot and main entrance are located at the rear at 20 Lafayette Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. In lieu of flowers, her family requests that memorial donations be made in her memory to Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry, 170 Pendexter Avenue, Chicopee, MA 01013 or to the Harmony House of Western MA, P.O. Box 6135, Holyoke, MA 01041-6135. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com

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St. Pierre-Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels
13 Dale Street
Chicopee, MA 01020
413-532-9806