Rita Jean Patten
Hardwick-Rita Jean Patten, 51, passed away June 22, 2015 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. She was born April 27, 1964 in Newport, VT the daughter of Prentiss and Hilda (Sheltra) Boardman. She married David Patten on August 29, 1992 in Hardwick.
Rita was the deli manager at the Kwik-Stop in Hardwick and loved her job as well as the people that she worked with, this was her 2nd family. She also enjoyed cooking and loved to shop. Rita also loved to spend time with her grandchildren and her family. Rita’s favorite past time was spending time with Hailee, they loved to go shopping and spend time together, they were inseparable and best of friends. She loved to go to car shows with her husband David. They just bought a new home that Rita was very excited and proud of as she was able to design it and sad to say that she is unable to see it. She was a free spirited woman who loved being outside in the summer and hated the winters. Rita always looked forward to her yearly family trip to Maine that she took with her husband and grandchildren. Rita was a very verbal person and always spoke her mind as she felt it, as she saw it regardless if people liked it or not. She never would beat around the bush to anybody she always said it like it was. Rita had a heart of gold and would always be there for her family & friends in need. If she didn’t like you, you would know it. She was an honest, caring, and loving wife, mother and grandmother. She did not like drama and always tried to avoid it. Rita was an agreeable person and would often use the words “absolutely”, “exactly” and even “beautiful”.
She is survived by her husband, David Patten of Hardwick; children, Aaron Gauthier of Hardwick; April Gauthier of Barre; Joanie Arnold Smith of Barre; and Joseph Bowen of Morrisville; step-sons, David Draper and James Patten both of Hardwick; grandchildren, Hailee Bashaw, Katlyn Bashaw, Jade St Cyr, Arianna Patten, Hunter Stancliff, Aidan Draper, Holden Draper and several other grandchilren; siblings and their spouses, Anita and Dennis Morin; Mark and Tammi Stockwell; Brenda and Darrin Judkins; Dennis and Edie Boardman; Lori and Michael Dubie; Tammy and Shaun Griffith; Albert and Shayne Goodell; Randsom Goodell lll; Richard and Eve Goodell; Darlene and Allen Brown and Linda Foster. Rita is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and two brothers, Roger Wayne Whitcomb and Michael Goodell.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 2, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the Puffer United Methodist Church. Visitation will be held Wednesday July 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Faith Funeral Home, 165 Brooklyn St., Morrisville. Entombment will be at a later date in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Morrisville.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Rita’s memory may be made to Lamoille Area Cancer Network, 198 Farr Avenue, Morrisville, VT 05661.