Rita E. (Pasterczyk) Kowalczyk Collins

Rita E. (Pasterczyk) Kowalczyk Collins passed into Eternal Life at Vero Health of South Hadley on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

Rita was born and raised in Chicopee, a daughter of the late Andrew and Caroline (Pytko) Pasterczyk. She graduated from Chicopee High School Class of 1942 and was employed by Insurance Company of North America in Springfield for more than 25 years and retired in 1985 from McClure Insurance Agency in West Springfield.

Rita was predeceased by her first husband Frank Kowalczyk in 1969 and by her second husband Joseph Collins in 2013.  She was predeceased by three brothers John, Stanley and Rudy and by five sisters Connie Starzyk, Natalie Sagan, Adella Johnson, Irene Bizon and Laura Wiaderek.

Rita leaves to cherish her memory her two nieces and caregivers Joan O’Brien and Karen Tetreault, both of Chicopee.  Rita also leaves four generations of several nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.

Her family would like to extend a sincere thank you to The Arbors of Chicopee for their kindness, compassion and extraordinary care of Rita while she was a resident for five years and to Vero Health and Rehab of South Hadley (formerly Wingate) where she has been a resident for two years.

Family and friends are invited to gather for Rita’s funeral Mass on Monday, October 19, 2020 at 10:00 AM in Christ the King Church, Warsaw Ave., Ludlow, MA followed by burial in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Chicopee, MA. Visiting hours will be Monday, October 19, 2020 from 8:30-9:30 AM at the Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home, 64 Sewall St., Ludlow, MA. Masks, social distancing and all state gathering restrictions will be adhered to.   Should family and friends desire, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, 577 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104.