Rita M. Cifelli, of Philadelphia, PA died peacefully on Tuesday, January 1, 2019, at Paul's Run Retirement Community.  She was surrounded by family and friends during her final weeks.  She was 88. 

She was the oldest daughter of the late Salvatore and Felice (nee Letterie) Centofanti.  She was the beloved wife of the late George A. Cifelli. She is survived by her three children, August "Gus" Cifelli and his wife Christa, Marguerite Genesio and her husband Flemming Godiksen, Andrea Mangold and her husband Robert, brothers Pasquale Centofanti and his wife Louise, Salvatore Centofanti and his wife Irene, Paul Centofanti and his wife Patricia, Ronald Centofanti and his wife Linda, her brother-in-law Gerald Quinlan, and her sister-in-law Camille Cintofanti.  She is also survived by her 9 grandchildren: Jacqueline Genesio, Kimberly Genesio, Taylor (Shayne) Girardi, Alexandra (Ronal) Garcia, Jamie Mangold, Christopher Genesio, Robert Mangold, Augustine Cifelli and Angeline Cifelli. She was predeceased by her sister Nancy Quinlan, her brother Joseph Cintofanti and her brother Dominick Centofanti and his late wife Geraldine.

Rita was a woman of substance, who brought grace and beauty to everything she did.  She was a 1st generation American and extremely proud of her heritage and the legacy that is carried on by her family.  After graduation from Kensington High School, she worked for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. She met her beloved George at Tacconelli’s Pizza in Port Richmond.  After raising her children, she returned to government work at the Defense Industrial Supply Center, now called the" Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot”. During her years there, she attended LaSalle University and earned an Associate’s Degree in order to train fellow coworkers in Sign Language.  After her retirement from the Depot, she worked for North Tech-Estee Lauder and formed many deep and lasting friendships with her coworkers. Rita was a strong community activist, often championing local elections and even held an elected position for years. As a proud American, she worked to preserve the integrity of American flags locally.  Rita was an avid traveler and enjoyed spending time with her family. Her deep relationship with her siblings truly lasted a lifetime, into her last days. She will be sorely missed by her family and by all who came to know her.

Her family will receive relatives and friends on Monday, from 9:00 AM until her Funeral Mass 10:00 AM at Maternity B.V.M. Church 9220 Bustleton Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19115.  Her interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park, Feasterville. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the American Sign Language Teacher’s Association, ASLTA Treasurer, PO Box 64801, Rochester, NY 14624, https://aslta.org or to a charity of your choice.