Rita A. Toppeta

November 12, 1924 - December 10, 2020

Niskayuna- RITA TOPPETA, 96, RETIRED ATTORNEY AND LONG-TIME AREA RESIDENT ​Rita Toppeta, a retired lawyer and long-time Niskayuna resident, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2020 at the age of 96. She was the widow of the late John F. Toppeta with whom she raised a family and practiced law in Schenectady. Rita was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924, the daughter of Assuero Vincent and Madeline Carretta. She grew up in Brooklyn where her father was an attorney in private practice and her mother was a teacher. She had a younger sister, Alma, who predeceased her. Rita graduated from Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn, Fordham University and Fordham Law School. She earned her law degree at a time when few women sought to enter the legal profession. While at law school Rita met John F. Toppeta whom she married in 1947. Together Rita and John practiced law with Rita’s father in New York City and later moved to Hicksville, Long Island where they opened their own law practice. In 1958, Rita and John moved to Schenectady and opened the Law Office of Toppeta & Toppeta on State Street. Their firm was a general practice with emphasis on real property law, wills and estates, and family law. Once widowed in 1989, Rita continued to practice full-time until her retirement several years ago. She was dedicated to her clients and her profession, which remained a central part of,and purpose to, her life for many decades. In addition to her many years in private legal practice, Rita served as Counsel to the New York State Civil Defense Department in the 1950s and as Assistant Corporation Counsel of the City of Schenectady in the 1960s. Noted for her boundless optimism and energy, Rita was active in the Schenectady County Bar Association, parents’ organizations at her children’s schools and other community and civic organizations. She was a communicant of St. Paul the Apostle and St. Helen’s Roman Catholic churches. Rita was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother who deeply loved her home, her family and her community. She is survived by her son William and his wife Debra of New York City, her daughter Veronica Doran and her husband Richard of New Windsor, New York, and her son John who resides in Niskayuna. Following a private viewing at Griswold Funeral Home, burial took place at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Niskayuna on December 14, 2020 where the Reverend Matthew Frisoni offered a final blessing and words of comfort to her family. The family wishes to thank the staff of Schenectady Center for Nursing for the professional and compassionate care given to Rita during the final months of her life.