On February 11, 2019, at the age of 92, Rita Gloria Holdridge, loving wife and mother of four children, passed away peacefully at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital of Congestive Heart Failure. She was born in 1926 in Beverly, Massachusetts to Modestina and Jasper, both Italian immigrants from Sicily.    Her father had a bakery in Beverly, but died when she was only 5 years old, so while her mother worked, she was raised by her eldest sister, Francis.    When World War II ended, her brothers Bernie and Rudy returned safely home. They couldn't find work in Beverly, so the whole family moved to join Rita's other sister, Helen and her husband Marty, in Galveston, Texas where jobs were available.     In 1946, she was crowned as Miss Galveston County and represented the county in various contests and festivals.    Sometime in 1950, she met the love of her life, Herb, on the beach in the Galveston. They were married on September 1, 1951 at St Mary's Cathedral. While trying to start a family, they moved a few times, with stops in Chicago and St. Louis. Once the first child was born, Rita quit working so she could dedicate her time to raising the children, which eventually grew to four. In 1974, they settled back in Texas for good.     Herb retired in 1983, so the fun began, especially once the children were on their own. Cruises, traveling the world, and attending Elderhostels were their way of life for many years until health issues caught up. Despite severe back pain, she still tried to go to as many brunches, potlucks, ladies luncheons, red hat events, and casino trips as she could.    Rita is survived by her husband Herb; four children, Jeff and his wife Amy, Tim, Mike and his wife Tina, and Nancy; three grandchildren and several nieces, nephews and cousins across the country.    In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Rita's name to Windwood Presbyterian Church.