Dr. Elizabeth Ann (Goglia) Ruggiero, 78, of Rehoboth passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, September 23, 2022, in her husband’s arms with her devoted daughter by her side.?
She was the devoted wife of Charles J. Ruggiero for 57 years before her passing.
Born in Providence and raised in Bristol, she was the daughter of the late Julio and Mary (Goulart) Goglia.
Known as Betty to all, she married her grade school sweetheart, Charlie, in 1965. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a bachelor’s degree, masters, and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies before taking a sabbatical to earn her Doctors in Education from Boston University in 1985. She was a dedicated teacher at Henry Barnard School for over 30 years and also worked as an Associated Professor at Rhode Island College.
Betty loved teaching, painting, traveling, and spending time with her family. She was an amazing wife, mom, and grandmother. She was a great example of work ethic, tenacity, and loyalty. She was so much fun to spend time with and had an infectious laugh.
No matter how busy or tired she was, Betty always cooked a fantastic dinner and would spend time with her family at the dining room table. She loved to bake pies, cookies, and cakes. She never met a cake mix she couldn’t improve upon. She always enjoyed baking cookies with her son, Michael.
Betty loved to entertain and hosted amazing parties where she would gab for hours.
She will be dearly missed by her friends and family.
In addition to her husband Charles, Elizabeth is also survived by her children: Beth Ann Reff (John) and Michael C. Ruggiero (Ariel Savitz); her grandchildren: Zachary Reff, Casen Ruggiero, Aiden Ruggiero, Lily Ruggiero; and her sister Juilanne Gaines (Goglia).
The family would like to thank the nurses and administrators of Southcoast Visiting Nurse Association for their professionalism and kindness, Dr. Arletta Kambe and lastly Sansone Funeral Home. In the end, Betty continued to
fight.
Memorial services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Dana Farber Cancer Institute Melanoma Division. https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org
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