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Kathleen DeBrita
Kathleen Mary DeBrita of Westhampton died December 9, 2019. She was 74.
Born on February 7, 1945, to Edward and Arvilla Arthur, she was raised in New Hyde Park with her sister, Nancy, and brother Christopher. She graduated from St Mary’s High School in Manhasset and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from LeMoyne College and Fordham University, respectively. Years later she earned a master’s in special education from Dowling College.
She and her husband, Phillip DeBrita, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married in 1969 and started a life in Brooklyn and Queens, where they welcomed their first two children, Ellen and Joanna. In 1978 they relocated to Westhampton, a community she cherished and where they had three more children, Nicholas, Monica, and Joseph.
In addition to raising her family, Ms. DeBrita contributed her time and talents to the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Quiogue, serving in various capacities for more than 30 years. When her youngest started school, she began work as a teaching assistant at Eastern Suffolk BOCES in Westhampton Beach. Her patient nature was perfectly suited for the high-needs students she served and she enjoyed working with them for 15 years.
She is survived by her husband, Phillip DeBrita; siblings, Nancy Arthur and Chris Arthur; children, Ellen Knieriemen (David), Joanna Schoff (Chris), Nicholas DeBrita (Rebecca), Monica Van Essendelft (Jason), Joseph DeBrita (Yvette); and grandchildren, Elizabeth, Avery, Ryan, Jordan, Hayden, Isaac, Lucas and Mae.
Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org.
on Dec 12, 2019