Rita S. (Langdon) Clough, Passes at 97
Bellows Funeral Chapel
Rita S. (Langdon) Clough, Passes at 97
Predeceased by her husband, Rev. Maxwell L. Clough, and her siblings, John Harmon Langdon, Nelson Henry Langdon, Martha Isabelle Langdon, and Charles Warren Langdon; she is survived by her son, Langdon D. Clough, and daughter-in-law Sheila S. Clough, daughter Heather D. Rheaume and son-in-law Michael Rheaume and her beloved grand-daughter, Renée Rheaume.
Fiercely proud of her Vermont heritage, she remembered fondly growing up in Castleton and being fully engaged in all the town’s activities from Girl Scouts, and Junior Women’s Clubs, to the Church Choir at Castleton Federated Church to activities supporting the “boys” serving in WWII. She especially remembered singing duets with her sister and how they would inadvertently make each other giggle.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTReceiving a Bachelor of Education degree from the Castleton Normal School in 1945, she devoted her life to elementary school teaching, beginning with training in one-room rural schoolhouses and commencing with a long career in North Attleboro, MA. She was thrilled at the excitement children felt when they first started learning to read. On several occasions, she wrote and directed plays for all the school’s pupils.
Her unpaid career, to which she was equally devoted, was that of “the minister’s wife” at the former Central Falls Congregational Church. She fully enjoyed and participated in all church activities, including lending her alto voice to the adult choir, directing a children’s choir, being active in all the Women’s groups, or even preparing her home to host a private wedding ceremony. After her husband died and the church had closed, she took on important roles at Park Place Congregational Church in Pawtucket and Central Baptist Church in Providence. She was also active in the John Clough Genealogical Society.
She enjoyed needle-point, writing letters to friends and relatives, playing the piano, and inviting friends over to sing the “old songs”. She loved to write, creating stories and poems to share with family and friends. She treasured the time spent with her granddaughter Renée, especially helping to care for her when she was younger.
Rita had great faith and lived a life of service devoted to God, family, and friends. Her transition to the life eternal is assured in John 11:25-26. "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die".
A celebration of Rita's life will commence with visitation from 2:00 - 5:00 pm, on Sunday, August 15, 2021, at Bellows Funeral Chapel.
A Celebration of Life will be held on August 16, 2021, at 11:00 at the same location.
Burial will follow on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 11:00 am at the Hillside Cemetery in Castleton, Vermont.
The family respectfully requests that visitors follow Covid Safety Protocols including mask wearing and social distancing.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Park Place Congregational Church or The Rhode Island Shriners Charities Trust, who generously supported Rita's granddaughter for many years.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Rita S. (Langdon) Clough, please visit the floral store.