Jacqueline Riser Ruggieri "Jackie"

Jacqueline A. Riser Ruggieri (Age 92) Of Silver Spring, Maryland died peacefully at home, with her children by her side, on March 5, 2017 of natural causes. She was the devoted and loving wife to her husband that predeceased her, Thomas William Ruggieri, to whom she was married for 65 years. She is survived by her seven children: Patricia A. Nolin (Michael Nolin), Teresa A. Gormley (Francis Gormley), Mary Catherine Ruggieri-Krone (Paul Krone), Rita J. Ruggieri, Thomas N. Ruggieri (Sharon Piper), Nicholas J. Ruggieri and Margaret C. Vento (Gerald T. Vento); 13 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother James M. Riser, and was the sister to the late Gerald T. Riser. She is also survived by her caregivers of many years Pearly Babb, Alice Johnson and Petergay Bagaloo. Mrs. Ruggieri was a Christmas baby, born on December 25, 1924 in Cincinnati, Ohio to the late Myrtle Acree Riser of Atlanta, Georgia, and the late Irvin Riser of Cincinnati. At the age of nine, her parents moved the family to Washington, D. C., where Jacqueline attended the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Catholic Grade and High Schools. Upon graduation, she contributed to the war effort working as a secretary for the US Navy Yard in Southeast, Washington. She possessed a great talent and passion for dancing and one evening attended an USO dance at the Meridian Hill Park Hotel where she met and fell in love with her husband, Thomas Ruggieri, then serving in the US Navy. They married in 1948 and raised a family of seven children. Jackie was a devoted mother and grandmother to her children and grandchil- dren as well as a loving aunt to her numerous nieces and nephews and always encouraged their pursuit of education, music, sports and the theatre. Mrs. Ruggieri was a devout Catholic and longtime parishioner and member of the Women's Sodality at St. John the Baptist de la Salle Church in Hyattsville, Maryland where she also sang as an alto in the choir. When the family moved to Silver Spring in 1972, she joined the Choir at St. John the Baptist Church and sang as an alto there for more than 30 years. Jackie was most happy when singing alongside her fellow choir members, under the direction of Maestro Webster Rodgers, at 10:30 Mass every Sunday, at Christmas Eve Mass, accompanied by the brass from the Catholic University, and at a host of venues across the United States and abroad where the accomplished choir traveled to sing, including most notably in 1979 at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II. As her children matured and became more independent, Jackie attended classes at the University of Maryland on a special program for "returning women" and later became an active volunteer working with developmentally challenged children and adults at the Great Oaks Facility in Calverton, Maryland. She also delivered meals to housebound seniors every week for 25 years for the Montgomery County, Maryland Chapter of the Meals on Wheels Program. Jackie was a voracious reader, fabulous cook most especially Italian cuisine, and a gracious host at the many family gatherings at her home. She was a fiercely independent spirit of immense quiet strength that gave selflessly to her family and community and will be missed by all who knew and loved her. The family wishes to thank Jackie's loving and devoted nursing aids and Holy Cross Hospice, whom enabled her to live the remainder of her life in the comfort of her home. Services will be held on Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m. at the Riderwood Retirement Community Chapel, 3120 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, Maryland. Relatives and friends will be received at a viewing on Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Jacqueline Ruggieri may be sent to The Washington School for Girls, Atttention: Development Office, 1901 Mississippi Ave., S.E. Washington, D. C. 20020Services will be held on Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m. at the Riderwood Retirement Community Chapel, 3120 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, Maryland. Relatives and friends will be received at a viewing on Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Jacqueline Ruggieri may be sent to The Washington School for Girls, Atttention: Development Office, 1901 Mississippi Ave., S.E. Washington, D. C. 20020