Rita Rachel (Barnaba) Turo

May 21, 1935 - February 2, 2022

Rita Rachel (Barnaba) Turo, 86, of Liverpool, passed away on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 in the loving care of the staff of Morningstar Residential Care Center in Oswego. Born in Syracuse, Rita was the daughter of the late Mary (Schena) and Gene Barnaba. Rita graduated from Assumption High School, where she met her husband of 64 years, Raymond. She attended Comptometry School, and worked as a comptometrist at Will and Baumer, Dey Brothers and General Motors. She later started her own floral design business specializing in weddings. For many years, she served the New York State Board of Elections as a poll worker. Rita was a communicant of St. Rose of Lima Church, a member of the Home Bureau and of the National Alliance on the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Syracuse. Rita is predeceased by her husband, Raymond Turo; and her brother, Daniel (Eleanor) Barnaba. Rita is survived by her son, William Turo; daughters, Linda (Frank) Szmalc and Karen (Daryoosh) Turo; grandsons, Nathan and Benjamin Szmalc; brother, Paul (Nita) Barnaba; sister-in-law, Eleanor Bondur; several nieces and nephews. Rita’s spunky zest for life and creativity showed in all that she did whether dancing the jitterbug, making a bride’s bouquet or hosting a magical Christmas Eve. Above all, she cherished her warm connection with family and friends, and her kind and caring words and smile will be missed by all those who were graced with knowing her. A Mass of Christian burial wil be celebrated on Thursday, May 19th at 10 a.m. at Assumption Church, 812 N. Salina Street. Burial will follow in Our Lady of Peace Cemetery In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memoriam to Alzheimer’s Association, CNY Chapter, PO Box 12226, Syracuse, NY 13218, www.alz.org or The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 28 W. 44th Street, Suite 609, New York, NY 10036, www.bcrf.org