Loudonville – Rita Dennebaum, 81, passed away Monday February 21, 2011 at her home.
Rita was born in Albany a daughter of the late Casper and Mary Koonz and was a lifelong area resident. She was a graduate of the Academy of Holy Names and Empire State College. Rita worked as a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Counselor for many years. Her first job was as one of the original counselors of SPARC (St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center), she also worked at Conifer Park and at the prison in Coxsackie for fifteen years as a counselor. Rita truly liked helping people. She enjoyed reading and museums and loved to travel. She was predeceased by her husband James Dennebaum in 1973.
Rita is survived by her children Debbie (Ray) Tremblay and John Dennebaum, granddaughters Leah (Carlos) Perez and Jessica Tremblay, sister Mary Egan, several nieces, nephews and close friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday 9:00am at St. Clare's Church, Colonie. There will be no calling hours. Interment will be in St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Schenectady. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Rita's name to New Choices Recovery Center's Georgea S. Perrin House, a residence for women recovering from substance abuse and other challenges. Contributions can be sent to: New Choices Recovery Center 302 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12305 Attention: Peter Walker. To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.NewcomerAlbany.com