Rita E. Jordan Obituary

Rita E. (Wilson) Jordan, 88, of Western Ave, Essex, MA, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2026, at the Atrium at Veronica Dr, Danvers, where she had been a resident for just over three years. She was born on January 30, 1938 in Gloucester, MA, the only child of John A. Wilson and Rita A. (Viator) Wilson. She attended public grammar school and graduated from Gloucester High School in 1956 as the class salutatorian. She went to work as a secretary at Quincy Market Company in Gloucester (now AmeriCold) and after a few years was promoted to manager of one of their cold storage warehouses. She married Russell R. Jordan of Lunenburg, MA on August 6, 1961 at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church in Gloucester and they settled in Essex, MA. She left her job at Quincy Market in the late 1960s to dedicate herself to raising her sons, Mark, Michael and David Jordan, currently of Western Ave, Essex MA. She was involved in several social organizations and participated in many community activities in Essex, including the Catholic Women's Club. She was an avid Red Sox fan, attending countless games over the years at Fenway Park, first with her father and then with her husband, sons and grandchildren. Her husband Russell passed away in July of 2024, also at the Atrium in Danvers. Russell and Rita had been married for 62 years.

Rita is survived by her three sons, Mark Jordan, Michael Jordan and David Jordan, all of Essex, MA, her five grandchildren, Christopher Jordan and his wife Kimberly (DeFilippo) Jordan of Schenectady, NY, Timothy Jordan and his wife Amanda (Crane) Jordan of North Andover, MA, Heather (Jordan) DeFilippo and her husband Joseph DeFilippo of Schenectady, NY, and Isabel Jordan Ruiz and Diego Jordan Ruiz of Valencia, Spain. Rita is also survived by six great-grandchildren, Olivia, Natalie, Madeline, Jonathan, Matthew and Cameron as well as brothers-in-law, Lester Jordan and his wife Darlene of Fitchburg MA, and Philip D. Jordan and his wife Beatrice (Vincent) Jordan, also of Fitchburg, and sister-in-law Ann (Jordan) Harrington of Westminster, MA, as well as several nieces and nephews of the Jordan and Caisse families. She is also survived by cousins Lucy (Viator) Lawson and Nancy (Lawson) Schlichte of Gloucester. Rita was predeceased by her husband Russell Jordan and her daughter-in-law Jo Ann Jordan.

Visiting hours will be held at Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA on Friday, October 16, 2026 from 5:00-7:00 PM. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St John the Baptist Church, 52 Main Street, Essex, MA, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM. Family and friends are cordially invited to attend. Burial will be held at the Spring Street Cemetery in Essex, MA.