Rita Brouillard WOLCOTT-Mrs. Rita (Champagne) Brouillard, 83, of Wolcott, devoted wife of Armand Brouillard, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 19, 2024, at the Waterbury Center for Nursing. Born in Waterbury on May 10, 1941, she was the daughter of the late Julian and Germaine (Nadeau) Champagne. Rita was a graduate of St. Anne School and Wilby High School, class of 1959. In the early years, Rita worked at various factories and shops within Waterbury and Bristol. Afterward, she and her husband, Armand, started a shoe repair business, Armands Shoe Hospital, located in downtown Waterbury next door to the Palace Theater and later moving to East Main St by Calvary Cemetery. Rita was a talented seamstress, and she loved a challenging request from motorcycle riders, disabled individuals, or anyone looking for her to create, repair, or modify leather items related to jackets, pants, purses, belts, gun holders, leg braces, etc. After they closed the shoe repair, Rita worked for about 15 years as a cashier in the Stop and Shop grocery store on Chase Ave in Waterbury. Rita was a devoted sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her grandchildren have many fond memories of swimming in the family pool and picking vegetables in their giant garden, which they enjoyed sharing with family and many of their neighbors on Claudia Ln and Cassandra Ave in Wolcott. Her children remember all their handmade clothes as young children, the great costumes she designed for Halloween over the years, and the sleepovers and decorating cookies with their friends at parties. Her youngest sister, Cecile, remembers how loving and kind she was when she invited her to live in their home for a year after Cecile returned to CT from Georgia as a young adult. Her sister Gloria, who was 22 months older, remembers Rita as a young child, who would follow her around everywhere as they were best friends. In 1969, Rita continued following her when she moved in the house next door, and they remained neighbors for 45 years. Lastly, everyone remembers how much Rita loved to laugh as well as her silly antics and jokes to make others laugh along with her. Rita was very artistically talented and excelled at drawing and painting, as well as carving designs and pictures on leather. In the early 70s, she enjoyed painting classes with her sister from an excellent teacher at Maloney High in Meriden. Over the years, she painted many oil and acrylic paintings as well as various drawings with charcoal. Later in years, she gathered the needed tools and books and taught herself how to carve designs and pictures into leather, creating belts, wallets, belt buckles, and picture art that she would sell at various fairs within CT. In recent years, she and Armand enjoyed spending time at the Senior Center in Waterbury with her painting and their playing cards with friends. In addition to her husband Armand of 63 years, Rita leaves her son Armand Brouillard Jr. and his girlfriend Rita Kay Stark, daughters Lynn and her husband Michael Calabrese, and Dana and her husband Frank Angelicola; her grandchildren Kurt Gelinas and his significant other Joan Aviles, Richard Velez and his fiance Kassandra Velez, William Brouillard and his wife Brittany, Allen Gelinas and his wife Mallory, Catlin Brouillard and her fianc Hunter Hess, Rebecka Brouillard and her partner Grace Winter, Avery Brouillard, Aidan Brouillard, Kyle Gelinas and his wife Katy, David Gelinas and his wife Gabrielle, and Kiersten Ashley Aiello; her great grandchildren Madeline Brouillard, and Beckett, Emily, Ethan, Alexander, and Harper Gelinas; her three sisters Jeanie Goudreault, Gloria Albino and her life partner Arthur Lanese, Cecile and her husband Doug Wasik, and her brother Lee and his wife Judy Champagne; her brother-in-law Fernand Brouillard, and two sisters-in-law Dolores Bergeron and Rita LaMadeline; as well as several nieces, nephews, and many dear friends. Rita was predeceased by her sister Lucy Sexton, and brothers-in-law Edgar, Rene, Maurice, and Theodore Brouillard. The family would like to thank all of Ritas caregivers in the last 1-1/2 years at both Trinity Terraces and Waterbury Center. Friends and family are invited to celebrate Ritas life at a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, September 7th beginning at 10 AM in St. Michaels Church in Waterbury, followed by burial of her ashes in Calvary Cemetery. Calling hours are Saturday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 AM at Woodtick Memorial, 420 Woodtick Rd. Wolcott. You may visit her obituary at www.woodtickmemorial.com for online condolences and more information. Memorial Contributions may be made in Ritas name to the Alzheimers Foundation of America www.alzfdn.org. Services Visitation Saturday September 7, 2024 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM Woodtick Memorial, Woodtick Rd Mass of Christian Burial Saturday September 7, 2024 10:00 AM St. Michael Church (Waterbury)