Rita Sharon Prior (Dreyhaupt) passed away November 1, 2021, at age 71, of complications from Alzheimer's disease.  She will be remembered as she was before the disease took her, as someone who enjoyed the company of her family and friends.  Especially her grandchildren, who brought her much joy in her later years. Rita is survived by her husband of 50 years, Michael; her son Bryan and his wife Leonor; her son Christopher; her son Andrew and his wife Tara; her daughter Laura Gillland, her husband Christopher, and grandsons Dylan and Parker; and her son Zachary, his wife Roseann, granddaughter Harper and grandson Liam.  She is also survived by her brother Kenneth Dreyhaupt and his wife Eleanor and her sister, Ellen Dreyhaupt.  She joins her parents, Kenneth and Lucy Dreyhaupt; her nephew, Geoffrey Dreyhaupt; and her brother-in-law, John Prior. Rita was born in Jamaica, Queens, in 1950.  She attended St. Rita's Elementary School and Mater Christi High School, later attending Katharine Gibbs School and Queensborough Community College.  She was a school secretary in Queens for the New York City Board of Education and an active member in the Secretaries Chapter of the UFT.   In lieu of flowers, please donate in Rita’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.