Rita May Roman, 90, of Newtown died June 18. She was born March 4, 1926, in Waterbury, and was the daughter of May Zubras Miller and Joseph Anthony Miller.

Mrs Roman attended Waterbury schools and studied fashion design at Traphagen School of Fashion and Design in New York. She later studied floral design and worked at Four Seasons of Newtown and other area shops. Her design flair carried into her home decorating and hobbies of needlework, painting and gardening.

In 1948, Mrs Roman married Richard, her husband of 64 years. They moved to Miami, pursuing his airline career, then Port Washington, N.Y., and returned to Connecticut in 1961 to be closer to family and loved ones. She lived in Newtown for 55 years, where they raised their three children.

Family and friends were Mrs Roman's joy in her life. She was active in the lives of her grandchildren and the neighborhood children who found her warm smile, wise advice and calm and gentle ways so comforting. She loved the St Rose Carnivals, Newtown Labor Day Parades and fireworks.

Mrs Roman was a member of Heritage Village and Rock Ridge Country Clubs, playing in golf leagues. She enjoyed art classes and card groups with her cherished friends. She continued to enjoy her trips to New York for plays and museums, and was a member of the New York Botanical Gardens. She served as a volunteer at Danbury Hospital and Newtown VNA.

In Mrs Roman's later years, she remained current with New York life watching the parades and Christmas tree lighting on TV. She was a fan of Joan Hamburg of WOR Radio. She watched Bill O'Reilly on TV daily and golf every weekend. She was very grateful for the attention given by St Rose Parish and Bethel VNA supporting her independent life.

Her husband Richard and daughter, Regis Levin, predeceased her. Two children, Paula Todd of Woodbury and David Roman, and wife Deborah, of North Granby, and four grandchildren survive her.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St Rose of Lima Church, Newtown, Thursday, June 23, at  noon. Friends may call in Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown, Thursday morning from 10 to 11:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bethel Visiting Nurse Association or your charity of choice.