Rita “Nickie” Benoze

Rita “Nickie” Benoze of Stowe died early Sunday morning, Oct. 22, 2023, at the age of 92 after a long decline battling Alzheimer’s disease.

Rita was born Jan. 10, 1931, in New York City to Arthur and Millicent Rosenthal. Rita, an only child, had a wonderful upbringing growing up on Staten Island. When she graduated from Russell Sage College, New York, with a bachelor’s degree, she began the first of her many illustrious careers as a secretary for Hershon Garfield Advertising Agency in New York City.

There she met the love of her life, Jack Benoze, and after a whirlwind romance they wed on Oct. 7, 1956. The agency is also where she received the gift of her nickname “Nickie.” She had a hard time remembering names of people, so she created nicknames for them all.

Nickie was a New York City Girl at heart who always loved shopping at Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, with stops for lunch with the girls. She made the decision to go back to school to pursue her passion of fashion and design at Parsons School of Design.

After graduating she owned and ran several businesses, including multiple Pappagallo shoe stores, a woman’s clothing store where she designed and sewed clothing for her clients.

Later she worked as an interior designer, creating beautiful apartment spaces for clients. A lot of Nickie’s artistic inspiration was fueled by her worldwide travel with her husband Jack, visiting his clients all over Europe and the Far East.

Nickie was often referred to as a “human dynamo” as she kept in shape by displaying her love of tae kwon do, where she achieved her third-degree black belt, a fact that she had no hesitation reminding you of if you stepped out of line. Jack and Nickie also spent years skiing the slopes in Stowe with their ad agency clients, enjoying the agency’s chalet where they entertained for many years.

It came as no surprise that when Jack was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and he was forced to retire from the rigors of New York City life, their choice was to relocate permanently to Stowe to embark on their new life.

Retirement wasn’t a word in Nickie’s vocabulary and, with Jack at her side, the two of them became staunch advocates for The Americans with Disabilities Act, and were involved for years with the Helen Day Art Center, annually running its largest fundraiser, A Taste of Stowe.

A true cat lover, Nickie was also an ardent North Country Animal League supporter. But those activities were not enough, and in due time Nickie added a real estate license to her resume and embarked on her newest career, working at Pall Spera Realtors in Stowe.

Nickie was a passionate skier and added daily golf at 7 a.m. in the summer to her list of things to do. Nickie was also very proud of breaking barriers as she became the only woman at the table for the men’s Thursday night poker game in town.

Her greatest role was as a devoted wife and caregiver to her beloved husband for 59 years, who predeceased her in 2015.

Nickie is survived by Cookie Benoze Hendrickson and her husband, Joseph Hendrickson of the U.S. Virgin Islands; nephews, Stuart and Jack Hendrickson of New York; her best friend, Teddy Velis and her daughter, Simone of New York; and many dear friends in Stowe who will long remember her generous and loving spirit. She will be missed.