Rita Ann Calvo

Rita Calvo

1942 - 2026

Rita Ann Calvo, 84, born March 14, 1942, died on April 14, 2026 at Kendal in Ithaca. 

Rita was born and raised in Mount Vernon, NY. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1963 and received her PhD from Cornell in microbiology in 1969. Rita was a beloved teacher and advisor, inspiring generations of Cornell students and high school biology teachers. She cofounded and ran the Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers (CIBT), which educated high school teachers about cutting edge research in biology and developed labs for students. CIBT also developed and ran an innovative equipment lending library. Rita was known for explaining complex scientific topics in an engaging and accessible fashion. She won teaching awards from the National Association of Biology Teachers' (NABT) (1999) and the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College (2013). Rita also reviewed and edited textbooks, and worked on the state level to improve the Regents Biology standards.

Rita was the center of a loving family and community, always connecting people in her network and ever ready to provide love, support, and encouragement. Even up until her final weeks, she was bringing homemade challah to friends in the community. She was a loving and caring mother, grandmother, and friend. In the outpouring of notes written to her in her last hours, so many family and friends wrote about her bright spark, her talent for exuding warmth and caring to all she met, and her ability to make every friend feel special, respected, and cared for.

Rita was a master gardner, who shared her love of the outdoors and wildflowers with elementary school students through the Cornell Botanical Gardens and volunteered in the Kendal and Temple Beth-El gardens. She and Joe have been world travelers, and volunteered to teach nursing students in Uganda.

Rita and Joe Calvo shared 61 years of a beautiful marriage. Rita is survived by Joe, her daughters Rachel (Vinay) Prabhakar, Naomi Calvo, Sarah (Scott) Calvo, her grandchildren Mayavati, Ella, Marco, Jesse, and Max, her brother Jim (Mariana) Rothenberg, her sister Judi Rothenberg, local family members Itai Cohen and Irene Weiser, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday April 16 at Temple Beth-El. In her memory, consider planting a bulb in your garden that will come up every year in the spring. Arrangements are by the Bangs Funeral Home.