Brita Polito
Brita Polito, of New Milford, CT, passed away at home on June 29, 2023, in the 86th year of her life. Brita Maria Ohlson was born on December 2, 1936 in Forshaga, Sweden, the daughter of Maja and CarlOskar Ohlson. She came to America in 1958 to visit relatives in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but remained in Falmouth, MA, where she met her future husband, Jim Polito. They were married a year later, on July 11, 1959 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Falmouth. They had two children, and later, seven grandchildren, all of whom were the center of her life. Brita loved her family most of all, and she taught each of her grandchildren how to bake Swedish coffee bread and cookies when they were small. She also loved her many friends, cooking, reading, gardening, traveling home to Sweden and to other locations in Europe and the United States. She had a warm, caring heart and was a great listener, asked questions, and would learn anyone’s life story in just a few minutes. For this reason, she had many friends and she stayed in touch with them all over the years, never forgetting a birthday or other significant event. She had a refined sense of style, loved to entertain, and dinner parties with small groups of friends were a constant throughout her life. She and Jim shared many good times, celebrating family events, listening to jazz together and traveling to visit family and friends.
While she lived in the US all of her married life, she never forgot her Swedish heritage and she made sure that holidays always featured traditional Swedish food and decorations. She lived for many years in Fairfield, CT and spent the last 19 years of her life in New Milford, CT. She is survived by her husband Jim, their son John Polito of Malibu, CA, his wife Lauren, their children Layla and Axel and his two sons from a previous marriage, Ted and Sam; and their daughter Kristina Mickool of Ridgefield, CT, her husband David, and their children Sarah, Ian and Ben. She is also survived by her brother, Bertil Ohlson and his wife Christina, of Ostre Deje, Sweden.
A memorial celebration of Brita’s life will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 7 Whittlesey Ave., New Milford, CT, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Ridgefield VNA, whose homecare and Hospice teams were outstanding in their support and care of Brita in her final months.