May 21, 1928 - December 22, 2023
In loving memory ~
Reita died in Long Term Care, peacefully after a long illness. She was lovingly cared for in her last years by her daughter Marilyn and family friend and care-giver Lynn Doerksen.
Reita was born in Sibbald, Alberta in 1928 to Minnie (McCaffery) and Morley Switzer. She was the youngest of six children. After the death of her mother in 1929, Reita and her brother Bruce were sent to live with their maternal aunt Louisa and her husband Mack Baxter in Toronto, where she grew up. She attended RIverdale Collegiate, graduating with honours. Reita met and married Gordon Ogg in 1948 and together they raised three children, Kathryn, Marilyn and John.
Reita was a stay-at-home Mom, and enjoyed knitting, sewing clothes and later, she loved making quilts for her kids and grandkids. The family spent many wonderful summers on Soyers Lake in Haliburton in the cottage built by our dad with friends and family. There, they enjoyed visits with many friends over the years.
In 1965, Gord and Reita along with Bruce's family, made the journey with their kids back to Sibbald, where they met their siblings for the first time since infancy. This was a wonderful moment for our family and we remained close to our western family. In 1997 Reita and Gord moved to Nanaimo BC to be close to their children who had all relocated to Vancouver Island.
Reita was predeceased by her five siblings; her husband Gordon in 2012 and her beloved son John in 2018. She is survived by her daughters Kathryn Ogg and Marilyn Pearson (Brian); granddaughters Ella, Vanessa, Rhea and Branwyn; great-granddaughters Makayla, Isabella and Mya, and many nieces and nephews. She is missed by her entire family.
Rest In Peace Mom