Rita Smulders

RITA SMULDERS It is with sadness that the family of Rita Smulders writes to announce that Rita, who was born in the Netherlands in 1933, died on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at the Matthews House Hospice, in Alliston, Ontario, just shy of her 88th birthday. 'An old lady' as she frequently informed people! Rita had four children, Cathy who passed in 1963, the remaining three still living. She was an enthusiastic parent who really appreciated children, she would stop and say hello to any she met on her travels or outings. She married twice, the first time in the 1950s before immigrating to Canada with three small children. Her second marriage was in 1984 to Karel Versteeg who predeceased her in 2012. When Rita and Charles (or Charlie, as Rita called him) were married the combined family consisted of 10 children (her three, plus his seven). Many great parties were had with the children, grandchildren and even some great-grandchildren. Any excuse for a party was welcomed. Rita was a fun, positive and outgoing person, a talented quilter, a great cook, an extensive reader and a lover of old movies. She worked as a book buyer for Coles Book stores across Canada at a time when women did not have this type of work. She also worked for years as a real estate agent. With husband Charlie, both of them retired, they happily travelled near and far, many times on a cruise, and also lived a year in France in the early nineties, where they had a great time. She now rests in peace at the Holy Cross cemetery in Thornhill, overlooking the grave of young Cathy. Rita picked the site herself, saying she wanted to know where she was going! Donations in her name can be made to the Matthews House Hospice.