Rita Myers, CCSN’s friend and volunteer, passed away suddenly after a brief battle with metastatic breast cancer on November 14, 2019 at the age of 75. She is survived by husband Tony, children Gene, Graham, and Meghan, her sister June, children’s spouses Carrie, Jennifer, and James, and grandchildren William, Rebecca, Essen, Hollis, and Marcos.
Rita was deeply spiritual, a fierce defender of her family, a mentor to many and a friend to many more in the diverse spheres of her life and community. As a counsellor, Rita was passionately committed to healing, promoting mental health well-being, and helping others with their most difficult life transitions and personal traumas. Even as the Ottawa Civic Hospital’s staff explained to Rita her limited medical options, Rita’s final message to them was to thank them for their professionalism, their humanity, and their compassion and kindness—a testament to the person she was: filled with gratitude and love for others.
While awake and lucid, Rita was able to hear and acknowledge from family members how much she was loved, how important she was, and how badly she will be missed. Testimony to her importance to so many was clear from the crowded funeral home visitation and the overflowing church at her funeral. Those who wish can make donations to Bereaved Families of Ontario (BFO), a cause which was central to Rita’s professional endeavours.
A grief counsellor in her life, we wish she had been there to help us with our own grief when she died. She is missed.