Richard, Rita Marie

March 1, 1925 - February 28, 2025

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Rita Richard who passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 28, 2025, just one day shy of her 100th birthday.

Rita was predeceased by her parents Olivier and Juliette Doiron (Vautour), her husband Daniel (1981) and her siblings Arthur, Edgar, Eugenie, Paul, Camille, Joseph, and Marguerite. She is survived by her youngest brother Daniel Doiron (Diane) of Shediac.

She leaves behind a family who adored her; her children, Julie Monaghan (Peter) and Daniel (Deb McCabe); grandchildren Lauren Monaghan (Marc Audet), Kayla Monaghan (Matthew Fellows), and Alyse Richard. She adored and was very proud of her three granddaughters. Her great grandsons Bobby and Ryan Audet truly brightened her day. She was affectionately known as “Memere” to many.

Rita was born on Dock Street in Shediac, New Brunswick. She went to school until 5th grade and then left school to help care and provide for her younger siblings. When her husband, Daniel, first saw her, he thought ‘That’s the woman I’m going to marry’. They married on June 6, 1946. In 1954, they moved to North Bay, Ontario and in 1961 they relocated to Hanmer and built a life filled with love, laughter, and devotion, raising their two children. A devoted homemaker for many years, she later worked as a teller at the Bank of Montreal in Sudbury from 1968 until her retirement. Following the death of her husband in 1981, Rita showed incredible resilience, obtaining her driver’s license at the age of 55 and continued to live her life with strength and independence. Rita had a zest for life and found joy in simple pleasures. She loved spending time at the bingo hall and casino, where she was always up for a little fun and excitement. In her earlier years, she was an avid baker, best known for her hot biscuits and shortbread cookies at Christmas, a memory her family will cherish forever. More than anything, Rita instilled resilience and love in her family, values that will carry on through generations.

She stayed in Hanmer until 2004 when she moved back to her hometown of Shediac, NB. She loved Shediac and the people that lived there. When she became ill in 2021, she moved back to Hanmer to live with Julie so that the family could help care for her. 

She will be missed by her many nieces and nephews. She loved the visits you would make to her apartment in Shediac. The family would like to thank those who visited Rita and showed their love to this remarkable woman.

She spent her last year being cared for by the amazing staff at the Elizabeth Centre. Special thanks to Trisha Petryna, Teresa, Cathy, Tarn, Cass, Madison, Queen, Diane, Kimberly, Haley, Liane, and other staff that provided her care and comfort. She truly felt that she had expanded her family. We can’t thank you enough.

Rita was at peace with death, finding comfort in the thought of reuniting with her beloved husband Dan, her mother, and family and friends that have gone before her. She was, quite simply, THE BEST.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, March 19th at Paroisse Ste-Marguerite-d’Youville located at 4290 Old Hwy 69, Val Therese, ON P3P 0A1.