Obituary of Rita Marie Rittenhouse

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Passed away peacefully at St. Andrew’s Terrace LTC, Cambridge on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at the age of 71.

Loving and cherished wife of Robert “Bob” Rittenhouse for 51 years.  Mother to Lisa (Pearson) and Julie (Forsythe).  Dear grandmother of Austin, Alexis, Amber, Liv and EJ. Sister to Bert (Straus), Marg (Peterman). She will forever be remembered by her nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Predeceased by her parents John and Mary (nee Huber) Straus and sister Mary Anne. 

Beyond her successful career in Project Management, Rita poured her energy into volunteer and creative art activities. She was enthusiastic about gardening, scrapbooking, and photographic art.  She had an insatiable appetite to help others in need which is witnessed in her decades of volunteer work, starting at the church organizing community Bazar events where people could purchase baked goods, crafts and art to raise funds for the community. She quickly found her love of supporting other people through leading two missions trips to help underprivileged children and families, and donating countless hours to the St. Vincent De Paul Society to help local families in need. She delivered bereavement flowers to those who lost loved ones. She was the past President and long time member of the Catholic Women's League. She delivered holiday food hampers to struggling families. She contributed to the Waterloo Region Dream Centre to provide those experiencing homelessness a safe haven and she created Youth in Action, a local youth group to give young teens a safe space to build community. Later in life she focused her efforts on teaching the Alpha courses for both adults and young adults and she counselled many young couples as they prepared for marriage. Rita impacted thousands of people in her life with her willingness to help anyone in need and leaves behind a beautiful legacy of helping others.

Special thanks to the incredible staff at St. Andrews Terrace LTC who delivered exceptional care and provided a warm and kind atmosphere for our family.

To attend the visitation and service for Rita, at the family’s request, personal face coverings are required and relatives and friends must register (RSVP) at www.erbgood.com or by calling the funeral home at 519-745-8445. Visitation will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Sunday, May 15, 2022 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.  The funeral service will be held in the chapel of the funeral home on Monday, May 16, 2022 at 11 a.m. A reception will immediately follow the service in the Fireside Reception Room of the funeral home. A private family interment will be held at Williamsburg Cemetery, Kitchener. The funeral service will be live streamed at www.erbgood.com on Rita’s tribute page.  

Condolences for the family and donations to The Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington may be arranged by contacting the funeral home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.