Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I regret to inform you that Rita Cazon passed away on November 16, 2017.
In talking with her family, I was told in typical Rita fashion. Rita was born in Edmonton on August 6, 1954. What the unique thing was, was her family was visiting Canada from Germany. Four years later, the family moved back to Canada via New York on a big ship, as they would say. She was raised in Leduc, Alberta, until she was 17 years old. Then she moved to Yellowknife in 1972.
That year, while attending school in Yellowknife, Ernest Cazon saw this very beautiful lady and said, "Wow. I need to get to know her." Unfortunately, he did not get that chance during that year. In 1974, as fate would have it, Rita ended up moving to Fort Simpson and worked at the Nahanni Inn where Ernest saw her again. As he told me, here was his soulmate. On October 15, 1975, the two were married with a huge community celebration.
Mr. Speaker, Rita and her family were known for their willingness to foster children. She was known to be able to relate to them at a level others were not. Rita and her family fostered over 168 youth during this time. The youth felt that this was their home, and so did their friends. I had the pleasure of knowing her and her family personally. She looked after my children for a number of years. She was considered and is considered "Auntie Rita" to them.
Rita was known for her willingness to help with elections, regardless if it was band, municipal, NWT, or federal. She was an excellent resource of knowledge when it came to election issues and challenges. One time, when there was acclamation in the Nahendeh riding, she was asked to go to another riding to help out, and she moved away from her family during this time. Even after retirement, she was still called upon for help.
She sat on Local Education Authority, Community Education Council, and the District Education Authority to make sure youth had a good commitment from adults in the riding. Rita was known for being part of the community. She was always volunteering her time for various events. During our ball tournaments, she was always keeping score and announcing the games. Ballplayers, umpires, and fans loved her humour and wisecracks. She was part of every tournament and will be sadly missed.
Mr. Speaker, Rita was known about fairness. One time, her and two friends were in a store and noticed the produce was going bad. They placed the food on the floor and were heard saying, "This food is not good enough for human consumption." Within a half hour, the store brought out the new produce and apologized.
Rita was known for her baking, especially during bazaars. She would have five to 10 tables full of her baking. Unfortunately, for the family, nothing was left to go home. Luckily for Ernest, she would come home and bake some bread or buns for her love. Mr. Speaker, the family would like to thank Stanton Hospital, Fort Simpson Medical Travel, Liidli Kue First Nation, Fort Simpson Metis Local, Fort Simpson High-Performance Soccer, Fort Simpson Ambulance and Fire Department, and Doctor Hubert for all the support during her sickness and during this family's difficult time.
Rita is survived by her husband, two sons, daughter, and two granddaughters and grandson. The service will be later this month. She will be sadly missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.