Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I would like to thank the member for the Deh Cho for the beautiful eulogy of Evelyn Krutko. She was an amazing woman.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Rita was born on a small farm in Lonesome Pine, Alberta, to Mary and Arthur Lockhart on the 27th of June, 1935. She was the youngest daughter of 14 siblings. Her mother passed away when she was 12 years old. After her mother passed away, she moved in with her sister, Eva Morbick in Edmonton. Rita went looking for work at the age of 16 which found her on a plane heading to Yellowknife to start her adventure. Her first job working as a waitress at the Busy Bee Cafe where she she became lifetime friends with Patricia Rowe. With Christmastime arriving and Rita having no plans, Patricia invited her to come to the Rowe's house. This is where she met Bill and they started another life adventure.
Bill and Rita were married on January 20th, 1953, in Peace River. Bill and Rita worked in the oil fields in Saskatchewan, residing with the Higginson family in Berwyn, and then headed north. They ran a garage and a restaurant in Enterprise until it burned down. Then they moved to Hay River where Bill started DJ Motors and Rita worked really hard raising their six children.
In 1963, she ended up with TB and her and her two sons, Jack and Owen, had to go to the Sans in Edmonton. It was a very difficult time for the family but like Rita would always say "que cera cera, what will be will be". This was her outlook in life.
Rita was known for her timeless work as a volunteer in Hay River, whether it was with the figure skating club, minor hockey, or the Royal Purple. She ensured the goals were met and the youth had fun. One example was Ms. Hazel Haight and Rita organizing figure skating auctions, collections, and setting them up to make sure they had ice time paid for and the coaches were in place.
In 1976, Bill and Rita moved south to take over the family farm. You would always see her working in the garden, her flowers, the cabin, and preparing for family visits. If she wasn't doing those things you could find her visiting neighbors. Rita loved being on the farm and her family. She instilled honesty integrity, and hard work in all her children.
Madam Speaker, I had the honor of knowing Ms. Rowe. She was an amazing individual. I know she will be sadly missed by her family and friends. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
