Rita Ieva Ozols

Rita Ieva Ozols (née Ziemanis) April 24 1940 - Dec 30, 2023 Rita passed away peacefully with both of her children by her side, on Dec. 30th at Southlake Hospital in Newmarket ON, after an ailment and subsequent operation on her kidney that she was unfortunately never able to recover from. Although 83 at the time, this series of events was very sudden for the family. Wife of Imants (Juris) who passed away from ALS in 2012, Rita had survived a tumultuous early childhood in the midst of war. Escaping from her home country of Latvia ahead of communist forces, Rita as a child grew up in DP camps in Germany and experienced many of the horrors of war, eventually settling in southern Ontario farm life near Shelburne, Ontario. She had married late for her generation, and after living in Louisiana, California and later Detroit, the young couple decided to move to Canada to have children and raise a family. Rita was an unwavering force of optimism, kindness and good will, and stood by her husband and family throughout the many ups and downs of life as the family first lived in Toronto, then on a farm in Marmora, then back to Toronto again, then Kitchener, then back to Toronto, and in their twilight years settling in Gilford, living with their daughter. Although long retired, Rita had a long career at the Toronto Public library in the administration department, and before that, at what is now known as DRDC Toronto (Canadian Forces Base) working with the top aeronautics people from Canada as a personal assistant. Rita was a warm and loving mother of Konrad (married to Yijie) and Astra (married to Matthew Hemming) and was an extremely kind and thoughtful mother in law for her children's mates. Grandmother to Sigfried, Sebastian, Maija, and Hantao, Rita was actively engaged with all of her grandkids, and every interaction and visit was filled with warmth and kindness and love. Family was everything to Rita, and she deeply mourned to her final days the early passing of her oldest brother Leons (Leo) in 1975. And some time after her mother Nora and Pauls each passed away, her younger brother Juris (George) passed away as well. The final blow came this past November when her brother Jānis (John) passed, making her the last surviving family member, and unfortunately it wasn't to last very long. Rita strongly believed in God and an afterlife, and I am certain that in her last moments she looked forward to joining her brothers and parents in heaven. Above and beyond everything, Rita had the kindest of hearts and was always seeking to keep peace, relieve tension, and defend the defenceless. Her eternal loving spirit will live on forever through the many lives she touched, forever trying to give advice, help and comfort those around her. She was an angel on this earth, and she will forever be remembered and missed by those that knew her and loved her. May your soul rest eternal.

Rita Ieva Ozols

December 30, 2023