Obituaries

LOUISE RITCHIE (NEE LINDQUIST)

     Despite a widespread belief that she would outlive us all, Lydia Louisa (Louise) Ritchie (nee Lindquist) passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 17, 2022. She is survived by her two daughters, Janet and Gail; her four grandchildren, Christopher, Josh, Katie, Caroline, her adopted grandchild Moses and her great grandson, Alexander,

Born in Kamloops in 1930, Gram made British Columbia her home until 1969, and   continued to visit for years afterward. One of five children, she moved to Vancouver as a teenager, and later to Winnipeg with her two daughters. Gram was always thrilled by the legal profession and spent her career in legal work as secretary and later in the Claims department of the Law Society of Manitoba up until her retirement at the frighteningly young age of 80.

Apart from law, Gram also enjoyed the finer things in life: good fashion, good French wine, excellent penmanship, knitting, and skunking her grandchildren in crib. She especially loved to indulge in all of these during Christmas holidays and Christmas mornings hold some of our favourite memories with her.

As her short-term memory faltered, her long-term memory was a source of hours-long conversations. Stories of growing up in BC’s interior during the outset of World War Il and the difficulties associated with living in black-out conditions in Copper Mountain demonstrated a sense of a life well-appreciated and well-lived. Memories with Gram in the last few years are filled with jazz music, laughter, stories of life in mid-century Canada and an appreciation for the independence that we take for granted.

To know Gram was to know a fierce and independent woman, a trait she insisted on cultivating in both her daughters and grandchildren.

We will miss the crib games, the passionate debates around the dinner table, and the beautiful Irish-knit wool sweaters (and toques, and scarves, and more sweaters). We may even miss the Christmas cakes.

Though she never was able to meet her great grandson Alexander due to Covid restrictions, we are comforted to know that in her final moments, she was surrounded by photographs of him, while nostalgic music played over the radio at Misericordia Place, exuding a remarkable sense of peace. The trees still had their leaves and although she wasn’t aware of it, her passing went early in the morning on one of the most beautiful days of autumn.

Our gratitude as a family goes out to Brian and to Joseph who at the beginning of her illness went above and beyond, made difficult decisions, and treated Gram with compassion and dignity.

In her final years, she was well-loved, pleasantly spoiled, and safely guarded throughout the pandemic by the staff at Misericordia Place. Their unwavering care has been remarkable, and we thank them for their professionalism and comfort.

There will be no service at this time, but we encourage those who knew her to raise a glass of wine in her honour and put on some Billie Holiday.

Condolences can be made at www.wojciksfuneralchapel.co

I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you.