Rita Neumiller

Rita Neumiller (Nee Fauchon) passed away quietly on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at the Didsbury Hospital. 

Rita was born to Alfred and Rose Fauchon on June 2. 1940 in Watson Saskatchewan.  The second youngest of ten siblings.  She attended school in and around Ferland Saskatchewan, until her family moved to Gravelbourg where she attended Thevenet College. As a young lady, she was industrious, and enjoyed being busy. She worked part time while attending school.  During a visit to her sisters, Marie and Evelyn, in Edmonton, she thought that having a job there would award her the funds to stay longer.  She decided she enjoyed working more than school, and never looked back.  A year later she moved to Calgary and lived with her brother, Romeo.  She started working for Alberta Government Telephones, where she worked until 1960, when she became a Certified Nurses Aide.  During her training she met the love of her life, Leslie Neumiller, and they were married October 27 1962.

Their family grew quickly, with the birth of Sharon in 1963, Yvonne 1965, Joyce 1967, Jean 1968, and finally they got their boy when Henry was born in 1971.  It is a good thing they lived on a farm so they could grow the food needed to feed everyone. Rita was always in motion, as living on a farm the work never ends. She had a large garden, and preserved most of what the family needed herself.  Summer and fall had her busy canning all sorts of produce.  One of her favorites were peaches, covered in a indulgent pour of fresh cream from the milk cows. She always had generous meals during harvest. Her top priority was making sure that Les and anyone helping harvest the grain were fed two hot meals each day with full dessert.  She was truly a good wife and mother. Constantly on the go, making sure everyone was taken care of.

It was not always work though, one summer day she thought she would give us a ride on one of our cousin’s motorbikes that we were storing for them.  Rita was a quick study! How hard could it be to ride a motorcycle?  Also, how hard could it be to help Les fix the fence after she drove through it on said bike! One of our fondest memories was watching her fly across the yard.  This is really how she lived, full throttle. Les and Rita were active socially, and involved in all that a rural community has to offer.  The were at almost every cabaret and family dance.  They both loved to dance, and they were very well suited partners.  Watching them jive to In the Mood by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, was so amazing, it was like they were one fluid person; perfectly in step with each other.

As time went by inevitably the children trickled away from home.  So once again Rita found her self working partly to pass time, and partly for social interaction. She simply could not sit still. She would waitress at a café in town, or work at a pie shop making hundreds of pies by hand. Something she was never fond of before she got paid for it.  Finally, she went to work in the bakery of the Carstairs Co-op, before retiring at the age of 67.

One of her most anticipated events was the arrival of grandchildren.  When Brent was born, she was over the moon; she adored him. Several more grandbabies came and she loved them all with the same enthusiasm. Brent, Mark, Greg, Meghan, Matthew, Amanda, Allan, Melissa, Nicholas, Brett, Wade and Avery.  Each one causing her to shine brighter with joy. They all have fond memories of the time they spent on their farm with her during summer.  She loved being a grandma, and all it involved.  We thought she took great pride in the meals she provided for her family, but when it came to the grandchildren, she made everything extra special.  No request was unreasonable. She really spoiled them, and they loved it.  Her love for them was bright and energetic.  She was so happy to make the homemade cinnamon buns, cookies, and all the favorites they loved.  They will each have a special memory of her, because she loved each one with blind adoration.

When she moved in to the Chinook Lodge in Carstairs, she again thrived in the social environment it provided.  Enjoying the social activities with her friends and fellow residents.  She especially enjoyed playing crib after dinner each evening.  The current restrictions perturbed her because it meant she didn’t get to participate in all the activities she had previously enjoyed.

We are so grateful for the care she received at the Chinook Lodge, and would like to Thank all then the staff for the wonderful care and attention provided during her stay there. We would also like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff at the Didsbury Hospital.

If so inclined in lieu of flowers donations can be made to STARS Air Ambulance, www.stars.ca,  or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, www.heartandstroke.ab.ca.