November 19, 1932 - April 23, 2023
In Loving Memory ~
It is with great sadness that the family of Petronella (Nellie) Reiter (nee Van den Heuvel) announces her passing at the age of 90.
Nellie was born in Veenendaal, the Netherlands, in 1932. In 1957, in search of adventure, she went to England to work as an au pair. While there, she was an active member of the International Club, where she explored her interest in foreign cultures and cuisines.
Nellie met her first husband, Vic Peppar, in England and came to Canada with him in 1958. She lived briefly in Victoria before moving to Kitimat where she met her second husband, Frank Reiter, and lived there for over 60 years.
She loved textile crafts of many kinds including sewing, embroidery, fabric painting, and quilting. She was known as the "cross-stitch lady" and was a regular at the Kitimat craft fairs for many years.
Nellie was an avid baker and her beigli was second to none. Her children's friends remember her always welcoming them to her kitchen with a smile, and many of them became her friends too.
She loved going camping and taking long walks through the campground. Her children have many happy memories of family camping trips.
Nellie loved being a mother and spoke on the phone with her children every week until the very end. She had a very generous heart and delighted in the joy of others.
Nellie was a loving sister, wife, mother, oma, tante, and friend.
She was predeceased by her husband, Ferenc (Frank), of 51 years.
She will be deeply missed by her son, Frank Reiter (Nicole Okun), daughter Heidi Lynn nee Reiter (Anthony), Grandchildren Alexis and Matthew, sister, Henny Heerma (Wigger), nieces and nephews in the Netherlands, and her dear friend Mary.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Delta King Place, whom Nellie was very fond of, and Mary Etta Rypma, Nellie's treasured friend for over 50 years, whose increasing aid during Nellie's later years was deeply appreciated by both Nellie and her family.