In Loving Memory of Ricarda Ruth Grabowski
June 25, 1932 February 1, 2008
After only a short stay at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, BC, Ricarda went to be with her Lord and Saviour; her husband and son at her bedside.
Herb lost a wonderful wife after
54 years of happy marriage; Ralph and Heather, and their children Stefan, Heidi and Katrina, lost a loving Mom and their Oma.
Cause of death: Metastasis Lymphoma.
Ricarda and Herb met in Hamburg, Germany, in her father’s church, where Ricarda had grown up, the first born of five children. They became engaged before Herb went to Canada and eight months later Ricarda followed. They married in Winnipeg, MB, amidst friends, but far away from their families.
Both loved Kitimat at first sight, which was yet still wild, pulsing with life. In 1955 they acquired their very first home, becoming the first habitants of Finch Street which was still under construction. Ricarda loved her home because on the actual moving day, her son Ralph was born.
Ricarda made friends that lasted a lifetime, friendships with neighbours across the street, in Old Remo (their hobby farm since 1962), across Canada, and in her old homeland. Ricarda loved travelling, especially when the family flew back to see their families in Dear Old Germany.
Ricarda taught Sunday School from age 16 to 60, first in Hamburg and then in Kitimat. She loved classical music and worked many decades with the Kitimat Concert Society. In later years she spent winters with Herb ‘down south’ in White Rock where she also attended White Rock Baptist Church. There were also many concerts held in White Rock, of which Ricarda attended as faithfully as church.
Thank you to Dr. Cooper, Dr. Westhuyzen, Sylvia and the staff at Kitimat General Hospital, and Dr. Marylyn Fell, Susan and the nurses at Peace Arch Hospital, for your care and love for Ricarda.
Our consolation is that Ricarda is now with the Lord, whom she has loved since childhood.
Donations in Ricarda’s memory may be made to the
BC Cancer Foundation or to Canadian Baptist Ministries.