Obituary of Rita Mary O'Sullivan

RITA MARY O'SULLIVAN 1922- 2013 Rita died peacefully on October 16, 2013. Born June 29, 1922 she was the daughter of Patrick and Marie Louise (Poirier) O'Sullivan. She was pre-deceased by her siblings: Marguerite, Mary (Peter Sharkey), John, Gerard (Bernice), Anne (Michael Hanniman), Patrick (Edith) and Joseph who was her closest friend. She is survived by her sister Teresa Egan, sister-in-law Adele O'Sullivan, 15 nieces and nephews and their families, and many cousins and friends. Rita lived in Brandon for 89 years, almost 70 of them on Percy St then on Princess. Her Catholic faith was the foundation of her life. She attended St Augustine's and St Michael's schools. She worked for several decades at Imperial Life, where she retired as Office Manager, then she and Joe operated Reader's Choice Bookstore. She was active in the Catholic Women's League, the Council of Women, the Liberal Party, the Legion of Mary, Challenge Magazine, several bridge and Scrabble groups, and numerous other organizations. After a bad fall which confined her to a wheelchair, she moved to West Park Manor, Winnipeg in 2011 where she received exceptional care and support. Rita and Joe travelled the world, often stopping to visit cousin John O'Sullivan and family in Ireland. They treated many relatives and friends to vacation experiences which will never be forgotten. Rita was so happy when cousin James O'Sullivan lived with her while going to University. Rita loved to entertain and her home was always open. She lived her Catholic faith by sponsoring and welcoming people from around the world into her home. Very special in her family life were Nang, Mai and Lan Hong who she sponsored as the first Vietnamese boat people in Brandon. They lived with Rita on Percy for many years, and when John Hong was born Rita was so excited. Ted Parzyjagla and Chris Westfalewski were part of her family. She had so many friends, her Christmas list was pages long, and she valued the times she spent with each of them. A special thank you to Msgrs Jaworski and Comeault and Fr Yuen for praying with Rita in her final hours. Funeral Mass will be held at St Augustine's R.C. Church on Monday, October 21, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. with prayers and viewing immediately preceding at 10:45 a.m. in the Church. In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to St Augustine's Church, 327 – Fourth St, Brandon, MB, R7A 3H1 in Rita's honour. May her soul and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace.