Obituary for Anni Reiter
An Obituary from her daughter, Dorothy
It is with great sadness that we share the loss of our much-loved Mom and Oma, Anni Reiter, who passed away peacefully at her care home on January 17, 2022. She is predeceased by her husband John and survived by her daughter Dorothy and husband Greg, her son David and wife Tara, and her grandchildren; Jesse and his wife Natalia, Kaitlin, and Emma.
Anni will be remembered for her fabulous cooking and baking as well as her love for knitting, and crocheting. She always made sure everyone was well fed and had a pair of slippers.
Anni immigrated from Germany to Canada in 1955 with her parents and brothers, Karl, Willi, Sigfried and Heinz Speitelsbach where they started a new life in Vancouver.
She met John at one of the Alpine Club events and they got married in 1959. Anni then opened Reiter’s Delicatessen in New Westminster on 6th Street near Woodwards until 1963 when she started a family. Anni & John built their home in 1962 on Mary Avenue in Burnaby and lived there for 50 years before moving to Coquitlam. The house will always be remembered as having an amazing dahlia garden which lined the stone fenced driveway with an array of beautiful colours.
Anni loved to cook and we always said she could have opened a restaurant. We remember all the dinner parties where she made amazing meals like schnitzel, cabbage rolls, perogies, salt sticks, which all were from scratch and made with love. Of course, we can’t forget to mention all of her delicious cookies, cakes and desserts.
In 1979 Anni & John bought the trailer at Cultus Lake and enjoyed many years there with their friends. Again, Anni loved to feed everyone and the trailer was abustle many mornings with her making pancakes and French toast for anyone who was hungry.
Anni worked at The New Vista Care Home in Burnaby in the kitchen and dining room for over 25 years. She continued her pattern of keeping people well fed while she was there, and undoubtedly increased the quality of life for many in their final years of life. When she was 83, she moved to Foyer Maillard Care Facility with John in November 2019. It was now her turn to be taken care of and she blossomed under the care of the wonderful staff that worked there.
We’re unable to have a service at this time but look forward to celebrating her life with you when we’re able to. Until then we invite you to leave your messages and view the photos and video on this website.
Anni loved to sing and her favourite song was Somewhere Over the Rainbow where I have no doubt she is now with Dad sounding like the angel that she was.
A Reflection from her son, David
Mom was a very loving and caring mother and grandmother who always put the needs of her children and grandchildren before her own. She always made sure that we were well cared for, well loved, and well fed!
The one thing that really stood out about Mom was the “ease of her mastery” – she was a fabulous cook and master at knitting/crocheting. As a child I didn’t appreciate this but as I got older I began to realize it. In high school, my friends that came over were amazed at Mom’s cooking. This is when I realized “wow, not all moms cook like this!?”
Her kipfels were especially amazing. I had a friend who said we should sell them to restaurant, and another who convinced Mom to send us off on our road trip through the US with 2 dozen kipfels for the road! As well, to this day I still have not had any other schnitzels that were better than Moms!
At my sister’s wedding, Mom along with her friends, baked all of the desserts and it was the “talk of the town” as people lined up just to take photos of the dessert table in their amazement!
When I was older, I saw my co-workers knitting sweaters and blankets on their breaks. They held up their small pieces of knitting that they had been working on for weeks. I told them that my Mom would knit bigger pieces than that in one sitting just to “test a pattern”, and then unravel it if she didn’t like it! That of course, was met with stunned amazement from my coworkers!
So rest in peace Mom, you had many talents and were a fabulous, loving mother. We all love you and felt very loved by you. You will be truly missed!
A Poem from her grandson, Jesse
Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
A Poem from her granddaughter, Kaitlin
I Am Standing Upon The Seashore by Henry Van Dyke
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says; “There she is gone!”
“Gone where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There, she is gone!” There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!” And that is dying.
A Video by her granddaughter, Emma
Please visit the photos section to view the loving video of Oma made by Emma.
It is with great sadness that we share the loss of our much-loved Mom and Oma, Anni Reiter, who passed away peacefully at her care home on January 17, 2022. She is predeceased by her husband John and survived by her daughter Dorothy and husband Greg, her son David and wife Tara, and her grandchildren; Jesse and his wife Natalia, Kaitlin, and Emma.
Anni will be remembered for her fabulous cooking and baking as well as her love for knitting, and crocheting. She always made sure everyone was well fed and had a pair of slippers.
Anni immigrated from Germany to Canada in 1955 with her parents and brothers, Karl, Willi, Sigfried and Heinz Speitelsbach where they started a new life in Vancouver.
She met John at one of the Alpine Club events and they got married in 1959. Anni then opened Reiter’s Delicatessen in New Westminster on 6th Street near Woodwards until 1963 when she started a family. Anni & John built their home in 1962 on Mary Avenue in Burnaby and lived there for 50 years before moving to Coquitlam. The house will always be remembered as having an amazing dahlia garden which lined the stone fenced driveway with an array of beautiful colours.
Anni loved to cook and we always said she could have opened a restaurant. We remember all the dinner parties where she made amazing meals like schnitzel, cabbage rolls, perogies, salt sticks, which all were from scratch and made with love. Of course, we can’t forget to mention all of her delicious cookies, cakes and desserts.
In 1979 Anni & John bought the trailer at Cultus Lake and enjoyed many years there with their friends. Again, Anni loved to feed everyone and the trailer was abustle many mornings with her making pancakes and French toast for anyone who was hungry.
Anni worked at The New Vista Care Home in Burnaby in the kitchen and dining room for over 25 years. She continued her pattern of keeping people well fed while she was there, and undoubtedly increased the quality of life for many in their final years of life. When she was 83, she moved to Foyer Maillard Care Facility with John in November 2019. It was now her turn to be taken care of and she blossomed under the care of the wonderful staff that worked there.
We’re unable to have a service at this time but look forward to celebrating her life with you when we’re able to. Until then we invite you to leave your messages and view the photos and video on this website.
Anni loved to sing and her favourite song was Somewhere Over the Rainbow where I have no doubt she is now with Dad sounding like the angel that she was.
A Reflection from her son, David
Mom was a very loving and caring mother and grandmother who always put the needs of her children and grandchildren before her own. She always made sure that we were well cared for, well loved, and well fed!
The one thing that really stood out about Mom was the “ease of her mastery” – she was a fabulous cook and master at knitting/crocheting. As a child I didn’t appreciate this but as I got older I began to realize it. In high school, my friends that came over were amazed at Mom’s cooking. This is when I realized “wow, not all moms cook like this!?”
Her kipfels were especially amazing. I had a friend who said we should sell them to restaurant, and another who convinced Mom to send us off on our road trip through the US with 2 dozen kipfels for the road! As well, to this day I still have not had any other schnitzels that were better than Moms!
At my sister’s wedding, Mom along with her friends, baked all of the desserts and it was the “talk of the town” as people lined up just to take photos of the dessert table in their amazement!
When I was older, I saw my co-workers knitting sweaters and blankets on their breaks. They held up their small pieces of knitting that they had been working on for weeks. I told them that my Mom would knit bigger pieces than that in one sitting just to “test a pattern”, and then unravel it if she didn’t like it! That of course, was met with stunned amazement from my coworkers!
So rest in peace Mom, you had many talents and were a fabulous, loving mother. We all love you and felt very loved by you. You will be truly missed!
A Poem from her grandson, Jesse
Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
A Poem from her granddaughter, Kaitlin
I Am Standing Upon The Seashore by Henry Van Dyke
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says; “There she is gone!”
“Gone where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There, she is gone!” There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!” And that is dying.
A Video by her granddaughter, Emma
Please visit the photos section to view the loving video of Oma made by Emma.