Reta Mary Maguire Wooffinden
In the words of her lifelong friend Julia Snowden, "A world without Reta in it - I can't imagine.."
Let us reflect for a moment on what the world was like with Reta in it. And now everyone who knew her will smile..for she was a corker.
Reta was a force to be reckoned with and she knew what she liked and didn't' like and who she liked and didn't like, and well they knew it too. Quick witted and sharp with her retorts, she could put you in your place in split second. As Bill, Sharon and Donna knew too well, when the she pointed at you with her fickle finger of fate, you knew you were done, you had two choices, you could stop whatever you were doing or saying or you would know the wrath of Reta.
The funny part was, as tough as she made herself out to be, she was really a softy inside, and she loved with equal strength and compassion. They say when you come into this life each of us has a purpose, and Mom always knew hers - to be the best daughter, wife and mother possible, and she was all of that and then some.
Her sense of humour carried her through many difficult and wonderful years, growing up in the great depression, wearing sugar sack dresses; she spent a lot of time under the clock at King George School for being the class clown it was there she met her friend Julia, and a lifelong friendship was formed. They fought and played for many years always agreeing to disagree at the end of the day.
At 15 years old she met the love of her life, Harold at Mohawk Park, married at 18 years old in 1941 she was barely home from her honeymoon in crystal beach when she had to see him off to war. It was 5 years later when her bouncing baby boy, Billy arrived, and only two years after that a pretty little dark haired dolly she named Sharon Louise was born. They thought they had the million dollar family, but little did they know there would be one more, Donna Marie surprised them all 8 years later.
Mom worked part time throughout her life, always arranging her work schedule around her mom schedule. She loved to deal with the public, and they loved her right back. In corner stores, restaurants, or the cafeteria at North Park Collegiate, she would not only serve you with a smile but entertain you at the same time. She got along particularly well with teenagers, and was known to frisk all the kids before they left the store to retrieve the magazines and chocolate bars they were trying to steal. Yet these same kids collected enough money to present her with heart shaped box of chocolates on Valentine's Day.
She loved fast good looking cars, and was known for drag racing the young guys from the stop signs to the next block in her 1973 Challenger. She was the only woman, the Piston Pushers who all hung out at Bill's Drive In Restaurant would consider for membership. In her later years, she drove a big white Chrysler 5th avenue and all the grandkids remember the day, she pulled up at Aunt Donna's and jumped out of the car with it still in drive, and it rolled down into the empty field with Mark in hot pursuit.
She enjoyed camping with the Becker's from Michigan, and her weekends and holidays with the love of her life Harold. Brian Becker remembered her this way, "I believe laughter is the best medicine for the soul....Your mother was the doctor who wrote the scripts :-)"
But there was nothing she loved more than spending time with her family. For Reta Blood was thicker than water, and like her Irish descendants she would fight to the death for her family.
She was feisty until the end, just ask the nurses at St. Joseph's Lifecare Centre. "Do you bath everybody she would ask the nurse, or just the dirty ones?" In her last two weeks, if you asked her how she was feeling she would say with my hands how you do feel. Or if you said how you are doing, she would say everyone I can! This is how she was in spite of the dementia that had taken over her life and the breakdown of her body.
Today we celebrate how life was with Reta, and we are comforted to know that she is reunited with Harold and her family whom she missed so terribly. We know Mom was ready to go, we are just not sure they are ready for her!
