Obituary of Laura Ricketts

Ethel Laura Ricketts(nee Moffatt) was born on a farm by Star City on September 22, 1926. She was the eighth child of ten children. "Laura" went to the Orchard District School to grade eight. Like many children of the era, she left school then to help her family on the farm. In 1951 Laura married Ralph Ricketts. In 1954 they moved to the North Battleford area, here Laura gave birth to Ken, and soon afterward the family moved to Eston. During this time Laura gave birth to Kevin, Neil, and Elaine. The family moved to Meeting Lake in 1967 to farm. Laura started the Rabbit Lake Coffee Shop in 1974, and the Rabbit Lake Library in 1975. Laura was also very involved as a community volunteer. Laura retired from the cafe in 1987 and the library in 1995. She moved to Spiritwood in 1999, where she continued her volunteer work within the Lutheran/United Churches, the Lodge Auxiliary and other community organizations. There are few people in Spiritwood whose life has not been enhanced by Laura's volunteer efforts. Laura has always been about family. Her family have always benefitted greatly from Laura's love and patience. In her "grand-parenting" she also volunteered at the local school so much that she became "Grandma Laura" to dozens of children and even some of the teachers. While volunteering in May of 2007 Laura had a bad fall. In April of 2008 she had another bone breaking fall. Her health began deteriorating significantly at this time to the point where she became wheelchair bound in late 2010. In January of 2011, Laura was officially defined as being paraplegic. With much assistance from Home Care and her many friends, Laura was able to stay in her own home until this spring. On April 5th Laura had to leave her home and move to Hafford Special Care Home, and then on April 16th Laura moved to the Spiritwood Care Home. On April 24th Laura passed away. Even while mostly restricted to her home and in significant, enduring pain Laura was a great influence on many people. Laura's life was never one of leisure or wealth. She worked hard for everything she had but was always willing to share. She leaves to cherish her memories: Her children: ~ Kenneth (Sue) Ricketts of Regina, SK, ~ Kevin Ricketts of Hay River, NWT, ~ Neil (Muriel) Ricketts of Beaumont, AB ~ Elaine (Tim) Kuffert of Spiritwood, SK, Her grandchildren: Felicia (Dan) Mayhew, Kirstin (Greg) Aitken, Courtney (Jay) Fairbrother, Mitchell Ricketts, Lyneah Kuffert, Kaitlyn Kuffert, Zachary Ricketts. Her great-grandchildren: Brayden Mayhew, Jordan Mayhew, Ethan Fairbrother and Luke Aitken. Her step-grandchildren: Michelle (Jamie) Vaters and their children, Cooper and Carly Vaters, Yvette (Russell) Basset and their children, Dolan, Brittney and Morgan Basset. Her sisters in-law, Mary Dearborn and Margaret Downes, her brother in-law, Victor Ricketts, and numerous nieces and nephews and the father of her children, Ralph Ricketts. She is predeceased by: Her parents, John Wesley and Ethel Moffatt, and her siblings, Burns, John, Viola, Elida, Cassell, Edith, Kerry, Alexander and Maribel. The Memorial service was held at the Spiritwood Civic Center on Saturday, April 28th, 2012 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, and in Laura's memory, donations may be made to World Vision. Phone: 905-565-6100 Toll-free: 1-866-595-5550 Email: info@worldvision.ca Email condolences will be forwarded to the family.