Obituary of Rosita John

Obituary for Rosita John (nee Seevaratnam)

Rosita (Rosy) passed away on April 11, 2019 at Mackenzie Health Hospital at the age of 79.  She will be missed by her husband John, her daughter Leela, her son Thomas, her daughter-in-law Sandi and her two darling grandchildren, Simon and Anabel. 

Rosita Jeyasothy was the youngest child of Samuel and Jeyasothy Seevaratnam and was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.  She was the youngest sister to Venita, Anita, Dharma, Raju and Kingsley.  She taught school for one year in Sri Lanka before joining her brother Kingsley in Geneva, Switzerland.  She worked for the International Red Cross in 1963, then for the British Council and Board of Trade in London, England in 1964. 

She met her future husband in Earl’s Court, London and in 1967, they married and set sail for Canada on the ship “Empress of England”.  They visited Expo 67 in Montreal before moving to Toronto for one year.  In 1968, they moved to Kitchener, Ontario where their daughter and son were born and they built the house that she lovingly decorated.  In 1980, they moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta. 

As a mother, she instilled a love of reading and pursuit of knowledge in her children that continues to this day.  She would help her children with their essays in English and Social Studies, often marking their papers with a red pen.  She also loved sweets and would bake cakes and cookies for dessert every day.  After both children finished university, she moved to Toronto to be closer to her family.  She was a loving grandmother and always spoiled her grandchildren with candy, chocolates and gifts, often on a daily basis.  She will be remembered for her love of music by Frank Sinatra, her innate ability to create and draw, and her simple, elegant sense of style.

A service will be held at Leaside United Church, 822 Millwood Road, Toronto on Tuesday, April 16^th, at 2:00 P.M. with a reception to follow in the Hearth Room.

Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.