Connie and Tom are sad to report the death of our mother Anita Roth.  She died from complications with bronchiectasis on April 19, 2024 at the age of 80.  She joins her brother Willy Reudt who passed September 2, 2022.  He is survived by his wife Beatrice and their two sons Stefan and Daniel.

Born in Zurich, Switzerland on July 11, 1943, to Ernst Reudt and Maria Hilty, Anita grew up in Zug with her brother Willy.  As the story goes:  During World War II, Ernst was sent to Zurich from the front to fix a broken typewriter, which meant he could visit his wife who was close by in Zug for the night.  Nine months later Anita was born.  Her brother Willy was born shortly after on July 30, 1944.

Growing up in Zug, Anita attended school, developing a love of learning and reading that she continued throughout her life.  She learned to speak five languages:  Swiss German / German, English, French, Italian, plus learning Spanish in later life for her travels to South America.  Anita was active in scouting and guiding, eventually becoming a troupe leader that would take young girls up into the Swiss Alps during the summer for weeks at a time.  Only coming down to the local village once a week to buy provisions.  Anita's adventurous spirit and love of hiking was cemented early.  During her high school years, Anita also briefly spent some time in Paris and England working as a nanny.

In the 1960s, as a young adult, Anita worked in advertising in Zurich and Geneva, planning and executing advertising campaigns.  On the weekends, she would travel with friends to go skiing in the local Alps, or visit other places in Europe.  Anita was keen to see the world.  This included at one point a day trip behind the Iron Curtain.  And nearly an immigration to Australia with friends.

While working in Geneva, Anita met Sam Roth.  They fell in love quickly and were married in 1969.  In 1972, they immigrated to Canada, settling in Montreal.  Connie was born in February 1974.  Shortly after, they moved back to Switzerland, living in Lausanne for a few years, just outside Geneva where Sam worked as a banker.  Anita and Sam shared a love of traveling.  In 1978-1979, with Connie, they traveled and lived briefly in many places, including New York city, Indiana, California, Ireland, and northern Africa.  In 1979, they eventually settled down in Toronto, Canada, moving to Oakville in 1980.  Tom was born in May 1981.  Anita and Sam became Canadian citizens in 1982, and they lived together in two different houses in Bronte before Sam and Anita split in 1989.

Anita, Tom, and Connie moved to a lovely bungalow on Cherryhill Road, eventually joined by our Jack Russell, Maverick.  Anita lived there for the rest of her life, cultivating her large garden.  Over the years, Anita had gone back to school taking classes at York University and Sheridan College, eventually earning a degree in interior decorating from Sheridan.  She then worked selling window coverings, as well as using her sewing skills to make homemade designs.  Later in life before retiring, Anita worked in bookkeeping and tax preparation.  She also participated for many years in Toastmasters.

In retirement, Anita returned to her love of traveling making trips to the far flung reaches of the globe that included going as far south as Ushuaia, Argentina and spanned Patagonia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador including the Galapagos islands, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Yucatan and Chiapas, Mexico, and as far east as Hanoi, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, with a brief visit to Hong Kong.  There were also many memorable trips with Tom and Connie traveling to Switzerland, Grand Bahamas, Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Florida, Quebec, British Columbia, and the Canadian Rockies.

In her later years, Anita made many fabulous friends hiking and enjoying nature.  She spent much time hiking the Bruce Trail and other neighboring trails, primarily with the Pathfinders Hiking Group of Oakville, where it is not unusual for 20+ hikers come out any given morning, complete with microspikes in the winter.  And if that wasn't enough hiking, there were also additional Saturday morning hikes with "Wally's Walkers".  For several years, Anita was the special events planner for Pathfinders, organizing memorable group trips to Tobermory, Pelee Island, and Haliburton.  Anita was also part of the Bronte Horticulture Society, and cultivated a grand garden at home on Cherryhill.

Anita was always happy with a positive outlook on life, even towards the end as her health was failing.  As she said, she lived a long, full and rich life.  We would add adventurous and well-travelled!