Rita Harding was a loving, thoughtful, and creative mother, grandmother, and sister. In spite of the many difficulties she encountered in her life, she was always true to her values and brought kindness and joy to all who knew her. She was born in Vegreville in Alberta, Canada on June 16, 1928 to Eli and Melisa Kachuck. Rita and her twin sister Rose were the seventh and eighth of nine children born to Eli and Melisa, both Romanian immigrants. Rita grew up working hard with her siblings on their family farm and after graduating from Hairy Hill High School in 1948, Rita moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she attended secretarial school. By 1950, several of her older siblings had moved to Detroit, Michigan, where they began careers and started families. After a brief visit to the area, Rita moved to Michigan where she met and married Gene Harding.
Rita and Gene both worked and bought their first home, and in 1956 and 1959 respectively, their daughters Melissa and Robin were born. Rita loved being a mother, and the family was busy with trips throughout the country and activities at home. In 1960, Rita was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent major surgery and a long recovery.
Rita worked hard to provide a stable and loving home for her daughters. She worked as a secretary for the Royal Oak School District for 25 years before retiring in 1994. In retirement, Rita was able to explore her interests in painting and gardening, and she began volunteering at Beaumont Hospital. She also enjoyed traveling throughout the North America and Europe with her family and her companion James P. Chatterley. She passed on her love of watercolors to her six grandchildren, who would visit her for painting lessons on her beautiful back patio. Each summer she worked with her grandchildren on paintings that they would enter in the Oakland County 4-H Fair, where Rita loved to watch them show their horses, poultry, and artwork.
On April 19, 2020 at the age of 91, Rita died peacefully after a mild case of COVID-19 at her nursing home in Southfield, Michigan. Her niece Brenda informed her daughters that Rita’s twin sister Rose died on the same day in 1999. She is survived by her sister Stella Spears, daughters Melissa Musgrove and Robin Biebuyck (Brian), grandchildren Erin Biebuyck (Dan Potts), Alex Biebuyck (Erin), and Nathan, Natalie, and Nicole Musgrove, and great-granddaughter Harper Drew Biebuyck. She was predeceased by her grandson Andrew Joseph “Drew” Biebuyck and by her parents, six older siblings, and her twin sister Rose Price.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Michigan 4-H Foundation to support the youth programs that Rita enjoyed with her daughters and grandchildren: https://mi4hfdtn.org/memorialtributedonation/
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