Rita L. Demers

Rita L. Demers was born July 31. 1920, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Amadee and Leda Labrecque.

She grew up in a large family with a total of 8 brothers and sisters, including her. Her siblings’ names were Andy, Edmond, Albert, Andre, Alice, Nella and Clair.

Rita lived next door to her sweetheart Joseph Lee Demers. They grew up together, and when Lee was 16 years old, he forged his father’s signature and joined the U.S. Navy. They were going to get married when he got back, but the war broke out and he had to stay for two more years. While Lee was stationed in Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese planes attacked and Lee had to jump off the battleship Phoenix to survive. Soon after Lee returned home, Rita and Lee were married in Long Beach, California.

They lived on Pine Street in an apartment where the only furniture they had were orange crates for chairs and tables. In 1954, Rita and Lee bought a new house in Long Beach for $12,000.They then tried to have a family, but were unable to have kids. They adopted their son Paul and then Paul helped pick out his brother Mark from the adoption agency. While Paul and Mark were growing up, Rita worked hard at being a seamstress for Johnson Furniture Company in Long Beach. She also made all of Paul and Mark’s clothes at the time; this was her hobby. She also loved to cook, as well as entertain guests at their house.

When they retired they traveled the world and took many cruises. While they were living their lives, both Paul and Mark started their families. Besides traveling the world, they loved to sail, especially out by the oil island, docking and enjoying the sun out on the water. They also loved going to the beach and laying out and barbecuing on the sand. During their travels, they went to the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Hawaii, Egypt, the Caribbean, Mexico and many other places. They also went on the Goodyear Blimp and cruised the Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors. They loved to go to the Ports of Call and dine out, as well as just walking together. Rita loved playing bingo and dancing at the Elks Club. Rita and Lee loved to help the community they lived in and were devoted to delivering meals on wheels. They volunteered at the Cystic Fibrosis thrift shop and also did pot-luck meals at St. Joseph’s Church. Another one of her favorite things to do was play Bunco and Tiles. They really loved spending time with their family and doing family gatherings for holidays and birthdays.

Rita was very family-oriented and loved her family and her life. From her two children Paul and Mark, she had six grandchildren; Brittany, Scott, Shawn, Kimberley C., Nicole and Kimberlee F. From her grandchildren she had twelve great-grandchildren; Brady, Jacob, Ava, Ezekiel, Blake, Nathan, Jason, Thomas, Ashlynne, Tyler, Maddison and Richard. She also had one great great-granddaughter Brooklyn. She passed away on September 18, 2016 and will forever be remembered in our hearts.

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401