Rita Carrey was the singing bus driver who was so upbeat and entertaining that people on board didn’t want their commute to end.
She also had her band Tranzit, sang the national anthem at sporting events, was a radio and television host, disc jockey and appeared on stage at Yuk Yuks comedy club.
She was a wife, a mother and the best big sister. She was a vibrant philanthropist and fundraiser. Like her favourite song by the band Green Day, Rita had the time of her life helping people make sure their journey was as fulfilling as hers.
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Rita was kind. And one of a kind.
“Maybe one the kindness souls I ever met,” said Mary Willard, a fellow Burlingtonian and friend.
Needless to say, when word came out last week that this beloved treasure had died, there was a lot of sadness and hundreds upon hundreds of tributes.
“It is with heavy heart and my deepest sadness, surrounded by her family and friends Rita passed away peacefully and quietly on Nov. 14, 2024,” announced her husband Alex Todorovic on Rita’s Facebook account.
It came as a shock. She was just 64 and from all accounts had been rolling along on her amazing journey in true Rita style. It was just last year when she sent me an email about her and Todorovic’s “pop-up wedding,” which included pictures.
She was so happy. She needed that because as she said in her Facebook bio, she was living an “interesting life filled with ups and downs, joy and sadness.”
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The ups and joy were enormous. She told me she always thought her younger brother Jim Carrey would one day be as “famous as Elvis” and that came true — a legendary entertainment career that she was so thrilled about. In her X account bio, she had about herself, “Public speaker, singer, song writer, musician and entertainer, oh and older sis to the best comedian and actor ever Jim Carrey.”
Jim became a superstar on screen. Rita become a superstar at life.
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But it was not always rosy. The downs and sadness she referred to was about the tragedy of tragedies when she lost her oldest son Marty Fournier to a car accident in Hamilton in 2005 — something she never got over. With Marty and her other two boys, Michael and Matthew, the band Tranzit was growing in popularity and she couldn’t have been prouder.
After Marty’s death, she sang Time of Your Life in his honour but she didn’t think she could perform in a band again. But knowing she could help charities, she eventually did get back on the stage, fronting her own act. She was so good at it. The same kind of presence brother Jim has in every room he’s in. You always knew when Rita was there. There is a certain Carrey presence.
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But none of their success came easy. As she talked about in her stage show, which came from her unpublished manuscript called “Growing Up Carrey,” her parents Kathleen and Percy and siblings Jim, John and Patrick fell on hard times, but made sure they were also “good times.” An example of that, said Rita, was when they were living in a car, the kids thought they were on a family “camping” trip.
She told me that through their tough times, the Carreys leaned on humour and laughter. Her belief was the sun always comes back out at some point. You can see how happy she was in the pictures of her 2023 wedding to Todorovic, who she was with for 16 years.
“It’s been a wonderful and crazy journey with Rita,” said Todorovic on Facebook. “She filled everyone’s heart with joy with every step she took and I will never forget this beautiful and amazingly talented woman.”
In typical Rita fashion, she used the opportunity of their wedding to raise money and encourage donations to the local food bank. Her previous block party was to raise money for the women and children’s centre.
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That was Rita. Always helping.
And in death, in true Rita fashion, her memorial will be turned into a fundraiser as well.
“As everyone knows, Christmas was Rita’s favourite holiday, actually it was every day for her, and she started a fundraiser to help a local charity,” said Todorovic in the post.
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She was generous to a fault. And she always encouraged others to give back.
“Family and friends are invited to attend a candlelight vigil in Rita’s memory on Dec. 7, 2024, on Heathcote Terrace in St. Catharines. Following the vigil, everyone is encouraged to attend the Christmas on the Terrace public event in support of Gillian’s place. Donations in Rita’s memory can be made to Gillian’s place directly or at the event. Non-perishable food, children’s clothing, toiletry items or unwrapped children’s presents are encouraged.”
Rita loved Christmas the most. When she used to drive a Burlington bus, she would sing carols to the passengers, who sometimes would miss their stop because they enjoyed it so much.
With Rita as the driver, they never wanted the amazing ride to end. Sadly, in life, it always does. Rest in laughter, Rita. You were one special person. As her husband said so well: “You really did have the ‘time of your life.’”
And Rita made sure others had a good time, too.
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