FORSTER, Rachele Anna (nee Carere)

Cherished wife of Fred and beloved mother of Eric and Marc. Devoted daughter of the late Fred and Natalina (nee Cassone) Carere, both of San Georgio Morgetto, Calabria. Loving sister of the late Frank Carere, Aldo (Diane) Carere, Elena (Lance) Greggain, David (Mary) Carere and Lucy Carere. Beloved aunt of Luc (Kristie), Aaron (Sabrina) and Natalie, and of David (Elyse), Julia (Denis), and Adam, Jack and Max.

Born in the Royal City, Rachele became a teacher in Guelph and Toronto, returning to Guelph when she married to teach and raise a family. Her home and her family were her pride and joy and it gave her great peace to see her sons grow to be men, strong and true. As a teacher, her family extended to generations of children. In recent years, as a supply teacher, she often found herself teaching the grandchildren of those she had taught when first starting out, and she was always meeting former students here and there, even among her caregivers in her final hours.

Rachele was an adventurer, an avid traveler with the courage to go anywhere. Backcountry canoeing and camping were among her favourite activities – Algonquin Park, Spider Lake and summer’s end on the shores of Georgian Bay at Camp Manitou – and at the age of 17, she even hitch-hiked into Mexico! From the Cabot Trail to the turquoise waters of the Exumas, from the Left Banks of Paris to the chalky hills of Pamukkale, Turkey, she embraced the world and everyone she met with love and enthusiasm.

Rachele was a seeker, too, a seeker of truth and meaning and an authentic spirituality. As a pilgrim, she walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain just a few years before her passing. A longtime supporter of the Church (now Basilica) of Our Lady and the Monastery of Mount Carmel in Niagara Falls, she was also a strong believer in progressive ideas of acceptance, justice and personal freedom.

Rachele was a strong person – stronger than she herself would ever have thought – but much more vulnerable than many would have guessed. She had a rock-solid business mind, yet, like her mother, Natalina, and her beloved brother, Frank, Rachele had a big heart and was easily moved to tears that, like a sun shower, would quickly pass, giving way to the delight of her smile. She lived her life with dignity, courage and grace, even under the most trying circumstances, to the very end. To those who loved her, and she had many longtime friends, the love she gave was boundless, true and unconditional.

Rachele passed peacefully in her sleep, in her own bed, in the home that she loved, with her family close by.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Gilbert MacIntyre and Son Funeral Home, Hart Chapel, 1099 Gordon St, Guelph. Visitation will take place on Sunday. December 4, 2022 from 2pm-4pm and 7pm-9pm. A Funeral Mass will take place on Monday, December 5, 2022 at 10:30am at the Basilica of Our Lady, 28 Norfolk Street, Guelph. Burial to follow at Marymount Catholic Cemetery, 5400 Highway #6, Guelph. Reception to follow at the Italian Canadian Club, 135 Ferguson Street, Guelph.

As an expression of sympathy, donations to Monastery of Mount Carmel, Society of the Little Flower or the Basilica of Our Lady would be appreciated. Donations can be made online or in-person at the funeral home .