JASON SETNYK
December 29, Rita Vallee celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and dignitaries at St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre. A lifelong resident of Cornwall, Vallee is best known for her decades of volunteer service with the Hotel Dieu Hospital Auxiliary, Cornwall Community Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Villa. She also supported countless fundraising events for the Children’s Treatment Centre. Mayor Justin Towndale attended the celebration to present Vallee with a special scroll recognizing her milestone birthday and her contributions to the community. Her nephew, Jacques Leduc, recalled how she helped raise her younger siblings and cared for her parents. “She was always with my grandmother, receiving us all at Christmas. Sometimes we were 40 or 45 people,” he said.
Professionally, Vallee broke barriers as the first female manager at Household Finance in Cornwall, later supervising offices across Eastern Ontario. An avid skier, painter, and lifelong learner, she remained active into her 80s. Fittingly, her birthday cake featured a winter scene, her favourite season and a nod to her days with the Cornwall Ski Club.
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