Rosemary Ann La Valley

Rosemary Ann La Valley.  Born 1941 in High River, Alberta, passed away peacefully in Toronto, Ontario on September 17, 2020.  She is survived by her husband Gordon Best, sons John and Richard, stepson Gord, and their families.

After growing up in the prairies, Rosemary and her family moved to Toronto where she attended the Ryerson Institute of Technology.  She married Richard Mitchele in 1962, with whom she had two sons, John and Richard.  Rosemary was a teacher at Weston Collegiate from 1967 to 1975, a career she greatly enjoyed.  Rosemary completed her undergrad at York University in 1973 and later went on to get her Law degree from the University of Toronto in 1979.  Rosemary practiced Law in Toronto from 1981 until she retired in 2010.

In 1993 Rosemary married Gordon Best and moved to Peterborough where they lived until 2017.  In that year they moved into The Village of Humber Heights where they have lived together and were well taken care of.  A special thanks to the staff of the Islington Village, LTC, who have cared for Rosemary since early this year and made her final days ones of comfort and care.

Rosemary was many things to many people.  A wife, a mother, a friend, a teacher, a lawyer… but mostly she was a person who cared about people and wanted to inspire them to follow their dreams.

Pictures and memories can be sent to j.mitchele@sympatico.ca as there will not be a funeral, per Rosemary’s wishes, and a virtual memorial is being created instead.  When appropriate a celebration of life will be held, most likely next spring.