In her lifetime, she tried her hand at many business ventures, volunteer work, and owned her own catering company.
She started as a university employee, filling a contract position for a short period of time, in the Registrars Office. Rachel started working in the Math Undergraduate Office (MUO) on May 26, 2008, as the Teaching Services Coordinator.
Rachel's energy was contagious. She was always willing to tackle new tasks and assignments. She loved change and new challenges.
There was always lots of interesting chatter amongst the staff in the MUO and Rachel interjected her inquisitive spirit into every situation. She loved to problem solve and question best ways to approach tasks. She was a vibrant personality that was always encouraging and challenging her coworkers to push boundaries and embrace life.
Rachel loved working in her garden growing herbs and vegetables for her kitchen. She was an excellent chef. She loved experimenting with food and shared her creations with her friends in the MUO. The office was often filled with the wonderful aromas of her culinary skills. It was amazing what she could do with a toaster oven and microwave. We especially enjoyed her raw food 'chocolate coconut bars' and her 'dried Kale chips'.
Over
the
years
we
developed
a
very
close
bond.
Enjoying
activities
together,
such
as
canoeing
the
Grand,
shopping,
dinners,
fossil
hunting,
and
game
nights.
In
particular,
Texas
Hold
‘em,
when
Rachel
always
“went
to
the
river”
and
often
stole
the
pot
with
great
enthusiasm.
We
also
had
the
good
fortune
of
being
Lotto
649
jackpot
winners
in
2013,
sharing
a
$100,000.00
prize.
Rachel
was
a
passionate
outdoors
girl.
She
became
an
avid
cyclist,
going
on
10
-
15
kilometer
rides,
3
to
4
days
a
week.
Enjoyed
camping.
She
was
a
member
of
the
Waterloo
Nordic
Ski
Club,
and
cross-country
skied
any
chance
she
could.
In
2015
Rachel
rose
to
the
challenge
and
completed
the
Warrior
Dash,
a
5K
obstacle
course
in
Horseshoe
Valley.
Rachel fulfilled her dream and bought her first home in 2015. She was excited about renovating and creating her forever home. She was busy planning her back yard garden, relaxing by her fire pit and developing a creative space for her sewing and crocheting.
Rachel was a proud mom to Claudette and Remy. As a single parent she successfully raised compassionate, empathetic, strong, independent and loving adults. She cherished every moment spent with them, and relished in their successes.
In March of 2016 Rachel was offered the job of Resource Sharing Supervisor, in the Dana Porter Library, which she accepted with mixed emotions. We were sad to see Rachel leave but were happy for her to return to the Library that she loved.
In late November it was a great shock to find out Rachel was diagnosed with cancer. She approached her illness as she did everything else, with strength and optimism. She fought this disease on her terms, determined not to be defeated. This battle was an attack on her stamina and on March 11th she was at peace.
Rachel would not want us spending time mourning her passing; she would expect us to live life to the fullest each and every day.
A force has left this earth and emptiness remains. We remember the vibrant, enthusiastic Rachel, who loved life and lived every day to the fullest. Rachel was such a force; her energy and warmth will leave a hole in our hearts. I hope we can all learn from her many qualities and adopt these into our lives.
We love her dearly and miss her greatly. We feel privileged to have known her and shared 8 years of her life.
If you would like to contribute to a memorial tree on campus for Rachel, you'll find instructions on the March 16, 2017 Daily Bulletin
Written by Lydia Bell, Nancy Orvis-Korn and Katie Kent (Rachel's former colleagues in the Math Undergraduate Office).