Saturday, December 22, 2012

FAREWELL RITA, OUR ENGLISH FRIEND

 I was introduced to Rita Cocker by Sally, a member of our club.    I never met Rita in person because she lived in England, but we exchanged emails and pictures for years.   She was a real Peke lover.
 Her home at Christmas was decorated inside and out with "fairy lights", Christmas ornaments and garland.   Her Pekes loved the snow and the excitement of Christmas.
 Each Pekingese had a Christmas stocking on the mantle.    
Sally wrote this about her:    
"Rita Cocker and I met in 1997 at the Pekingese Show Ring at Cruft's Dog Show in Birmingham, England! She, a veteran breeder/judge, I, a total novice, having just acquired a Pekingese, by accident, when he was left on our doorstep in the worst blizzard of the century!
She immediately adopted me, and we became lifelong friends!
One irony we discovered was that, because of her Peke poetry, she had been invited to attend an International Poetry Seminar in Washington, the location of which was a block from my house! I think we both felt we were meant to meet!
Then came years of exchanging letters, cards, photos, books, gifts, trinkets, etc. all about Pekes and for the benefit of PVPC Peke Rescue, which had greatly impressed her from our annual reports. I had arranged for her to become a much-valued member of the Potomac Valley Pekingese Club, and she arranged for me to be an Overseas Patron for East Yorkshire Pekingese Club.
Imagine my surprise, and honor, when she directed me to the opening page of one of her trilogy of books, stories about Pekes, to see that she had dedicated that book to me!
We shared stories about her beloved Yorkshire, but all really did center on Pekes, from her first, as a present, when she was twelve years old, leading to her own, well-recognized, UK Pekemoor Kennels.
She was an inspiration, honored friend and mentor, who died suddenly in October.
We will always be grateful for the benefit of her information, stories, and poetry, with the responsibility to share as much as possible amongst the Peke Club members here.
Rita, a Yorkshire Lass, lives on in our thoughts, on this side of the Atlantic, for her having shared so much with us!
Sally MacDonald, December 2012
We will all miss you, Rita--


1 comment:

  1. I am so sad reading this.
    I send my love to you Sally for Rita was a great friend and you do not have to live around the corner to be friends! :)

    *I remember seeing those winter peke photos some time back and thinking --Ooooooo - what beauties!

    ReplyDelete