Obituary of Henrica Adriana Baker

BAKER, Henrica (Rita) Adriana Johanna (Brokken) 

Henrica (Rita) Adriana Johanna (Brokken) Baker 84, of Herring Cove, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Parkstone Enhanced Care, Halifax.

Born on June 16, 1941, in Tilburg, Holland. At the age of 15, Rita immigrated to Canada with her family, arriving on January 4, 1956, beginning a new chapter filled with opportunity, courage, and hope.

Rita worked for Sears and later Atlantic Traders, primarily in their accounting departments, where her strong work ethic and attention to detail were greatly valued. In 1966, she retired to focus on raising her family — a role she embraced wholeheartedly. Deeply creative and exceptionally talented, Rita was an accomplished seamstress and artist. She created beautiful stained-glass pieces and intricate embroidery. She was predeceased by her husband Lincoln, parents, Joannus (John) and Joanna (Anna) (van de Sande) Brokken, daughter-in-law, Monica, nephew, David Pippy.

A loving wife, devoted mother, supportive mother-in-law, and amazing grandmother, Rita’s family was the centre of her life. She will be lovingly remembered by her sons, Darren (Debbie), Rockland, Ont.; Christopher (Stephanie), Dartmouth; and Bruce, (Cindy) Halifax; grandchildren, Alexandre, Adriana, Fiona Peasey (Zachary) Charlotte, and Maxwell. She is also survived by her brother Henk (Carol), and sister-in-law, Betty, nieces and nephews and several great nieces and nephews.

Rita was a dedicated volunteer with FEED Nova Scotia and the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) for many years, giving generously of her time.

Visitation will be held Thursday January 8th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at A. J. Walker Funeral Home, 149 Herring Cove Road, Halifax.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00am, Friday January 9th at Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church (formerly St. Michael's), 6 St. Michael's Ave. Halifax, with Fr. Francesco Pirisi as celebrant. Reception will be at immediately following the service at A. J. Walker Funeral Home, 149 Herring Cove Road, Halifax. A private family burial will be held at a later date at St. Paul's Cemetery, Herring Cove.

As Rita’s family, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the staff at Parkstone for their exemplary care and support of Rita especially to Danna RN. In keeping with Rita’s wishes, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) of Greater Halifax, 300-7000 Mumford Road, Halifax, NS, B3L 4N9 or the Canadian Cancer society, Nova Scotia branch.