Extended Obituary

Maurita Louise Sperry Croft - born August 18, 1954

Originally named Myrtle Louise Sperry, Maurita lived the first 21 years of her life in Petite Riviere. On December 17, 1975, she married Michael Dwight Croft. They lived in Crousetown for the next 11 years; the first two years spent in a new mobile home and the next nine years in a new chalet built on top of a hill in Crousetown, overlooking Petite Riviere. It was during their time here, on March 31, 1984, that their son was born. Mackenzie Sperry Croft was raised in Crousetown until October of 1986. On October 31 of that year, the family moved to 129 Alexandra Avenue, Bridgewater where Michael and Maurita continued to reside. On July 24, 1987, their daughter, Whitney Michael Croft, was born.

Maurita’s first job was from1967 to 1968 when she worked at The Arenburg House in Petite Riviere as a maid and kitchen helper. Her next job was at The Pet and Leather Shop, from 1972 to 1975, where she met and worked with her life-long friend, Sandy Smith. She then worked at the Bridgewater Daycare Centre from 1976 to 1984. This was the job that Maurita truly loved. Many years later, parents and their children would still recall Maurita from her time at the daycare; remembering her for her kindness, care, and smile. Maurita would say her next job was that of the family caregiver and full-time homemaker. There are no dates for this job. It was a job of a lifetime. Maurita’s daily tasks included: wife and mother of two, school tutor, nurse, cook, taxi driver, housekeeper, and interior designer. In 1991, along with this, Maurita became a volunteer at the Bridgewater Elementary School until 1997. She assisted teachers and students in the classroom, read stories in the library, made extra lunches, went on class trips, led arts and crafts, helped with fundraising, and served meals during the weekly ‘hot dog day.’ In 1997, she moved next door to the Bridgewater Junior-Senior High School where she worked at the cafeteria until 2000. In 2002, Maurita took a job at Zellers, first as a cashier and then a customer services representative, until 2005 and continuing through several holiday seasons thereafter. In 2005, she moved to a different position within The Mall, taking a job with Crombie Properties Ltd as an office assistant. From 2006 to 2008, she also worked as a substitute Program Support Assistant and Library Technician for the South Shore Regional School Board. For several years, Maurita also stood in as a background performer for the television series, Haven, while also spending time working at Abercrombie Farms as a vineyard worker, picking grapes that were used by Avondale Sky Winery to make red wines.

As you can see, Maurita spent a lot of time working and putting others before herself, so when it came to vacations, she did not take many of them. When she did go on the occasional vacation; however, it was more like an adventure, as she wanted to be on the go and see all of the sites. Whether it was Ottawa, Newfoundland, Niagara Falls, Quebec City, Toronto, New Brunswick, P.E.I, or Maine, they were all new places to her, and had new things to experience. Maurita had hoped for one more trip; a train ride out west through the Rocky Mountains that she wanted to plan for Mike’s 70th birthday. Though they didn’t quite make this trip, they spent countless days at their favourite local vacation spot; the beach. Maurita loved going to the beach on a hot (but not too hot) and sunny day. Whether it was Green Bay, Rissers, or Cresent, it was a time for her to relax, soak up the sun, and not have a worry in the world. Mike will always remember seeing her there for the first time in her denim bikini and thinking “I should have one of those!”

Maurita took part in some sports, often with hesitation at first, but always ended up ‘being good,’ especially when it came to curling and bowling. It was the last game of the season and she told her team members that she would not be able to bowl next season because she was having trouble with her wrist. That night, she bowled a score of 125 in a string. Maurita also tried golf but had more fun rolling down the 9th hole at Island Green Golf Club in the Valley, when she stepped on a pile of apples and wasn’t able to get up. The more she tried, the harder she laughed, and the further she rolled down the hill. Maurita was always a good sport and people admired her ability to take part.

Some of Maurita’s main interests and passions were interior design and decorating. She was always looking to improve her home and would always help Mackenzie with any projects for his properties. Maurita’s biggest passion was painting; creating artwork that will live on for generations to come. It was painting where Maurita felt the most relaxed. She was able to forget about the goings-on around her and focus solely on her art. At one point, she had a vision of opening a small art supply store so she could spend time with other people who enjoyed painting.

Even more than drifting away into her painting, Maurita loved spending time with her family, especially at Christmas time. Each Christmas Eve, she would organize a get-together with family and friends at the house. It was something everyone looked forward to each year. Even though Maurita didn’t care about getting gifts for herself, she made sure to pick the perfect gift for everyone else. Sales associates at the Mall would even comment on the time she would spend considering the exact gift to purchase for each person in her family. It was this careful and constant consideration that made it very obvious that what Maurita loved most in her life were her children; Mackenzie and Whitney, and her grandchildren; Callie and Carson. Their time spent together was always full of laughter and happiness. Maurita would do anything for any of them without question.

Despite health and medical issues, Maurita always helped and supported her immediate and extended family. She was there no matter what and no matter when. She was the perfect wife, mother, and grandmother. She will be greatly missed by her family, and especially her grandchildren; Callie and Carson, who were always excited to spend time with ‘Grandma.’ On the day Maurita passed, Mackenzie wrote, “the kindest and most selfless person I’ve ever known left us today. My amazing mother fought with all her might and passed away peacefully today with family by her side. Words can’t describe how much we will miss her beautiful personality and sense of humour…”

She will always be our Angel Eyes.