Eric Lawrence Reite passed away suddenly at the age of 61 on March 31, 2024, at his home in Kelowna, BC. Eric AKA “Reitabix” was taken from us far too early and will be sadly missed by those who knew him, worked with him and loved him.
Eric was born in the small coastal town of Powell River, located on the Sunshine Coast. After graduation he pursued his love of cooking and enrolled in the Malaspina Cooking College. It was here that he progressed to become the head chef at the Inn at Westview and became part of the beloved inn family.
After the Inn at Westview, he worked at various other hotels across the province honing his culinary skills. The Coast, Beach Gardens, Davy Crockett, Hotel Vancouver and Fiascos were all stops on Eric’s culinary journey. Along the way he showed off his skills to both members of parliament and rock stars alike.
Eric’s other career choices included driving and dispatching for Kelowna Cabs; he even did a short jaunt as a real estate appraiser. He was extremely creative and dabbled as a tattoo artist periodically. Eventually his journey came full circle and he found himself back in the kitchen at Wings, in Kelowna, making new friends and acquaintances.
Eric chose the life of the proverbial bachelor and though he had no children, he had many brothers and sisters in his large extended family. If you had the pleasure of meeting Eric you would see very quickly how uniquely kind he was, he had a huge heart and would always make time to reminisce and share stories with those around him. He had a dark and quick sense of
humour and loved to debate - for days if necessary. He loved music, his guitars and the blues. He was an avid poker player and loved playing online. He also loved conversing with his friends, be it for a beer at the bar, a coffee at his favourite haunts “Old Noodles,” or bizarre and darkly humorous texts at 3 am. His words, his humour and his charm will be missed by all of those who knew him and loved him.
“See you on the other side, my brother.”
Eric is survived by his sister Rhonda, brother-in-law Kirk and nephew Will, as well as his brother David, two stepsisters Sandi and Marlene, multiple cousins and many beloved lifelong friends. He was predeceased by both his parents Willam and Bernice, and stepfather Tom.
A celebration of life will be held in Eric’s honour at 2 pm on May 9 at Mowat Bay in Powell River. It is asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
