Harriette L. Vanderhorst
Memories in Pictures
Treasured Memories
Harriette was our Treasurer for our Vanderhorst Family Reunion since 2010 and I was her assistant. She taught me soooo much about the process and making sure the books were balanced and transparent with record keeping. She was no nonsense when it came to the money!
She rode with me to all of the family reunions out of state and the laughs we shared will never be forgotten. She was also a member of The Councilman’s Ball Committee where she donated & raffled her beautiful quilts with proceeds going towards the scholarship fund.
Keyda Mack– Cousin
Harriette taught me the power of a letter to resolve an issue or get what is needed. During one of our Vanderhorst Family Reunions there was an unforeseen fire during our banquet. The venue was reluctant to provide any compensation for the inconvenience that it had caused our family. After Harriette had written letters to the venue’s manager and to corporate we received a refund of a little more than half of our money paid.
I have used her teachings which have opened entrances into universities for my children as well as increased financial aid offers to them. I am so forever blessed to have had Harriette as a cousin. She will be missed tremendously.
Roberta Shields- Cousin
My name is Lezlie Brazil and I am one of Auntie Rhette’s California nieces. Auntie Rhette came into my life when I was an awkward tweenager trying to figure out who I was and navigate a different and difficult world. Auntie Rhette was a soft place for me to land.
She took me under her wing and we forged a relationship full of activities and adventure based on our favorite things – fashion and basketball. We frequented the local malls where I impressed her with my adolescent style advice (she actually took some of my fashion tips!) and the Fabulous Forum where we cheered for our favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers. I still remember her apartment on Hazel Street in Inglewood where we would sit on the floor watching the away games while she gave me sewing lessons. I was a pretty good student but was much more interested in wearing the fashions than in making them.
If you know anything about Auntie Rhette, then you know how creative she was. Her magical creations completely changed our holiday celebrations. Year after year she would go shopping in Downtown Los Angeles for the most beautiful, high quality holiday wrapping products. She would arrive early Christmas morning wearing a Santa hat and carrying a bounty of perfectly wrapped gifts adorned with matching paper and ribbon and large velvet handmade bows. (Side note: Auntie Rhette perfected this skill when she worked as a gift wrapper at The Broadway Department Store when she first arrived in California).
My sister Erika and I marveled at the display with big eyes of amazement, almost too afraid to open the gorgeous presents. Our mother, Brenda, would insist that we open the packages with care so to not rip the paper. And of course, we saved those bows! Nothing was thrown out. So, in a way, Auntie Rhette taught us the value of sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle! But in a bigger way, she taught us the value of love and family, even if not by blood.
Be inspired by Auntie Rhette and reach out to others with kindness and affection. Spend quality time with them. Laugh and make memories. And who knows, you just might change someone’s life in the way that she changed mine.
Lezlie Brazil- Niece
“May the work I’ve done speak for me.“
In loving memory of a life well-lived, a heart full of love, and a legacy that will live on forever in our hearts.
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