After a battle with pancreatic cancer, Windsor has lost one of its champions. Former City of Windsor Chief Administrative Officer Helga Reidel died last Thursday.
Reidel was just 66.
She is survived by her husband Rolf and her three adult sons.
Reidel was born in Leamington and raised in Windsor. She graduated from the University of Windsor and eventually became the Chair of the university's Board of Governors.
She earned a designation as a chartered accountant, which led to her role as the city's CAO between 2009 and 2016. She also served on volunteer boards, including Hydro One, Corby Spirit and Wine, and the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Her passing was marked by a number of people who had worked with her in the past, including former Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Percy Hatfield, who called her a "trailblazer" who "smashed several glass ceilings and did so because she was so competent in everything she chose to do."
Former City Councillor Caroline Postma posted, "I really enjoyed working with Helga during my tenure as a city councillor. She was not only full of integrity and compassion, but also just a genuinely nice person."
Fellow former City of Windsor CAO Onorio Colucci said he was deeply saddened by Reidel's passing.
"She was my friend. She was personable, dedicated, smart, and eminently fair," he wrote. "She will be dearly missed."
There are three visitations for Reidel at Victoria Greenlawn Funeral Home on Hwy.3 in Oldcastle. The first is on Tuesday, November 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by one that evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There's also a visitation before the funeral service at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, followed by the service at 11 a.m.
