I do not usually reprint entire articles on this site, but this morning will be an exception. My great aunt Rita Brandeis Singer passed away on Monday and The Sacramento Bee's Edgar Sanchez has written an exceptional obituary recounting her life. He writes:

Rita Singer wanted to work forever.

The attorney for the state Department of Water Resources in Sacramento enjoyed her job so much, she waited until she was 85 to retire in 2001 - a move forced by a debilitating stroke.

Ms. Singer, a native of Canada, died in a local hospital Monday from complications of pneumonia. She was 89.

"Rita was just a wonderful person," said Katherine Spanos, a senior staff counsel for the Department of Water Resources. "She had an incredible spirit and enthusiasm for anything she did."

As a counsel for the department for 23 years, Ms. Singer counseled staff on issues ranging from the impact of water development in the Sacramento River Delta to other environmental issues dealing with water law.

An advocate of women's rights, Ms. Singer also supported civil rights. And she was a strong backer of Planned Parenthood and the Jewish Federation of Sacramento, among other groups.

"My aunt was always looking to make the world better," said her nephew, Dr. Karl Singer.

In a 1999 interview with The Bee, Ms. Singer said retirement wasn't on her mind.

"If you enjoy your work, why retire?" she said. "I love my work and can't imagine doing anything that would be as interesting or enjoyable."

Rita Singer was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1915.

She and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was an infant.

She grew up in Detroit and graduated from law school at the University of Michigan in 1938.

"I went to Washington, D.C., to find a job," Ms. Singer said in a 1993 interview with the Bee. "When I applied at the first place, they asked if I could type. I was discouraged."

At one point during World War II, Ms. Singer worked in the Dominican Republic for a New York agency that relocated Jewish families from concentration camps to New World nations.

"Mostly (they went to) Latin America," she said. "It was a very exciting time in my life."

In the mid-1940s, she married Fred Brandeis. The couple moved to Sacramento in 1948, after Ms. Singer - then Rita Singer Brandeis - accepted a post with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in California's capital. Her husband, a former journalist, became a high school teacher in Davis.

In the 1960s, Ms. Singer became an in-house attorney for the U.S. Solicitors Office, and was assigned to advise on water issues for the Bureau of Reclamation.

"Dealing with engineers in those days was a learning experience," she once said. "They didn't think a 'lady lawyer' could understand ... arcane concepts."

In 1978, she became a special consultant for the state Department of Water Resources. She retired as a senior staff counsel in 2001.

Ms. Singer was preceded in death by her husband in 1981. The couple had no children.

Ms. Singer left her Carmichael home for the last time on Jan. 5 when she was hospitalized with heart problems. She died five days later.

Before the stroke that ended her career, Ms. Singer had been an avid tennis player, hiker and skier.

"But all those activities ceased after the stroke," said her friend, Marcia Steinberg, adding that Ms. Singer also resigned as a part-time, volunteer pro-tem judge for Sacramento County. She had heard small claims matters for at least 10 years.

In retirement, Ms. Singer continued to read extensively while receiving special care from attendants in her own home.

One of her caregivers, Maria Serrano, became "like a daughter to her," Steinberg said. "Maria became devoted to her."

Rita was an amazing woman, and all of her family, friends and community will miss her greatly.