My passing occurred due to complications following emergency surgery earlier this year. Leaving to mourn is my wife, partner, best friend, and soulmate of 47 years, Elaine. I can’t stress enough what a perfect match this was for me. Also left to mourn are our children Amie (Curtis) of Saskatoon and Brad (Ashley) of Regina and their kids Jacob & Dominic and Quinton, Samuel, & Zachary respectively or as I affectionately call them, my five precious lovable little bums.
I was preceded by my father Nicholas. I also leave to mourn my mother, Olive (Moose Jaw), my favourite (and only sister!) Carrie (Michael) of Moose Jaw, and brothers Clark (Kathy) of Regina, Allan (Denise) of Edmonton, Bill (Donna) of Moose Jaw, and numerous nieces, nephews, and in-laws.
Elaine and I are thankful for the full life that we had together and with Amie and Brad. We’re so proud of what they’ve done with their lives including their education, careers, spousal choices, the adults that they’ve become, their parenting skills, and especially the grandsons with whom they’ve truly blessed us.
We took great interest in Amie and Brad’s activities when they were growing up. Elaine and I were very supportive of Amie’s dancing including lessons, competitions, and recitals. The same holds true for our involvement in Brad’s many sports’ interests such as baseball, soccer, and basketball. Family time together for vacations was also especially important to us. Some of them included trips to watch the Blue Jays and the Expos, a visit to Disney World in Florida, and annual ski trips during winter school breaks, usually to Jasper.
As empty nesters Elaine and I enjoyed many vacations particularly to Hawaii numerous times, cruises to the Scandinavian/Baltic Region and the Mediterranean Region, Amtrak train trips out of Montana to Seattle and Chicago to watch the Blue Jays, and finally Portugal. I also had a wonderful time attending the MLB All Star Game and Home run Derby in Minneapolis in 2014 with Brad, brother-in-law Michael, and nephew Matthew.
My career was very satisfying with great mentorship in several organizations. I began my career at Federated Co-op where I met several lifelong friends (more on this later) and from there I primarily worked in health care admin/finance: Home Care, the College of Medicine, Central Administration at the U of S, then finished my career in a division of the Canadian Medical Association, MD Practice Solutions.
The lifelong friends I met at Federated included Ken Anderson, Greg Balderston, and Jerry Coben. We’ve had Riders’ season tickets together for decades, most of us curled together, and of course socialized together. Although not part of the Federated group, I met Dave Toth when we coached our boys in soccer, and we continued to be really good friends as we curled and golfed together. The four of them have been great friends over the last 30 to 50 years and were with me until the very end. Although reluctant to single any of them out I know the others will understand. I’ve been so fortunate to have Ken as my best male friend – I’ve always enjoyed his company, our similar views and interests, and being able to lean on each other when needed. However, he does have a major fault – he cheers for the Montreal Canadiens!
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve already led a full life. However, “leaving” isn’t easy especially when I have to say goodbye to Elaine, Amie, Brad, and my very precious grandsons. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers and support them in whatever way you are able.
In lieu of flowers you may wish to donate to Home Care’s Meals on Wheels, St. Anne’s Catholic Church (Lenore Drive) Christmas Hamper Program, or Saskatoon Community Living.
A celebration of Rick’s life will be held at St. Anne’s Catholic Church (217 Lenore Drive – parking lot on south side of Church) on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at 2:00 PM, followed by refreshments and snacks in the adjoining Church Hall.
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