~ September 21, 1945 - April 19, 2023 ~
Richard passed away suddenly after living the fullest of lives, loved and admired by many. His spirit is carried on by his wife of 25 years, Christiane Claude, his son Spencer, his five surviving siblings, Thomas, Robert, Ellen, Julie, and Andrew, and extended family and friends in every walk of life.
Richard never did anything half-way. If you had a problem, he had likely already fixed it. If you had a question, he probably was already an expert on the subject. If you challenged him, he was convinced he’d already won. This led him to live life with depth and intensity.
Richard grew up in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts as the eldest of six, in a family that sang and played music together no matter the place or time. Over his lifetime, he built his craft as a brilliant musician. There was rarely a gathering that ended without one or many guitar blues riffs and with voices in harmony when Richard was in the room.
Early on the “mad scientist”, Richard attended Carleton University and completed studies in Biochemistry before it became a field. He later attended the London School of Economics and returned to Carleton to earn an Honours degree in Integrated Science and Chemistry.
Richard was a dedicated public servant to the Government of Canada, both through his passion for energy efficiency at Natural Resources Canada, and modernising and increasing accessibility of public online services at Shared Services Canada.
Richard and his love Christiane met as ski instructors at Wakefield’s Vorlage. One first date at the Blacksheep Inn, and they never left each other’s side again. He was a scientist and an artist, who fell in love with a mime artist who loves to sing. He was the funniest man she ever met. Together they skied over peaks, kayaked across seas, biked through valleys, and built a beautiful life together in a century-old home tucked in the Gatineau Hills. As a man of all trades, Richard always supported his love’s art - whether writing pantomimes and performances, or being the sound man to Christiane and the music ensemble the Omicrons. He was her agent, in all parts of life. She was his star - and he made sure she shone like one.
As a father, Richard treasured his times with his son, from camping together in the woods to sharing a love of creating music.
As a brother, his siblings were blessed to learn much, sing loud, and laugh plenty during their time together. A visit was never complete without him having fixed something, whether a pepper grinder or a boat motor.
Richard has gone far too soon. In his stead, may we all seek to live as deeply and intensely as he did. No rock unturned, no chord unplayed, and no wild idea held back.
The family wishes to extend deep thanks and appreciation to the nurses and doctors at Hull Hospital for their attentive care and expertise.
A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made to ACRE - Action Chelsea for the Respect of the Environment.