Obituary of Rich Robinson

ROBINSON Mr. Richard (Rich) Wayne, aged 67 years of Swift Current passed away on May 1, 2009 after a brief, but hard-fought battle with cancer. Rich was born on September 28, 1941 in Regina to William and Margaret Robinson. He attended Sheldon Williams Collegiate and Martin Collegiate in Regina. While Rich did not have a lot of formal education, he was highly knowledgeable in many things and was an avid reader. He married Linda Watt on October 1, 1966 in Regina. He worked for Regina Monumental and Building Supplies where he learned the trade of designing granite memorials. During this employment he also learned interior and exterior brick and stonework and knew at a glance the type of brick or stone used on any building. In his late teens, Rich volunteered with Richard Fyfe at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. During this time he became a licensed falconer and trained a Kestral falcon to hunt. He and others also travelled the province to study and band birds of prey. The results of this study helped lead to the discovery of the disastrous effect pesticides were having on birds of prey which in turn led to the banning of pesticides such as DDT. Rich was very proud of the fact that when Queen Elizabeth visited the museum he helped to remove the glass from the natural history displays and guarded them during her visit. In 1969 Rich and Linda moved to Swift Current where he along with Ray Vickers and Jerry Cates opened Swift Current Monumental Company Limited. For 40 years Rich used his artistry to design one-of-a-kind granite memorials that are set in cemeteries throughout Southwest Saskatchewan and many other cemeteries in the country. These are part of his legacy. Rich felt he was able to accept his illness and his mortality because of the years he spent helping people through this process. Rich retired in 2006 and sold his share of the monumental business to his nephew, Bud Cates. He was extremely happy that the business was staying in the family and was in such capable hands. Rich was a family man and loved his home and family. He had a wonderful sense of humour and a quick wit. He was a Beaver, Cub and Scout Leader as well as a soccer coach. He joined the Elk’s Club and the Swift Current Cosmopolitan Club when he first moved to Swift Current. He was a member of the S.P.C.A. and served his term as President. He was a member of several bowling teams and was an avid Bronco fan, holding season tickets since 1971. He also enjoyed going to the stock car races. Rich obedience trained his dachshund, Schultz who received two high score awards at obedience trials in Saskatoon and Regina. He and Linda were among the founding members of the Prairie Canine Academy dog club in Regina and he enjoyed teaching dog obedience classes in Regina and Swift Current. There were always pets: dachshunds of all coat types, a corgi, ginuea pigs, turtles, tropical fish and at the time of his passing, two Coton de Tulears, Dudley and Laila. He loved building models of vintage cars and recently became an avid kite enthusiast, thanks in large part to the annual Windscape Kite Festival. Rich loved music and he and Linda attended many Blenders, Long Day’s Night and Stir Crazy Blues events. Upon retirement, Rich planned to travel a bit, work in the yard, perfect his quad kite flying, read and relax. Rich is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Linda; his beloved son, Brad and his wife Christie (Thauberger) and his amazing grandson, Aidan, Swift Current; his mother Margaret (Clarence) Wood, Woolsley; two sisters, Gerrie (Jim) Kidney, Regina, and Joan (Jerry) Cates, Swift Current; his brother, Ron, Regina; his sister-in-law Shirley (Bill) Mailander, Regina, his sister-in-law Shirley (Gord) Watt, Calgary; his brother-in-law Denzil and his wife Dorothy Watt of Penticton, B.C. and Mission, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews. Rich was predeceased by his father, William Robinson and his brother-in-laws, Bill Mailander, Jerry Cates, Jim Kidney, Gordon Watt and his stepfather Clarence Wood. Funeral service was held in the chapel at Parkside Funeral Home with Pastor Phil Houston officiating. Interment was at Hillcrest Cemetery. Pallbearers were Bud and Bill Cates, Darryl and Trent Mailander, Doug Watt, Brian, Chris and Daryl Dalby. Ushers were Kunal Minhas and George Tsougrianis. The eulogy written by Linda was read by Rich’s good friends, Fran and Keith Dalby. A reception following the service was held at Houston Pizza . In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1220 A, 1150 Central Avenue N., Swift Current, S9H 4C8 or the Swift Current Bronco Memorial Fund, 2001 Chaplin Street E., Swift Current, S9H 5A8. The family would like to thank Dr. DeKlerk, nurses on 2nd West and Emergency; Sandy Fortman and Elaine Krahn, COPS Program; Deb Sekerak, Palliative Care; Dr. Tai, Dr. Chal Chal, Grant Rathwell and John of the Allan Blair Cancer Clinic; staff at the Regina Cancer Patient Lodge; and all our friends and family.