Mr. Richard Rick Joseph Long

HUSBAND, FATHER, EDUCATOR, ADVENTURER

In 1950, Richard Joseph Long was born in Edmonton, Alberta, the eldest child of Doreen and Joseph Long. He then became "big brother" to his sister, Sandra, and brothers Cameron and James. The highlights of his happy childhood included helping his father build the family cabin at Long Lake (not named after this particular Long Family) in Alberta. While the other children learned to swim, Rick learned his carpentry skills, but swimming always eluded him.

As Rick got older he was proud to be a member of the Scouting movement. After being a Cub and Scout, he became a leader for his siblings and then later for his sons. The lessons learned in Scouting applied to his later life. He was a fantastic fire-builder, an avid camper, and an intrepid hiker.

He attended the University of Alberta to study Commerce, and later achieved an MBA. While studying, he met his future wife, Patricia, who immediately captured his heart by making a pan of popcorn without burning it. Upon finishing his MBA, he got a teaching job at the University of Regina, but Patricia would not leave Alberta without being married first. So they did, on August 25th, 1973. He really enjoyed teaching his students, and decided to pursue an academic career. Rick went to Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, for his PhD, completing it in 1977 in record time (the record has yet to be broken). After two years living as poor students, Rick got a job at the University of Saskatchewan in the College of Commerce, and has (generally) lived in Saskatoon ever since. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed five sabbaticals spent in England (times three!), Australia, and France.

Rick was very proud to father three sons: Jeffrey (1980), Jeremy (1982), and Michael (1992). Having kids didn't stop Rick from traveling the world. On these sabbaticals, the kids even attended school abroad. Rick was also proud of being a well-traveled person, and was always interested in talking to people from other places. He visited 90 different countries spanning every continent on earth.

The students in the Edwards School of Business were very important to Rick. He enjoyed finding out about their past experiences and their job situations, and was not above giving marital advice. He kept in touch with many of them after they graduated. His teaching excellence and innovation was recognized by the university with a Master Teacher award in 2015. He made his class relevant to the students by tying it into his favourite reality TV show, Survivor. He called his course Survivor Compensation, for which he wrote his own textbook. This textbook shortly became the leading compensation textbook in Canada. Teaching wasn't his only academic passion. His research was presented at many prominent conferences and won several awards.

Somehow in between his busy schedule, he always found time to return to Edmonton to visit his family, including: his mother, Doreen and her partner Hal; his sister, Sandy and her children Angela, Heather, and Ashley; his brother James and his family Nicole and Jason; his Aunt Virginia and Uncle Ivan; and his Uncle Norman and Aunt Helen. Family was important to Rick, and he was thrilled to add two new members: Jeffry’s partner Shavaun, and Jeremy’s partner Donna.

Having traveled the world, in 2008, Rick developed a passion for the idea of a walking trail that spanned all of Canada. Each summer since then, he would walk for a couple hundred kilometers starting in Victoria, and heading for the Atlantic coast. His first companions were his sons, and later, he was joined by his neighbour, Don Ramage. On one of the return trips, they were joined by a six-foot tall bear, who now stands guard outside the house. In total, he walked 1825 kilometers, crossing the entire expanse of British Columbia, battling the heat, the elements, the animals, and seven mountain ranges. He would regale anyone who would listen with endless stories of walking the trail. He compiled his experiences into a book titled "From Sea to Prairie: On British Columbia's Trans Canada Trail. A Hiker's Photo Journal of Discovery" which can be found on amazon.com (not amazon.ca).

Rick was a remarkable man who led a remarkable life.

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Richard Joseph Long

November 11, 1950 – May 15, 2016

HUSBAND, FATHER, EDUCATOR, ADVENTURER.

Rick passed away peacefully at home after a very short battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons Jeffrey (Shavaun), Jeremy (Donna), Michael; and mother Doreen (Hal). Rick was a life-long educator at the University of Saskatchewan, and was well beloved by his students. The Funeral Service will be held at Acadia- McKague's Funeral Centre (915 Acadia Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N4) on Friday, May 20, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Rick Spent the past eight summers walking from Victoria, BC to the Alberta border. For those who wish to honour his memory, please make donations to the Trans-Canada Trail Association (tctrail.ca) - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestarphoenix/obituary.aspx?n=richard-long&pid=180016689&fhid=6538#sthash.uQSOVIjd.dpuf