Richard Chisholm Cave

He was a husband, dad, grampa, father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, son, son-in-law, dog-dad, partner, uncle, cousin, nephew, co-worker, buddy, and friend. He was Richard, Dick, Dad, Grampa, Bumpa, Uncle Dick, Uncle Duck, Richie and to some he was Santa.

He grew up in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan with his parents Blanche and Chick, his sister Bernice, and his dog Dixie. After high school at RVCI, he attended Simon Fraser University on a football scholarship where he and Sandy met in September 1965. He worked on the railroad for the CPR, in recreation at Douglas and Riley Park, Britannia, Chilliwack, Mission, Banff and managed the Burnaby Winter Club. Later he joined ICBC where he retired as an investigator in 2014. He loved football, his Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Oregon Ducks. He loved hockey, playing, coaching, refereeing and the Canucks. He volunteered for the Olympics, the Patient Partner Program, and others for Fraser Health, and he mentored amputees.

Dick, Sandy, Traci, and Trevor lived in many places, Burnaby, Surrey, Fort Langley, Mission, Chilliwack, and Banff but finally settled in, and called New Westminster home for 35 years. They traveled around the island, the BC interior, Edmonton, Calgary, Moose Jaw, and up and down the west coast, in the camper and the RV’s. They spent many years at Birch Bay, but his favorite was the yearly family trip to the Oregon Coast. He loved staying at the beach houses at Rockaway Beach, Newport, Cannon Beach and Lincoln City with Traci, Trevor, Roger, Maxine, Marli, Sandy, and the dogs… walking on the beach, flying kites, playing board games until late at night and sitting by the campfire. He loved Fred Meyers, the casinos, Flamingo Jim’s, the Tillamook Cheese Factory and Air Museum, the antique stores, and the outlet malls. He was a bit of a collector of pretty much anything from tools and hockey cards to, ball caps and T-shirts, and he had at least one, likely more, from every where he went. He always had fun at Fred’s, he would get the electric cart and take off on the rest of the family. They always knew where he was, because they would hear the beeping of the cart as he backed up then a crash when he took out a display, or he would be at the deli sneaking a corn dog.

Sandy and Richie retired at Crescent Beach and loved walking the pups along the beach path. Later he spent hours looking out over the water at the waves, the trees blowing on a windy day, and the sunsets. He liked to watch the bunnies, the eagles, the herons, the hummingbirds, and the crows. He fed the small birds and watched them on the deck. He loved music and the trains, the real ones, and his HO collection. He waved at every BNSF train that went by the house, would tell us all about the engines, what was in the cars, where they came from and where they were going, and would spend hours at his train table downstairs. He enjoyed his popcorn and diet Pepsi while watching TV in the evening and had done just that on his last night.

Family and friends were always important, and he kept in touch with his sister and family in Edmonton, his Uncle Jack and Auntie Eileen in Calgary, all his friends and family around town and away, the cousins, nieces and nephews, neighbours, Leon, George, Norm, and the rest of the Moose Jaw group. He was lucky to have a great visit with his sister Bernice, Mick, and Heather at the end of September and he looked forward to ‘road trips’ with Ian and Ron and lunches and Zooming with all his buddies and friends.

Family dinner and game night at the beach house on Sunday was a favorite, he loved having the kids and grandkids and their friends over and liked to share in the cooking and tell his dad jokes. Ticket to Ride and Mexican Trains were the games of choice and it was competitive! Winnings were tracked, stats were kept, and the game book was signed by the winner each week.

The past 12 years were a struggle with health issues, but Dick was a fighter. He had a positive attitude, never gave up, and was an inspiration.

He will be missed terribly, but is at peace now, and even though his light has burnt out, the memories are in our hearts forever.

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts, and support.

The Family.