Franziska Rachel Rickard

The beloved daughter of Barbara Forster-Rickard (b. Bad Kreuznach, Germany) and Richard Bruce Rickard (b. Wichita, Kansas) is survived by her parents, younger sister Julia Silke Podealuk (David) and brother Richard Alexander, nephews Henry and Myles, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins in Germany and the US, and by her faithful buddy Dylan.

Franziska had a golden childhood, a happy little girl who made friends easily. She could sing on tune, play the organ her grandmother left her, draw, sketch, paint and write amusing stories. She was an avid reader. She explored music, dance, gymnastics, skiing, softball, and other things thriving young people do. But somehow puberty changed all that; she fell into a hole she could never quite get out of.

At age fifteen, just blossoming, Franziska fell victim to serious mental illness, and rather than spending her teenage years with friends enjoying the things young people do, she spent the next four years battling crippling depression, social anxiety, and psychosis in locked psychiatric facilities.

Miraculously, with the help of doctors, mental health teams, and medication, Franziska made it out of those institutions, even managing to get her GED. After living in several psychiatric group homes, she was able to live independently in her own apartment and even work part-time for several years.

Franziska was a very creative person and made eye-catching collages that she entered in the Kettle Art Crawl for several years. She was also a skilled beader, creating beautiful jewelry, which was always popular at her mother’s annual Christmas craft sale. She enjoyed music and loved singing, delighting us with her beautiful voice.

After meeting her late partner Dwight Ruether in 2012 the two settled down in an apartment in which they found pleasure and pride by decorating and making it into a cozy retreat for themselves and their cat Luna. They lived a simple life but were almost weekly visitors to the family home and several times a year to the family cabin. Allowing for the effects of illness, Franziska remained closely connected to her family all her life.

Still, her struggles with the ups and downs of mental illness were relentless and she sought solace in recreational and later street drugs, which compounded her depression. Following the death of her partner Dwight from a heart attack in February 2022, she fell into a downward spiral and crashed.

A service and celebration of life will be held at a later date. Franziska is finally at peace; pray let us find peace in that and in our memories of her.

The family would like to thank the Grandview-Woodlands and North East Mental Health Teams, Coast Mental Health, and the Kettle Friendship Society for their support of Franziska over the years.

Donations in her memory and in support of mental health supports may be made to:

Coast Mental Health | Compassion | Courage |

https://www.coastmentalhealth.com/get-involved/donation/

Recovery Support The Kettle

https://www.thekettle.ca/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.vancouvercrematorium.com for the RICKARD family.