Dr. Richard (Rick) Brian Thomas

It is with deep sadness to share the sudden passing of Rick Thomas, on May 28th, at his home in Richmond, BC. Rick is survived by his loving partner, of more than 32 years, David Thompson. He is also survived by his sister Darlene Smith of St. Mary’s, Ontario and his niece, Macy Smith, of Toronto, Ontario. Rick is predeceased by his mother Elsie, father George and brother Stephen. Rick is fondly remembered by David’s family. Rick was born in Welland, Ontario and grew up in, and around, St. Thomas, Ontario.

Rick had a lifelong lust for learning. It started with completion of Flight Services Training after high school and continued, until today, with the pursuit of a second doctoral degree. Rick completed his Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature at Western University in London, Ontario. His Master of Education at UBC. A Doctor of Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and a second Masters degree in Organizational Leadership from Pinchot University in Seattle. Rick was currently pursuing a doctorate in Consciousness Studies with a minor in Professional Coaching and Human Development through the International University of Professional Studies.

Rick’s love of learning extended beyond formal education. He completed numerous personal and professional development programs and he held multiple certifications. He also translated that learning into teaching and was proud to have recently served as adjunct faculty at Adler University where he helped to shape the leaders of tomorrow.

Rick operated a successful consulting business, ambient consulting, inc., and he brought his gift of coaching, facilitation, and leadership development to a wide range of clients. Rick had a profound impact on his many clients and teams. He took great joy in assisting leaders and teams to develop personally and to achieve their goals.

Family, friends, colleagues, clients, and students have all shared the tremendous impact that Rick had on their lives. He was the consummate coach and, often times, would coach you without you realizing that he was. He made people’s lives richer both personally and professionally. Rick’s coach shared that, on his journey toward transformational coaching, he felt elated; an overarching sense of joy and shimmering everywhere. That he felt an inner calm and joy and that it was as if the calm was a container for his joy.

Travel was a great passion of Rick’s. He had few regrets in life. One regret that he would mention is that he never realised his dream of being a flight attendant. He replaced this regret with a desire to see the world. He and David explored many parts of the world together. They met many wonderful people on their travels with two of them becoming very dear friends and travel companions. There were always plans in the calendar for a trip, or two. Rick liked to travel in style and was very clear that he did not turn right when he got on an airplane and you would never catch him in the main dining room on a cruise ship.

No one can deny Rick’s sense of style. He always looked great – maintaining a tan year-round, sporting a bow tie and the endless selection of eyeglasses. To top it off – he had great hair!

Together, Rick and David lived life to the fullest and savoured their lives together. They moved homes frequently and every move gave Rick a chance to explore his design and decorating prowess. Rick loved to entertain and to share their homes with other people. Rick loved change and every change gave him a chance to express himself. His love for design started at an early age. As a child, if his parents were making renovations to their home, Rick would use the individual pieces of parquet flooring to create floorplans. He loved to create floorplans and plan how everything would fit together in a space.

Rick and David were blessed to be able to live their lives in other parts of the world. They spent time each fall and winter at their condo near Palm Springs and they had recently purchased a vacation home in Verteuil-sur-Charente in France where they planned on spending summers. They made dear friends in both places and immensely enjoyed their time spent abroad.

He was a huge fan of Olivia Newton John and, somewhere in the cosmos, they are singing her songs together and he’s looking down on us giving us a bit more coaching. He left us with many dreams unfulfilled. His time with us was too short. He lived life to the fullest and always described his heart condition as having a heart that was too big. No one can deny that Rick had a big heart. He made this world a better place for all of the lives he touched and the wisdom, smiles, and laughs that he shared.

A visitation will be held at the Mount Pleasant Funeral Home at 306 East 11th Avenue in Vancouver on Monday, June 5th from 6 to 8 pm. A Celebration of Rick’s life is planned for Sunday, June 11th at the Red Barn in The Market Square at Southlands in Tsawwassen – 6333 Market Avenue, Delta, BC starting at 4:30 pm.

Donations, in Rick’s memory, can be made to the charity of your choice.