William Lythe Gordon Richards

Bill will be fondly remembered by his loving wife of 47 years, Merla; his son, Wesley (Helen); his daughter, Melissa; his grandchildren, Shaymus, Lyam, Janae and Aidan; his brother, Jim (Ronna) as well as his brothers and sisters-in-law on Merla’s side of the family. He will also be remembered by numerous nieces and nephews and his four-legged lil’ buddy, Lightning.

Bill was predeceased by his parents, Gordon and Myrtle Richards.

Bill was born December 15, 1943 in Regina Saskatchewan. He proudly served with the Canadian Armed Forces from 1963 to 1987 as Military Police. Bill and Merla met on a blind date in London, Ontario in 1973 and married in 1974. They lived in London, Quebec City where Wesley was born in 1975 and Montreal where Melissa was born in 1977. They were transferred out west to Edmonton in 1979 and the family settled on an acreage west of Stony Plain in 1983, where they remained until Bill and Merla moved into town in 2017.

After his military retirement, Bill worked as a security officer at Alberta Hospital in Edmonton and as a commissionaire with the Corp of Commissionaires. He also worked part time for Sears Canada for over 25 years until his final retirement in 2013 due to health problems.

In keeping with Bill’s wishes cremation has taken place. The family will be holding a private service at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) Canada: 600- 235 Yorkland Blvd, Toronto ON, M2J 4Y8. This charity was a passion of Bill’s over the past 13 years, after his oldest grandson Shaymus was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2008 at the age of 6. Bill collected thousands of dollars in donations from family and friends, hitting them up for anything from loose change to whatever they could afford to give.