Richard Grant Carnegie

His life as a child was, by his own account very tough but he never complained. The missing’s in his childhood ensured that he would never make the same mistakes with his own child and he didn’t. My dad was always there for me and that’s why this has been so tough to put down in writing. Every New Years Eve I would receive a call from him at midnight. That ended this past year, and it brought the reality of my loss home to me.

Who was my dad?

A man who was always there for his family.

A man with a grade 9 education who could answer nearly every Jeopardy question correctly.

A man who chose sobriety very early in life and just celebrated his 45th year.

A man who gave freely of himself in the AA world and helped 100’s of others who were struggling

Very early in Dad’s life an underlying theme started to show itself. His desire to help and support people It didn’t seem to matter what job he was doing, that aspect of his personality would shine through. His last job before leaving Toronto at the ripe old age of 23 was to spend two years as youth councillor at the YMCA in Toronto.

So where do you go if Toronto is your hometown? Dad decided there may be opportunities in the Town of Churchill and change is always a good thing, right? From the largest city in Canada to a small northern town on the shores of Hudson Bay. He spent almost two years in Churchill, first as a surveyor for Manitoba Hydro and then as a grain distributor for the National Harbour Authority at the Port.

While in Churchill, he heard inklings of a mine in Flin Flon, Mb and that HBMS was recruiting. He thought “Hey I think hard rock mining might be a decent thing to check out” so he jumped on a train and headed to Flin Flon. Dad was hired on Jan. 31st, 1978. From southern Ontario to the most northern part of Manitoba to the geographic center of Canada, the adventure had started.

Dad would end up spending 20 plus years in the Flin Flon/Creighton area with 19 of those underground as a development miner but he was in a quandary. Other than supporting your work partner, how do you fulfill the need to help your fellow employees and your communities when your job is almost a mile underground?

As usual, Dad found a way. He took on the role of Shop Steward at Centennial Mine and Chair of the Grievance Committee at the Local Steelworkers Union of which he was a member. He served 2 terms of office as the Mayor of Creighton and in 1997 took 2 months leave from the Company to campaign federally to represent the Saskatchewan Riding of Churchill River. This was all in addition to his “9 to 5” job.

Dad then decided that he wanted to give more to the communities and people in the area than his company job would allow so after 19 years of service, he terminated his employment at the Mine and went back to school. At this midpoint in his life, he got the education that would allow him to pursue a career in Economic Development supporting communities and people grow. He spent the next two years as the EDO for Community Futures Greenstone organization helping new potential entrepreneurs make their dreams come true or face the reality check that may be needed.

This job and his heart led him to make the next move to Fort Nelson, BC where he continued in the EDO field for about a year and half. A change in relationships and a need to get closer to family took dad to southern BC. He ended his working career back underground. They say “Once its in your blood its impossible to get it out” but he did upscale a bit from the Hudbay copper/zinc mines of FF to the diamond mine of Ekati in the Northwest Territories.

My dad retired in 2010. I was speaking to a close friend after dads passing and he asked me how his retirement had been. The word that popped out of my mouth was “chill”. It just seemed to fit. The last 10 years were relaxed and comfortable involving lots of golf, lot’s of family time and lot’s of quality time with his long time friend Sharen. Just “chill”.

So, Who was my dad?

He was a loving father and grandfather

He was a caring friend

He was an adventurer

He was a giver and a helper

In writing this, you become aware of so many things that you kind of knew but really didn’t appreciate as much as you should have.

What I do know is how much you will be missed Dad.

Sadly missed by Rebecca, Sharen, Alana, Sofie, Mercedes, Michele.

As well, a gaping hole has been left in the AA community.

Please join us for a Celebration of Rick’s life on March 4, 2023 from 1:30-3:30.

Clubhouse @ Pioneer Park 27111 0 Ave, Aldergrove BC.

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