Genevieve Michelle Richards

She was born in Paris, France in 1923, where she was raised, and later graduated from a teacher’s college. With her family, she lived through the city’s occupation by troops of Germany’s Nazi regime. After the war, holidaying in the French Alps, she met Leonard Richards who had served with British forces. They were married in 1949, and lived in England, and in what today are Vanuatu, Tanzania, and Zambia, before coming to Canada with their two children.

She taught French in elementary and intermediate schools in Paris, Montreal, St Bruno (Québec), and Pickering Township (Ontario). She completed an MA at the University of Calgary, where she also taught French language, and French and French-Canadian literature. After her husband’s retirement from the Faculty of Social Work, they bought an orchard in Creston, B.C. Later, they moved to Sidney. She was a gentle person with an independent spirit, and a wonderful storyteller. In her words, she was “so happy to have had my African and Canadian adventures and a wonderful husband.”

Geneviève was predeceased by her parents, Juliette and Auguste, her older sister, Thérèse, and her husband, Leonard. She is survived by her children, Christine and Alan (Loraine).

A celebration of her life will take on Friday, January 25, 2:00 pm at the Shoal Centre, 10030 Resthaven Drive, Sidney B.C

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to your favourite charity or non-profit organization.