Passed away peacefully at Carpenter Hospice, Burlington holding the hand of his beloved wife Elaine Scott, on their 60th Wedding Anniversary, December 22, 2022. He will be deeply missed by his children Heather (George Kempff) and Richard (Jennifer) as well as grandchildren Morgan, Jordan, Lindsay and Garrett. Survived by siblings Jane Barsanti (Ray, deceased) and Bill (Linda Barlow) and many beloved nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Predeceased by parents Richard and Joyce.
Dick was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England in 1940. He came to Canada with his parents and sister, Jane (yes, Dick and Jane) in 1949 as a naturalized citizen, and eventually became an official Canadian citizen in 1959. The family embraced their life in Canada after living through the war in England on Dick’s grandfather’s farm, while his father fought for England in WW2. Leap Mill Farm, as it was called, held a special place in Dick’s heart over the course of his life as his favourite place to visit and reminisce about.
Upon their arrival in Canada the family initially settled in Lindsay, Ontario, then moved to St. Catharines and finally to Dick’s favourite place in Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was here where he completed high school, further developed his illustrious football career and made some of his most cherished lifelong friends. It was also here that his family went from four to five with the birth of his younger brother, Bill. Despite the differences in ages, the three siblings remained very close Dick’s entire life. Having lost their parents early in their lives bonded the siblings and they looked out for one another, with Bill even moving in with Dick and Elaine for 7 years as he finished high school and university.
Dick started his post-secondary career at the University of Western Ontario, but soon transferred to the University of New Brunswick where he met his future wife, Elaine. While at UNB, Dick continued to play football with many teammates who joined him from the Soo, as well as making many new friends along the way. Dick and Elaine married in 1962 and moved back to his beloved Sault Ste. Marie, where both accepted teaching jobs. With a desire to change career directions and enroll in a Masters of Business Administration program, Dick moved his family to Burlington in 1967 with full intentions of returning to the Soo one day.
Dick accepted a teaching job with the Wentworth County School Board while doing his MBA part time at McMaster University. He later transferred to the Halton District School Board where he joined Elaine. Years later his daughter, Heather, joined them with all three working for HDSB at the same time. Dick had a 25 plus year career as a secondary teacher, coach and administrator and obtained his Masters In Education along the way. Upon retirement from HDSB in 1996, Dick became a Realtor with Royal Lepage and started his second 25 year plus career. His son, Richard, joined him as a Realtor for the final 11 years of this second career. Having two successful careers and being able to work alongside family was something Dick was extremely proud of.
Dick’s love of sports was passed on to his children and grandchildren. Dick achieved a coveted hole-in-one on his 70th birthday at Tyandaga Golf Course with Elaine and his grandson Jordan witnessing the achievement. Always the competitor, Dick was thrilled to announce that Jordan was not the only one in the family with a hole-in-one now.
Dick worshiped his grandchildren and would drive to great lengths to attend their sporting events and cheer them on. Easily identifiable with his snow white hair and loud voice, he couldn’t have been more proud. Dick also loved attending professional sporting events with his family, cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs, The Toronto Blue Jays and his Green Bay Packers, of which he was a proud owner of a “Piece of the Pack”. Dick’s passion for sports and friends extended to his yearly golf get-a-ways with his Halton colleagues, of which the stories were legendary, and became more-so the more they were told.
Dick was in his element hosting family get-togethers. The Scott Christmas Party was one of his favourite events of the year. There were also birthday celebrations and the May fireworks parties that created many chances to get together to celebrate, laugh and create new memories. As the patriarch of the family, Dick would sit in his easy chair and hold court enjoying the conversation around him, adding his two cents with humour. Dick also revelled in the family reunions with Elaine’s side of the family. As far as he was concerned, it was all just one big blended family and he considered himself an honourary Maritimer. These get-togethers often resulted in reminiscing about days gone by and loved ones from the past, allowing the younger generation to hear about their proud ancestry.
Dick relished meeting new people and within the course of the conversation, he inevitably made connections with people circling back to the Soo, New Brunswick, or England. It was a game for him that gave him great pleasure.
Dick fought a valiant fight against cancer over the past several years with the help of amazing teams of doctors and nurses in both Burlington and at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. His never-ending sense of optimism and positive attitude helped both Dick and his family deal with his diagnosis and struggles.
The family wishes to thank the marvelous staff at Carpenter Hospice who provided Dick with exemplary care and comfort in his final days. The kindness shown to his family was also deeply appreciated.
A Service of Remembrance will take place at SMITH'S FUNERAL HOME, 1167 Guelph Line (one stop light north of QEW), BURLINGTON (905-632-3333), on Thursday, January 5 at 10 a.m. The family will receive guests at a reception following the service. Private family interment Greenwood Cemetery. If desired memorial contributions to the Carpenter Hospice would be sincerely appreciated by the family.