Richard passed away peacefully on July 10th, 2021 at the West Parry Sound Health Centre in the company of his daughter Elizabeth and his son Robert.
Richard was born in Yorkshire, England. He often reminisced of days growing up on the family farm during WW2, his time working in Africa and his early days in Canada. Although raised on a dairy farm, Richard was an academic at heart. He attended the University of Leeds for his BSc, Trinity College Cambridge, and the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, University of Toronto for his MSc and the University of Guelph for his PhD. After his time in Trinidad, Richard accepted an overseas posting in Tanzania, with the UK Foreign Office.
Richard and Dorothy married in 1951 and promptly moved to Iringa in Tanganyika, now Tanzania, where Richard worked for the Colonial Office teaching tropical agricultural techniques for famine relief to the local populations. 1st child, Nigel was born in 1953 in Iringa, Tanganyika. Eventually the family left East Africa and ended up at pier 21 in Halifax Harbour in 1955. Subsequently they moved to Southern Ontario where Robert was born later that year. Elizabeth was born in 1957 followed three years later in 1960 by Gregory. They moved to Guelph in 1965 where Richard obtained his PhD. It was in this period that he was recruited by the Ontario provincial government to establish and manage Ontario’s first pesticide residue testing lab at the University of Guelph. Over his lengthy academic career Richard wrote, contributed to and published over 100 scientific papers.
Richard was an active practitioner of Judo attaining his first degree black belt. He taught judo at the Guelph Y for many years before his interests moved elsewhere. Richard had many rich and varied interests focusing mostly on the natural world, Tai Chi, bird banding, Guelph Naturalists, vacationing in tropical climes and enjoying the company of family and his extended family of friends. In recent years he was consumed with a deep interest in the natural history of several species of dinosaurs.
He was loved and admired for his energy, enthusiasm and hard work for the preservation of the natural world. His deep love and devotion to Dorothy was truly profound. Richard and Dorothy were a friend to all, opening their home and hearts without reservation.
Richard is survived by his children Nigel, Robert (Sandra), Elizabeth (Bill), Gregory (Carmel), grandchildren Laela, Alana (Paul), Jacquelyn (Eliot), Victoria (Heidi), Andrew (Heather), Jeffrey (Tara), Alexander (Deidre), Ciaran (Melanie), Aidan and great grandchildren Jacob, Amelia, Julia, Logan, Sylus, Aaleah, Juliette, Evangeline, Finnegan, Jordan, Ivy, Dean and Ian.
As expressions of sympathy, donations to Nature Canada, Canadian Red Cross, Bird Studies Canada or Nature Conservancy would be appreciated. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the funeral service will be restricted to immediate family only. A Celebration of Life will take place post Covid-19. Condolences may be placed on the Gilbert MacIntyre Website at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com