Celebration of Richard’s Life August 22, 2024

Richard’s family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended/participated in Richard Davies’ beautiful Celebration of Life on August 22, 2024. Recordings from the service are available here at the following address (please note the user name and password below):

https://thirring.org/celebration/

User name is: private
Password is: private

Recordings available for viewing:

  • front.mp4 is a view of the service facing the front of the chapel
  • side.mp4 is a view of the service, with camera turned toward the speakers
  • slideshow.mp4 is the slideshow played during the service, for optimal viewing.

We recommend for the slideshow part of the service that you watch the slideshow.mp4 video as view and resolution is much better!

A link to the beautiful, original piece “Blue Skies” played at the service by Dad’s friend Ken Klaus is here to enjoy again on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1kklause/video/7339742865058237702?_t=8qKH7x7py5d&_r=1

For anyone wishing to share memories/connections in the future, or inquire about this beautiful legacy blog Dad wrote for 12 years, please contact us through his daughter’s blog,  https://idwellinpossibility.ca/.

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Obituary – Richard Davies (Self-Written)

Richard Delmar Davies (1949-2024)

Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Died: Edmonton, Alberta

Teacher, Writer, Poet, Singer-Guitarist, Blogger, Hail-Fellow-Well-Met

In my many life-phases, I was also a son, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, dog owner, collector, neighbour, student, paper boy, actor, nursing orderly, letter carrier, band leader, songwriter, textbook author, conference presenter, curriculum writer, and film classifier.

It is now the time for me to say a number of Thanks and Acknowledgements. I would first like to thank my lovely, loyal better-half Karen (nee Karen Leslie Reade) for being the kind, intelligent, hard-working Light and Love of My Life since 1967. Amazingly, she was all ways my closest ally and strongest supporter for over 50+ years.

Secondly, to our remarkable, friendly, intelligent, talented kids – daughter Heather (Jason Kodish) and son Scott (Jessica nee Garvey). Thirdly, to our brilliant, creative, imaginative grandsons Ben and Caleb Davies. Also to our extended family members – especially Cliff and Vera Reade, Arlene and Chris Wold, Becky and Lyle Bouvier, David Karaloff, Les and Trixie Garvey. Each have been special long-time connections.

For the record, I would not be who and what I am, career-wise, without my original amusing, culturally intelligent literature and language mentors Brian Kells, George Brown, and R. Glenn Martin. My many close, talented musical friends have included Wayne Fraser, Robert Mowbray, Murray Smith, Ken Klause, Ken Kulka, and Stuart Millman.

There have also been a select number of close, special friends – each unique and bright – in their own inimitable ways including Glen Kirkland, Dean McKenzie, Hugh Hanson, Betty Shaw, Jerry Wowk, Gerry Lawson, James Mireau, Trevor Hughes, Clint McElwaine, Gerald Lock, Kadrush Radogoshi, Anthony Luengo, Alice Major, Ken Mitchell, Dave Cherrett, and Chu Lam.

Education-wise, I earned a double-major B.A. (English-History) and two Education Grad Diplomas at the University of Alberta. Teaching-wise, I would also like to acknowledge the innumerable friendly, funny, and multi-talented colleagues I taught with over 30 years at Grand Centre High, McNally High, J. Percy Page, and Strathcona High from 1972-2002.

Likewise, thanks to my many bandmates from my Winnipeg folk trio, Clover, Betty Plus Four, Fudge, and the many staff-student groups I fronted and organized from 1968-2003.

And, of course, a last, but not least, thank you my decent, funny, hard-working, supportive parents: the late Rosalie and Vernon Delmar Davies who were responsible for instilling my basic sensibilities and core values in my early formative years.

For more information about me, please explore my blogs http://Tothineownselfbetrue.ca and http://canlitbooks.ca. In my memory, donations may be made to the local S.P.C.A. or the Salvation Army.

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‘Last Letter’ (Written November 2, 2011)

Sometimes others may wonder how someone felt later in life and if he or she was happy.

I have had a great, incredibly lucky life.

I never regretted retiring from teaching at 52. What I called my ‘Freedom 52’. I had accomplished all that I wanted to in teaching a few years before that. (Personal freedom, in many forms, and living life on my own terms, have been two of the basic values and accomplishments in my life.)

We all have teachers and profs that influenced us. Mine was a long list of interesting, caring people. For the record, a ‘60s TV show, Mr. Novak, and the movies Blackboard Jungle and To Sir, with Love were influential.

That I was destined to teach English for 30 years stemmed from an early interest in my Dad’s very modest library, my first trip alone to a public library during the week of my grade 12 departmental exams in my hometown Winnipeg, the offbeat quirky English teachers and profs I had (I was that way myself), and the fact that the only university courses I was interested in taking were in English and literature. Once I began reading seriously in university there was no way back and my teaching specialization was set. In later years I went full circle with books and reading via collecting.

For over 30 years, I was also an English Language Arts (ELA) textbook writer and editor, producing well over 60 books and guides. I sold over a million copies and had my works used, through shared multiple use, by five to eight million grade 10-12 students across Canada.

For the same length of time, I overcame a fear of public speaking to groups of adults and peers long enough to give hundreds of teacher conference presentations and speak to thousands of teachers and educators. I would have personally taught approximately another five thousand students as well.

Earlier in a period from 1969 to 1975, I was a folk singer and leader in various folk and popular music groups, usually singing lead vocals and playing rhythm acoustic and electric guitar for hundreds of gigs playing for thousands of people from teens to older adults. In 1975, I was at a point in which I could have continued playing regularly and done more songwriting and become a Neil Diamond-Bruce Cockburn type of performer, but I made two choices, instead: to return to Edmonton for the security of a teaching career in the city, and to focus more on my life with Karen and being a father to our first child Heather. PS/I made the right choices.

That I had chances in teaching to play for many kids and teachers, especially in Fudge with Ken Klause, were a big bonus. I also got to explore songwriting and recording more with a high school buddy from Calgary, Wayne Fraser, and my work was praised by Jack Richardson (producer of The Guess Who), Glen Campbell’s manager, and Rita McNeil. I might have been done with songwriting, but teaching, the book writing, and family took precedence. Did I say I was a lucky man?

Lucky in many other ways. Lucky to have had two supportive parents. Lucky to have been university-educated as a way out of the limitations of relative poverty. Lucky to have had a career teaching favourite writers and books. Lucky to have had fun and something of a career via music. Lucky to have met so many great people – Gerry Lawson (my film friend), Glen and Jerry Wowk (my cowriter friends), the legend of Dean McKenzie, Stu Millman, and Ken Klause (my music friends) – and numerous great, supporting friends and contacts in business and service.

Karen remains the best thing that ever happened to me. Relationships are not easy as you know. Most are imperfect, troubled, and conflicted in various ways. I got very lucky the day I met Karen. There was never going to be another life partner possible. A very obvious choice. You know the feeling: ‘That’s the One.” If you know Karen, you are very fortunate. She is the nicest, friendliest, most caring and loving decent person you possibly know. She has been the greatest support and supporter of my life. I could have done nothing without her many kind indulgences and sacrifices along the way. In fact, I would not likely have remained married to anybody else and may not have lived as long as I did without her. How could anyone miss with Karen? Did I say I’m a lucky man?

Our kids. Scott and Heather. Heather and Scott. The best. Amazing individuals in their own right with great integrity. The list of characteristics, like Karen’s, is a very long, unremittingly positive one. They both ended up with unique careers after attaining degrees at the University of Alberta, and have successfully pursued all their dreams to completion. Not everyone is so lucky with how their kids have turned out. I have been very proud of how my children dealt with adversities and achieved their own various freedoms and goals.

The rest? Myriad details and moments of being. Meeting many famous people and reconnecting as fully as possible with my past. Whatever I wanted to do, I did and accomplished. Whatever didn’t turn out I have been very philosophical about.

And there were many “I never thought I’ds”.

I never thought I’d have a career, own a house, drive and own a car, find the right person (Thank you, Karen), have kids, sing and play music for crowds of people (1,000 at the 1970 St. Boniface Voyageur festival – opening act), write successful prize-winning poetry, write books, be a postman or nursing orderly or film classifier, be a grandparent, be alive past my 30s, survive a few encounters with death, become a book collector, go to Boston, see Robert Frost’s and Emily Dickinson’s homes, get Type II diabetes, look after flowers and a garden, retire, etc.

At any rate, yes, I have been very happy and led a rich life. Did I say I was a lucky man?

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Extended Blog Summer Break

Unexpected medical problems being dealt with in July and August. Prognoses likely positive; I remain optimistic. Have a good summer yourselves, y’all.

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Always great to hear all the old Sousa marches

played by military bands on 4th of July.

I first heard them when I would go to Winnipeg Warriors hockey games especially on Sundays back around 1959-60. They used to leave my 10 year-old musical brain in awe and wonder that someone could write great songs like that.

You can really see how those marches inspired Americans through the various wars. My fav: “The Stars and Stripes Forever” with the great thundering bridges.

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The Ignoramus Who Runs This Province

Worth Repeating Re. Danielle

.00245=

the percentage of all 2,822,303 Albertans voters (2021 figure) who actually voted for Danielle Smith to win her initial by-election (6,923 of total Alberta voters) in 2022.

In 2023, the percentage of all 2,784797 Albertan voters who voted her UCP leader (34,949) out of all voters: .0125

Danielle Smith: Just a Dumb Pawn in a Redneck Game

Who is this woman? Who does she represent? What %age of Albertans does she represent? Name one policy she’s done which hasn’t hurt Albertans and ignored major social problems.

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Why Fly?

What with all the strikes and airlines adopting hostile attitudes toward even their preferred customers after flights are cancelled.

The recent Air Europa incident with over 30 passengers fracturing their skulls and necks in turbulence is a sign of the changing climate skies.

In another incident, a Delta flight was diverted to New York with mass food poisoning.

Uh, who needs this crap?

I think the age of predictably safe flights is long over and people will need to start to use other transportation means to guarantee where they want to get to.

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UCP Continues to Kill Albertans Not-So-Softly

The Covid epidemic has been back for months, though deaths and cases are no longer reported. The evil UCP prefers Albertans to remain in ignorance and not getting vaccines.

Now, recently, there is a cancer-care crisis which has, likewise, been deliberately underpublicized. Instead, the government is bragging egregiously about how much moola they have saved nickling and diming off the backs of Albertans by denying them health-care rights and adequate medical personnel in hospitals and clinics. They’d rather pay nurses much less money to take on doctor responsibilities.

This is the most callous, shameless government in Alberta and Canadian history. They are too busy manufacturing deluded wars at the border and inviting in Trump redneck bigwigs to do their appointed work.

……………….

And law and the continuance of the legal system is, likewise, being threatened in Alberta with UCP not supporting the Legal Aid Society, an important core legal body. In this, UCP show a GOP-like interest in lawlessness that is pretty obvious, again removing support for ordinary citizens seeking access to the courts.

People of Alberta, the message has long been clear for this government: it is not in the business of helping and caring for average Albertans; we are on our own and can’t expect a government finger to be lifted when the need for assistance is daily and urgent.

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My interest in the United States ended today.

They are so busy trying to destroy themselves and their country from within, that I can no longer muster any enthusiasm or caring for their fates. They continually and wilfully make stupid, corrupt, autocratic choices to destroy their constitution, their laws, politics, and what was once the most democratic, free country in the world.

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Terry Fox: The Great Canadian

Terry Fox | CMHF

Canada Day and it’s a good day to remember and celebrate our great Canadians. Certainly Terry Fox, the one-legged runner whose selfless 1980 cross-country charity run galvanized Canadians and cancer awareness, epitomizes the best of what we are and have been, historically. This year he is my Canada Day hero. Happy Canada Day, everybody!

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