Posting again on Val's behalf. Dave passed away about 3 this morning and went home to be with his Lord and Saviour.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Please keep Val, Cale and the family in your prayers.
This is a blog that followed Dave's treatment for Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer. He was diagnosed December 14th 2009. Dave lost his battle with cancer on June 14th 2010. He is greatly loved and greatly missed. Please see the new page - www.DaveRichardsMemory.blogspot.com
Dave & Brady
USING THIS BLOG
Older posts are at the bottom, newest at the top. Daily posts will be removed from the main page after about 14 days and archived below if you want to access them. Also, I have allowed for anonymous posting so you don't have to create an account to make a comment. If you don't mind, please include your name at the end of your comment.
Thanks! Val
Thanks! Val
facebook page: Rest In Peace Mr. Richards, always in our hearts
Facebook Fan Page started by a Clarke Road SS student.
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45 comments:
A Parting Blessing
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you, in the palm of
His hand.
Thank you for the gift of such a special friend.
With all our love and prayers,
Allison, Bill and Cameron
To Val and Cale,
Thank you for sharing Dave's journey with us. You and Dave are very special people to so many friends and family.
Remember you are not alone.
You are in my thoughts and prayers. I am so sorry Dave battle ended so soon.
Please, if there is absolutely anything you need, I will be there to help.
Judie Webb
He has won in so many ways!! We are just a vapour this side of heaven. But an eternal life with Jesus is something to beheld. Praying that our Comforter will comfort you during this time.
Love, blessings and prayers,
Mark, Dawn and "little people"
Dave,Your smile and spirit will be in my heart forever.
Your courage through it all has been a testament to your love and devotion to both Dave and your Lord! Our thoughts are with you.
He is Home.
Nathan says Dave will be a lot of fun in heaven. Our kids, Jeff and I are feeling heavy hearts for you Val, and Cale, but take comfort in knowing Dave's awesome love and relationship with the Lord.
Hugs,
Lisa
My heart aches, but, at the same time, I'm rejoicing that Dave is looking into the face of our dear Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
My prayer is that His comfort surrounds you and Cale and your whole family.
Love and prayers,
Phyllis C.
My heart is heavy for you.
The journey you, Cale & Dave have been on in these last 6 months has been a true expression of faith & love to each other & our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dave is at peace now in the arms of Jesus with no pain.
Love, Barbara
We are grateful to have known such an inspirational man. Dave, you will be missed by many, but most of all by those who never had the pleasure of meeting you.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.
Janet, Jessica & Samantha Blum
Our hearts are sad & heavy with this news. Dave was a gift from God, & now He has asked to have Dave back again to be where He is. We grieve along with you & your many, many friends. May our God of compassion show you His great love & comfort. you are continually in our prayers.
Bob & Linda K.
Our hearts are sad & heavy with this news. Dave was a gift from God, & now He has asked to have Dave back again to be where He is. We grieve along with you & your many, many friends. May our God of compassion show you His great love & comfort. you are continually in our prayers.
Bob & Linda K.
He was such an amazing man and continued to inspire so many people through his entire journey. Thank you so much for sharing his journey with all of us.
He will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts.
Rest in peach Dave Richards, you are in a better place now.
I'm so sorry for your loss. My condolences.
So sorry to hear of your loss Val, Cam and I are thinking of you at this time!
Andrea & Cameron
Dave is now at peace and has alot of people waiting to welcome him with open arms. Ashley, Steph and B.J i am sure are waiting to hug him and help him. He was a great man and loved by so many. Val you are yet another one of those amazingly strong women who have made every last minute wth him count. God bless all of your Family and the Clarke Road family.
Rest in peace Dave, to Val, Cale and family our deepest heartfelt sympathy from the Cameron family.
Dave and I had some classes together at the Faculty of Education ten years ago. I liked him immediately. We bumped into each othe from time to time after that. I learned of his illness earlier this year. I am saddened for your suffering and loss. Our community lost an amazing teacher two years ago on the same day. I will pray with my classes this week for the grief your community is feeling to be rapidly comforted. We join you in our faith in Jesus Christ, who promises comfort in our mourning. We share, we love and we pray for Dave and his family and for the community at Clarke Road.
Your friends in Christ,
Chris Schramek and Classes
Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School
Strathroy, Ontario
I am sorry for your loss Val and Cale. My thoughts are with you and Dave at this time, and I know Dave is now at peace.
Our prayers will stay with you Val and Cale. Thank you so much for sharing such a personal journey with all of us these past months.
I am glad that Dave was able to have that drink of water a couple of days ago....
May the Lord give you comfort and strength. You have been a wonderful witness for Him.
If tears could build a stairway,
And memories a lane,
I'd walk right up to Heaven
And bring him home again.
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.
love and prayers,
the quijano's
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.May you find strength and peace in the Lord during this time of sorrow.Praying the Lord will surround you with his comfort.
Both of our boys spoke very highly of Dave and what a great teacher and great man he was.
Jim,Kerry,Andrew & Matt Mullenix
Val, you are such an amazing person. I'm sure you would never have thought that you could go through this journey with Dave as it has been, but God doesn't lead us without providing the strength and comfort to do so.
We just learned of Dave's homegoing through Cale's contact with Jenni Weir. As you know we are at Turtle Mountain Bible Camp this summer. It has been a very busy time with the official opening of camp this weekend.
We have been praying through this time, and will continue to pray for both you and Cale during these days.
We'll be in touch again when we get back in September. In the meantime we are as close at the phone or email.
Lots of love,
Ken & Ella
Dave, you have given us a great gift. The gift to cherish our loved ones and appreciate everything we have. Your strength througout this journey has been undaunting. Thank you for your freindship. I know you are looking down upon us with a smile.
Anonymous said Val and Cale, I am so sad to hear of Dave's passing and the deep sorrow it brings but I
am glad that he is free from pain and suffering. Dear Big Dave, God BLess You! You have had many challenges to tackle and always given your best efforts to keep your journey always moving forward with a chance at your goals. You have shown family and friends in this last 6 months, evidence of that in your gracious courage, strength and dignity, handling such a massive diagnosis. Your big heart,big smile and visible wisdom have touched so many.What a gift to have given! We shall never forget you. Val, your strength and courage to be a voice and caregiver for Dave show us all how to stand by our loved ones advocating what we need to understand and do on their behalf. Thank you so much. Lynne Mcgahey
Thank you Val for sharing this journey. Dave's kind heart, faith, humor, and positive attitude will continue to guide us always. Please take care of yourself.
Sean, Kathryn & family
I went to Althouse with Dave 10 years ago and although I was much older than the rest of the group, Dave always made me feel accepted. When we practice taught at Laurier I saw first hand how wonderful he was with students. Val and Cale I'm so sorry for your loss. Today we miss a great teacher and a Christian brother.
Eleanore Lannin
Val,Cale our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Jim Lake and Family.
Upon hearing the news of Dave's passing this morning I was saddened briefly until I found a smile upon my face. I remebered a story he told Kim and I last year while visiting him at a basketball tournament in Toronto with the Clark Road Girls.
Stopping at Tim Horton's for coffee before he headed to Toronto he dropped off his co-coach and quickly drove to see Val at work. Dave stated had not had a proper good bye before he was to leave for the weekend and said he had to make the stop. "You never know when this could be the last time and I would hate for there to be any questions, I just wanted Val to know that I love her".
That's the kind of man Dave was, family first. Strong in mind, body but most of all heart.
Even in passing you still have the power to make us smile. You will be missed Dave.
You are in our thoughts Val and Cal.
Kim and Leslie
Been following your blog since a friend from church posted the link...been inspired by both Val and Dave's strength and faith. Will never forget the day he could drink that glass of water. Thank you for sharing such a personal and difficult journy - thoughts and prayers are with your family.
In my thoughts and prayers.
The Lord is a STRONG TOWER!!!
May you feel the warm embrace and know that Dave is at peace.
He will be missed very much, but leaves behind such a testimony of his faith & love.
You guys faught a tough fight and in the end God had bigger plans.
May peace and comfort surround you Val & Cale and your family!
Our deepest condolences,
The Thorausch Family
Our sincerest condolences to you Val and Cale. Our prayers are with you both and the rest of your extended families. We did not know Dave real well, but everyone who did know him well spoke highly of him. Our boys Ryan and Colin, respected and admired Dave. Val your blog entries were amazing. We are so inspired by this whole journey, and the most important part is that we will see him again in glory. Oh what joy he is experiencing right now, but oh how so many will miss him here.
Don & Nancy Gatten
Dear Val & Cale - Our hearts have been saddened with the news of Dave's homegoing and we pray for God's comfort and peace which surpasses all understanding for you. I have been marvelling all day at the life Dave lived and the legacy he has left us all that will continue to impact many lives. The words of this beautiful song came to mind - may they be of comfort to you.
I dreamed I went to heaven
and you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea.
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came.
And he said, "Friend you may not know me now"
And then he said "But wait,
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart."
(Chorus)
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.
Then another man stood before you
And said "Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.
You didn't have much money
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I'm here today."
(chorus)
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.
One by one they came
Far as eye could see
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made.
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed.
And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry.
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.
And Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, "My child look around you.
Great is your reward."
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.
Our love & prayers, Chuck & Barb
Val, Cale and family-you're in my prayers and I'm faithful that one day by God's grace, we'll all be joining Dave! I'll keep the memories of Dave, an elementary school days' friend and wish you all the peace that your fondest memories and grace can give you during this time of loss. Sharon Firby-Peacock and family.
Val and Cale and Family
You are in our thoughts and prayers. I just opened up the blog site and I am in shock to hear about Mr. Richard's passing. He was an inspiration to many young people, including our son Christopher, and I can't thank him enough for being there for him. He will be missed by everyone. If there is anything that we can do please let us know. He was an amazing individual.
Dear Val and Cale,
We are praying for you!! Zeny and I want to share our deepest sympathy for you and Cale.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 38-39
May Almighty God bring peace.
John and Zeny
Val,
My thoughts and prayers are with both you and Cale at this very difficult time. I am so sorry to read abouts Dave's passing. I will always cherish the very fond memories of times I spent with Dave. He was a wonderful human being and although we seperated for quite sometime, I beleive we never left one anothers minds. I am so glad we reconnected. I will miss him dearly.
Jon and Donna Weingarten
Rest in Peace Mr. Richards - you will live on in our hearts and our prayers are with Val and Cale and the rest of your family.
What an amazing legacy of kindness, thoughtfulness and true mentoring for the youth who had the honour of being your students. My son struggled through learning challenges for many years. Then he met Dave… Mr. Richards inspired him and challenged him to learn; and he excelled. I truly believe that you helped change the world – you gave our children faith in their abilities and their worth – and I am certain many will pass this on… ‘it only takes a spark to get a fire going’. Thanks for making the world a better place!
Clarke Road – a thankful mom
sorry for your loss. As you know and can tell from all the posts here, Dave Richards touched so many lives and helped so many. I remember saying to the students He is one of the best teachers I have ever worked with, and they all agreed. Not too often do the students agree with staff.
Mr. Richards always brought so much fun and enthusiasm to the Road. You will be missed incredibly. My sincere condolences to your family.
Sher Rose
For my dear cousin, who was always larger than life to me. Lovingly referred to as Big Dave, at first because he was so much bigger than us, but over time, because this nickname came to best signify his big heart. My cousin represented the best of our family, and I am so thankful that so many people got a chance to experience the magic that was 'Big' Dave.
Love,
Gilly
I think all of us had a very heavy heart today. It's had to grasp the loss of such a good, kind man who has touched so many. Our deepest condolences to Dave's family.
Val
I have been faithfully reading your blog and am so sorry to read of Dave's death. May your faith give you strength and comfort.
Much Love
Liz M
It was a privlige to have Big Dave as a brother. His example helped establish many of the rules I live by. I will truly miss him.
Val and Cale, I am thinking of you. You have displayed impressive stregth, resourcefulness and tenacity during Dave's sickness. These exceptional qualities will help you through the tough times.
I love you.
Chris Officer.
I wish I could be there to hug you and love on you and Cale.
Stay strong, you have fought an amazing fight. God has a plan for us.
Get some rest now, and I'll be in touch soon.
love in Christ
Val,
I don't know you, but a friend forwarded a link to your blog to me. I have read each entry and felt for you and your husband each step of the way. I lost my husband to Esophageal Cancer on January 8, 2010. He was 53, and was first diagnosed as Stage 4 in August 2005. I treasure the extra time that I got with my husband and am sorry that you didn't get more time after diagnosis. I was only married to Richard in 2001, so losing him also felt that it came much too soon. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time. If you ever want to chat, my e-mail address is below. Take care of yourself, and know that you did all you could for him. I miss Richard terribly, but also know that it would have been selfish to ask him to endure much longer.
You have an amazing network of friends and they will continue to be your support in the coming days. Let them help you.
Karen Brown
Sunbury, Ohio, USA
kbrown679@embarqmail.com
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