Richard Wayne Walker

April 9, 1947 - October 30, 2021

It is with the deepest sorrow that we, the family of Richard Wayne Walker (Rick) of Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, must announce the news of his sudden and unexpected passing on Saturday, October 30, 2021. Rick was predeceased by his parents David and Lois Walker; his brothers-in-law Grant Forbes and Denis Lanoie. Rick is survived by his wife Fran; his children Angela (John), Joel, and Lindsay (Michael); his grandchildren Summer, Grayson, Cherry, Sienna and Avalina; his siblings Gerry (Karen), Carol, and Jocelyn (Alex). Rick was born on April 9, 1947 to David Arthur Walker and Mary Lois McCullough in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rick lived his entire life in Manitoba, other than a brief stint as a baby in Prince Edward Island, and a year of high school in Trenton, ON. Rick spent part of his childhood living on Canadian Air Force bases in Winnipeg where his father served, followed by their family’s home on Wolseley Avenue. He completed his upper grade schooling at Silver Heights, Trenton High School, and Gordon Bell, from where he maintained many acquaintances and friendships right up to the present. Rick worked for Manitoba Hydro beginning at the age of 19 as a timekeeper in Winnipeg. He worked up north in Missi Falls on the Churchill River Diversion as the Camp Administrator. He came back to Winnipeg and worked on earning a 4-year Certificate in Management (CIM), then moved into supervisory and logistics positions from there. He worked at the Selkirk Steam Plant for a brief period, and then spent much of his career at the Hydro headquarters in Winnipeg. He retired in 2006 after a successful and enjoyable career where he built a large network of friends, many of whom he remained in close contact with. Rick always enjoyed his work and took great pride in operating with high standards in whatever role he was in, and providing excellent service to those he worked with and for. Rick absolutely loved his family. Both joy and sadness come with all families, to which we were no exception. But he had a deep passion for his family and worked hard to support and provide for them, and to be connected. Rick and Fran were married in 1972 and lived in Winnipeg, Missi Falls, Iles des Chenes, and Selkirk where their family home still is. They welcomed their daughter Angela Dawn later the same year they were married. Just slightly less than 4 years later, they welcomed their son Joel Wayne, and then 8 years later welcomed their third child Lindsay Jenna. His children were the joy of his life, only to be sweetened by the addition of 5 precious grandchildren over the last 15 years. Rick loved his kids and grandchildren, praying for them and craving to spend time with them. He loved to travel with Fran to Virginia where their daughter Angela and her family live. They enjoyed so many fun trips together to Virginia Beach where Rick loved getting slammed in the waves. Rick loved his son Joel dearly and wanted only the very best for him always. He was always up for helping Joel move things and provide rides where needed. Rick loved to visit and support his daughter Lindsay and family and helped them with various home and business projects and spending time with Sienna and Avalina. Rick looked forward to long phone calls with his brother Gerry in British Columbia through which they deepened their relationship over the years. Rick loved visiting Fran’s extended family, the Dukelow’s, and made so many driving trips to visit them in the New England area. Rick’s brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law (and dozens and dozens of nieces and nephews) were loved by him, and they loved him back equally. Rick loved to be with and talk with people, so much so that his family has lovingly referred to him for many years as “Friendly Rick”. He loved to talk and spend time with everyone that came along his path. He loved to spend time with family and friends, and games were typically a part of the fun. Rick was an exceptional and strategic card game player and often found himself in the winner’s seat, much to the other players’ chagrin. But Rick cared for everyone that came across his path, to include his firewood customers, the guys at the car shop, the ladies at the credit unions, you name it. As we work through the list of so many people to contact, the evidence of his care to know and spend time with them has been so clear in their response to our sad news. Rick had a great sense of humor and was often making wise cracks and teasing. He was known by many to ask, “What’s there to drink in this dump?” Rick loved to ride motorcycles. He loved to take Fran on rides. He made some memorable cross-country runs with good friends during his younger years. He even bought a motorcycle in Virginia and was so tickled to drive it all the way home to Manitoba more than 1800 miles. He was currently part of a motorcycle group that he enjoyed taking rides with as often as he could. He loved spending time outdoors, including camping. So many fun family camping trips were made to Grand Beach, Rushing River, and many US locations. He was an avid woodsman and was the designated bonfire officiant for any gathering of people, and fell asleep many an evening by the fire as he stared up at the stars. He loved to be outside cutting wood, and many of us even have the image of Rick emerging from the woods dragging an entire tree behind him, gearing up for a great bonfire. He loved cutting firewood as a hobby, and also sold it for income. He loved caring for his yard and faithfully loaded bird feeders daily so that he and Fran could enjoy their breakfasts in their beloved porch amongst the visiting birds and deer. Rick loved all sports, with his favorite being hockey and his beloved Winnipeg Jets. Rick was an avid bowler and played league bowling for over 40 years. He served as the league treasurer for many years. Rick loved to watch action movies. He would often go channel surfing at night after zipping through a recorded hockey game, pause at what looked like an interesting action move to just “see what this one is about”, ended up getting hooked, and stayed up way too late. Rick volunteered his time to many charitable organizations and causes through his life. We may forget to mention some, but this list included Union Gospel Mission (shuttling donuts), United Way (events & fund raisers), ARC Industries (recycles collection/shuttling), and Adult & Teen Challenge (providing meals and spending quality time with men of all ages recovering from various addictions). Rick loved his Lord Jesus and grew in his faith over the years. He shared his faith in God with others whenever the opportunity arose to do so, and prayed faithfully for his children every single day. We are comforted in the midst of our pain of loss that he is in heaven and doesn’t have to struggle with his hearing any more. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Shiloh Chapel at 38 Beulah Lane, Durham, Maine 04222 on Sunday, November 28th, at 2:00 pm where Rick will be laid to rest. A live stream of the service will be made available for those that can’t attend in person. The family intends to hold a memorial service in the Winnipeg area, and will do so when Canada’s travel and gathering restrictions are eased. If people wish to donate to a charity in Rick’s honor, Rick was very passionate about the ministry at the Winnipeg location of Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada. To donate to the Winnipeg branch, please visit https://teenchallenge.tc/locations/winnipeg-mb/#, click on the Donate button in top right, and be sure to click on Winnipeg Men’s Centre under Designation. Thank you for everyone’s show of love and support to our family, it has meant more than we can express.