I met Rick in the late 80's when I was working with Patricia and also lived in the west end. I had a high maintenance cat and while I was away, Rick and Patricia looked after Mugwump. When I returned, not only was Mugwump well taken care of, there was a poem Rick had written about him on little yellow post it notes. It was after I got married and had children that I got to know Rick better. He and Patricia were like family to us and they shared special occasions as well as regular times. Rick was lots of fun, playing silly games with the kids, coming in from the backyard looking like he wanted a shower, only to start a new round of inside games. He wasn't just fun though, he really wanted to know what the kids interests were and ensured mom and dad weren't putting too much pressure on them and they really did LIKE royal conservatory piano and rep hockey, or was that Harry Potter and skateboarding? Rick was well read and had incredibly diverse musical taste. He liked to share music, books and movies and I'm sure he put great effort into choosing just the right ones. Sometimes they were selections we had never heard of or wouldn't have thought of, but there was something there he wanted to share and hoped we would appreciate. We usually did. Rick had very good clothes although I think that may have been more Patricia's influence. Anyway, Rick was very generous, and Eric's best clothes are hand me downs from Rick. He also had a soft spot for our dog, Katie. When Anneli and Geoffrey were little, they were always so excited about a visit from Rick and Patricia, that they would wait outside and go running up to greet them as their car pulled up. As the kids got older, while they were still very happy to see Rick and Patricia, the greetings became more subdued, and Katie did her best to fill this void. After the excitement of the greeting and some fun games in the backyard, she would sit quietly and contentedly with "her boyfriend". Rick and I also shared a hearing loss and as my loss progressed and I was no longer able to join in lively group discussions, Rick always made an effort to spend some quiet time in the kitchen talking with me. Rick was a rare, kind hearted, sensitive, gentle man and we loved him dearly and will always miss him.