Obituary of Richard David Adams

ADAMS, Richard David - 1955-2017. Rick died suddenly but peacefully at University Hospital in London, Ontario on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. He was a devoted father to his beloved daughter, soul mate, best friend and confidant, Helen Wrack-Adams, who was extraordinary in caring for him during some prolonged health issues. Helen will profoundly miss her Dad but will unquestionably carry on so many of his traditions.  Rick was thrilled that Helen had found Nik to share her life with. Rick was the dear son of Joan (1924-2012) and Derek Adams (1926-2014) who he supported and provided care to for so many years. Rickwill also be very greatly missed by his brother, Michael and his wife, Jane of Kingston, and his nephews and nieces, Mark (Dayna), Daniel (Laura) and Stephen, as well as his grand-niece, Zoe and grand-nephew, Xavier. Although Rick lived less than an average life span he did not live an average life.  He started as a marine biologist but became a serial entrepreneur, web developer, programmer and innovator in the tech world with a definite flair for agility, being on the cutting edge and having a defttouch. However, in the end, Rick’s internal diagnostics subroutine indicated diverse surging hardware failures as the key problem. His system hardware has now been retired, but fortunately Rick’s primary program has beenmigrated to Cloud-based storage, running in a virtual infinite loop for all of us to access. That is, he will always be remembered, very fondly, by so many, for his genuine love of all things family, music, movies, sports, cats and dogs, as well as for being an accomplished handyman, golfer, outdoorsman, coach, curler and soccer player.  Rick always wanted to be known as a long-time fan and aficionado of the Green Bay Packers, the Montreal Canadiens and Manchester United and was always willing to provide sympathy to those less fortunate like Leafs’, Vikings’ and Liverpool fans. He was also everyone’s “phone a friend” for any trivia contest as he had a legendary knowledge of the esoteric. Rick always reveled in the “turn of a phrase” as he could incorporate bits of the comedy from Robin Williams, Monty Python, George Carlin or Steve Martin into his everyday banter. You never knew what might pop out of his mouth but you would know that there was a twist to it.  On top of that, friends and family knew him for his sharp mind, caring and fierce friendship, but also that he was generous to a fault, offering help to so many in the form of companionship, work, advice, or his time. To Rick, friendship was an essential aspect of his life and he celebrated the diversity and fullness of his life with everyone he met. All of these qualities are important but in the end Rick’s Dad would have given him the only accolade he thought mattered: “He was a good man”

Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Rick’s life is planned for 3:00 pm on Monday, May 15 in the park at Windermere and Adelaide (south west corner), next to the soccer fields and near the water.  Enter the parking lot next to the soccer fields off of Windermere (south side), go to the end of the drive and you will see the water and the green space where we will all collect. For anyone who can, it would be marvelous if we could send Rick off surrounded and supported by his four-legged friends (i.e. all dogs welcome!).  We will be going to Beertown Public House just east of Masonville (109 Fanshawe Park Rd E) after the celebration.  To communicate expressions of sympathy and any memories please go to www.affordablefuneraloptions.ca.  In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate you considering donating to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Humane Society.