WEBB, Richard Maxwell
RICHARD MAXWELL WEBB
August 26, 1950 – June 23, 2022
Richard was born in Church Stretton, Shropshire, a small rural town on the border with Wales, the fourth of six children, the only boy! His father was a dental surgeon and his mother, a busy full time home maker, was also involved in amateur theatrics.
He attended Church Stretton School, Prestfelde School, and the Priory School for Boys in Shrewsbury. His wide circle of friends included Jean Anne West, Gill Everall, Jasper Stevens, Dave Williams, John Pete, Bill Johnson, Jeff, Norman, Jake, Fi; they gathered in his parents’ house, drinking coffee, listening to music, playing darts. He attended Bristol Polytechnic and Bournemouth College of Art. In the early 1970s he emigrated to Ottawa where his sister, Anne Elsbury, was the Head of Wardrobe at the National Arts Centre.
In Ottawa, he took various jobs, including as a photographer, which brought him into association with people who started up a groundbreaking little newspaper, the Canadian Renewable Energy News. Here he discovered something that truly inspired him: the environment. He also taught himself about computers, in order to typeset and print the weekly paper. The dissolution of CREN in the early 1980s broke his heart, but he continued to cycle, walk and use public transport rather than drive.
He was a man of many talents: a creative cook, a great gardener, a thoughtful photographer. But environmental issues remained his passion. He was an early adopter of Information Technology and worked for several years as a freelancer for Canada Post on their IT systems. However, he scorned “Social Media” and refused to connect with people using that medium. Given the great distances, his family found it difficult to remain connected using just a land line!
Contentment did not come naturally to Richard, and he did not maintain long relationships. Furthermore, he was never able to successfully deal with his dependence on alcohol and, despite some times spent in rehab, he was never quite able to find the serenity to “accept the things we cannot change”. Latterly, he was always pleased to see his sisters, however infrequently, even though he had by then lost concept of time.
Richard died at the age of 71 in Gatineau, Quebec. He is predeceased by parents Edna (née Maxwell) and Maurice (Sidney Joseph), and siblings Anne (Elsbury) and Carol (Shirley). He is survived by sisters Chris (Green), Judi (Webb) and Pip (Webb-Briscoe), cousins Tessa (Hall) and John (Maxwell) and their families.
As per his wishes, there will be no funeral service. His cremated remains will be returned to his beloved Shropshire Hills.
We wish to thank the staff of St. Jean Bosco and Manoir Gatineau for their attentive care of our brother over the years, and La maison Mathieu Froment-Savoie for the excellent support in his final hours. In particular, we would like to thank Louise Lortie Séguin of Maison Luskville who, along with her husband John Jolie, generously cared for Richard when he was at his most despondent. Without her intervention, we would never have reconnected with Richard.
For those who wish to do so, a donation in his name to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at www.cfo.coop
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