Obituary of Joseph Maurice Richard (Rick) Rouleau

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Richard Rouleau (Rick) on October 16, 2024, at the age of 77 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Rick was born in Sudbury, Ontario on January 30, 1947. He also lived in several towns including Ashcroft, Cache Creek BC and Marathon, Ontario before moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2015.

Rick was predeceased by his son Nathaniel, mother Marcienne and older brother Robert. He is survived by his son Peter (Monica), their children Joshua (Kim), Ryan and Felicia (Kevin), his daughter Francine and her children Clorinda and Katrina and his grandchildren Tessa and Eric and their mother Carol, great-granddaughters Ryah, Olivia and Elena and Alora.  Rick is also survived by his brothers Joseph Adrien, Joseph Rene (Kathy), Joseph Bernard (Debbie), Joseph David (Trish) and sisters Lorraine, Suzanne (Jack), Bernie (Margaret) and Annette (Glenn); also, by many nieces and nephews, all of whom loved him dearly.

Rick was very creative and enjoyed renovating and was an all-around handyman. He studied to become a certified Glazier from BCIT, which he later turned into a hobby in his free time upon his retirement.   Rick loved animals of all kinds; he had a bird aviary, and raised chickens, horses, mules and goats.  When he lived in Marathon, he cared for 5 greyhounds that were rescued from the racetracks in the south.  He would also come home with plants he traded on Marketplace to add variety to the home garden and would always sneak in a daisy or two.  

Rick made many journeys home for reunions and visits to see his growing family.  He was always so eager to see his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that he would often drive straight through the night so he could spend as much time with them as possible. When visiting he liked spending quality time doing various activities such as horse back riding, road trips, home repairs, board games and a lot of friendly banter and harmless teasing, which his family will never forget about and will always love about him.

For the past 10 years, Rick lived in Winnipeg with his sister Bernie, sister-in-law Margaret and nieces Ayla and Kaycie.  He never failed to entertain with his crazy sense of humour. He had the ability to make all the ladies fall in love with him.  Rick loved stir fry night and would often walk in the house after an AA meeting with several tubs of ice cream.

This year marked 35 years of sobriety for Rick which he did “One Day at A Time”, while being of service to others.  He had a heart of gold. No matter where he lived, he was a regular meeting goer and support to those who needed help no matter what time of day; he was ready to go for coffee to talk it through.

Not long after Rick moved to Winnipeg, he joined a group of retirees who met for coffee each morning rain or shine.  Even during COVID, you could drive by the parking lot of the McDonalds at St. Vital Mall and the boys would be sitting there 6-feet apart having coffee sharing stories and banter as cars drove by and honked.  He will be missed by all especially by his “brother from another mother”, Don.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Cancer Care Manitoba for all their care during the last couple years.  We would also like to thank the Urgent Care staff at Victoria Hospital for their care and kindness while he was being set up for palliative care.  A huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Bruce Martin and the Team of Caregivers in the Palliative Care program for all their compassion and assistance in making Rick’s final days as comfortable as possible. And finally, the wonderful team at MAID who assisted in making the final leg of his journey on earth a peaceful and compassionate one.   

There is no plan for a memorial or service however a future memorial in Ontario with family and friends will be arranged in the coming year.