Richard Rivard Death, Obituary – Bonjour, Mes Compagnons de Classe! We are writing this with a heavy heart to let you know that our fellow classmate Richard Rivard passed away late last night. RIP Richard. Once it is available, the obituary will be posted on our website, and we will also send a card of condolence to his family. This is what his daughter wrote on Facebook, and it is as follows: My Dad died tonigh.
It was both stunningly beautiful and heartbreakingly tragic. Since he was diagnosed with cancer more than seven years ago, he has consistently expressed his wish to pass away on his own terms. In the recent weeks, he had been showing signs of mental and physical decline. The pain became intolerable, and as a result, his body became ragged and worn out. His breathing became labored. On Friday, we broke him out of the hospice house, and we made a pit stop at Portland Head Light on the way back to our house to bring him home.
On Saturday morning, he read some Native American prayers to us, and we listened attentively. The children arrived later that afternoon. We went outside to play. When we were planting whoopie cushions and playing air guitar on plastic forks while performing our version of Come Sail Away by Styx, we laughed so damn hard we almost peed our pants. He showed his love for the children by giving them presents and telling them how much he cherished them. We held his party on Sunday, which served as the wake for him before he passed away.
We enjoyed looking at pictures together while also laughing, hugging, telling stories, and sharing a great deal of love. Today, we shared our honest opinions, drank White Russians, and captured the fleeting moments of our memories in a bottle. This evening, with the help of Maine’s Death with Dignity Act, my father took a drink that ultimately led him to heaven. He was lying in bed with his dog, listening to The Rolling Stones, and having his children take turns holding his hand as they said their goodbyes. We are heartbroken and in mourning, but we are so grateful for this journey and the people in our lives who have been touched by our father’s legacy. What a blessing it would be if we could die with the same sense of purpose that we live our lives with.