Obituary of Richard Gordon Grant

January 30, 1936 – Carman, Manitoba

May 17, 2024 – Lethbridge, Alberta

Richard Grant of Coalhurst, AB, passed away on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the age of 88 years.

Richard was born the fifth of six children to Bill and Philly Grant and was raised on the family farm alongside his sister and four brothers.

On August 17, 1957, he married Lois Metcalfe, also of Carman, MB, and together they began their married life in Winnipeg, MB, where he drove a bus for Winnipeg Transit. In 1963, the couple decided to pack up their young family and head west, with their first stop being Cassiar, BC, where Richard was employed as an electrician for Cassiar Asbestos Company.

In 1964, he moved the family to Calgary, AB, where he worked for Electric Craft; then, in 1965, he accepted an electrician position at Tungston Mines in Tungston, NWT. A year or two later, he decided to change careers again and become a long-distance truck driver. He drove a truck for the next several years and travelled every mile of the Trans-Canada Highway from the West Coast to the East, as well as many trips to northern Canada and throughout the United States.   After he’d spent enough years driving to satisfy his wanderlust, he started a landscaping business, which turned out to be the first of several entrepreneurial ventures he had started up over the course of his lifetime. 

In 1977, he and Lois moved to the Fraser Valley, BC, where he expanded his interests to building houses: two in Irricana, AB, and a few more in and around Abbotsford, BC. In 1996, he and Lois decided it was time to retire and enjoy life, and so they moved back to Alberta, first to Lethbridge, AB, and then to Coalhurst, AB, where they resided until their passing.  

Richard and Lois were snowbirds for over fifteen years, spending their winters in Arizona, USA, where Richard golfed daily and enjoyed the company of their many Canadian and American friends in Yuma. He was never a man to sit idle, and when he wasn’t golfing, he was building furniture, tending his garden, visiting, tinkering in his workshop, renovating his house, making jam or watching baseball. You name it, he was always busy.

In 2017, he suffered a major stroke, which left him confined to a wheelchair, but thanks to a network of support, he managed to live quite independently in his own home right up until he was admitted to the hospital less than two weeks before his passing.

Richard is survived by his daughter Theresa (Bart), and son John (Catherine), his grandchildren Sarah, Jeff, Mark, William, Joshua, and Anna; his great-grandchildren Olivia, Adina, and Odane. He is also survived by his youngest brother Gary (Rose) Grant.

He was predeceased by Lois, his wife of nearly 58 years, parents Bill and Philly, sister Irene, and brothers Lawrence, Melvin, and Raymond.   

The family would like to thank Lethbridge Home Care for their assistance and for the kindness they showed Richard over the past four and a half years, which made it possible for him to remain in his home. We also thank the nurses, doctors and staff at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge who kept him as comfortable as possible on the last leg of his earthly journey, and, finally, his many friends, near and far, with some of those friendships spanning more than 70 years.   

A private family service and interment will be held at a later date.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Richard’s family here.

In living memory of Richard Gordon Grant, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Eastside, 5388 Memorial Drive NE, Calgary, AB T2A 3V9, Telephone: 403-248-8585.