RICHARD ARTHUR (DICK) BLAGDEN

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RICHARD ARTHUR (DICK) BLAGDEN At the age of 72 after a valiant fight, Dick passed away on October 6, 2009. He is survived by: his loving wife, Maralice; his children Richard (Ann), Craig (Linnea), Jeff (Donna), Kathleen (Shawn), Garth (Suzanne) and by their mother Marion (Dennis); grandchildren Cailyn, Nicole, Christopher, Nicholas and Madison; maternal aunts Helen and Mary (Bob); paternal aunts Gladys and Joyce; numerous cousins and many special friends. Dick was predeceased by his parents Freida and George Blagden and by a brother in infancy. Dick was born on January 4, 1937 and lived his first years in Ladysmith. The family then moved to Portage la Prairie where Dick attended elementary school. Their last move was to Charleswood where he attended high school and then lived for many years. Dick's favourite childhood adventures included making a lunch, loading it and his dog into the carrier of his bike and spending the day exploring the Portage area. In his teens, Dick developed a love of the guitar and was well known for his excellent Johnny Cash renditions. In 1961 he married Marion and together they raised their family. He had many happy memories of their trips to Hawaii with friends Dick and Linda. Many fun family weekends were spent at the farm near Lavenham that was the homestead of Dick's grandparents. Later, when their careers and interests took them apart, Marion and Dick divorced amicably. In 1992, Dick married Maralice and they spent many happy summers at Millers Camping Resort where he was one of the Three Dicks who spent Saturday mornings doing garage sales and afternoons hiding their deals. Dick also had many happy memories of his travels with Maralice for Eastern Star. When Dick and Maralice married, he joked that he had acquired three wives as Maralice's friends Marlyne and Sandra became Number Two and Number Three and soon became special friends to him also. Later, Jean applied for and became Number Four adding to his circle of good friends. One of Dick's passions was the game of cribbage and he could boast of having had three 29 hands and even had a certificate to prove it! He collected Tonka vehicles, Wrinkles dogs and teddy bears and acquired many through the years. Dick got his first job at age 13 and throughout his life his work varied from store clerk, construction and landscaper to garbage collector but he was most fulfilled by his last career serving for over 20 years as a police officer at the University of Manitoba. His partners, Bill and Tom, became lifelong friends. In the last few years serving as community base officer, he truly found his niche. He took early retirement in 1997 and enjoyed this time to the fullest. A big part of his day, was morning coffee first at Doxie's and later at the Whytewold McDonalds. There he was part of lively and fun discussions from which no one or nothing was safe. After health caused Dick to lose his licence, Norm often picked him up for coffee for which he was very grateful. Dick was an active and hardworking member and Past Master of Charleswood Red River Masonic Lodge and was very proud when his sons became Masons. He served as District Deputy Grand Master of the first Masonic District and was also a member of Scottish Rite and Shrine. Dick was a very active member of Friendship Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star and served many times as Worthy Patron. He was Worthy Grand Patron of Manitoba in 2002 - 2003. Dick's many friendships made through Masons and Eastern Star were of great importance to him. Viewing will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday, October 9, at Neil Bardal Inc., 3030 Notre Dame Avenue, across from Brookside Cemetery. A service of remembrance will be held at Silver Heights United Church (199 Garrioch Ave.) at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2009 with interment to follow at Chapel Lawn. We extend our grateful thanks to Dr. J. Johnston and his nurse, Erin and to Dr. D. Hartley and his nurse, Brenda, for their wonderful care and personal concern. We also thank the staff on H4, A4 and D5 at Health Sciences Centre for the care and kindness they extended to Dick and to the family during the last three years of his life. In lieu of flowers, should friends desire, donations may be made to the Manitoba Eastern Star Chalet (525 Cathcart St., Winnipeg, MB R3R 0S6), to CancerCare Manitoba (675 McDermot Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9 ) or to Special Olympics Manitoba (200 Main St., Winnipeg, MB R3C 4M2). NEIL BARDAL INC. 204-949-2200 nbardal.mb.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 09, 2009