RICHARD H. MOSSCROP

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RICHARD H. MOSSCROP
January 10, 1927 - August 17, 2019

Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Richard died at the Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg following a brief illness.
He is survived by his son David (Helen), three granddaughters, Katrina (Samuel), Meredith (Adam), and Larkin (Colin), and four great-grandchildren, Emerson, Maxwell, Brinley, and Briar Rose.
Richard's father died when he was just a boy, and his mother supported the small family by running a boarding house, and working at a munitions factory during the war. Times were lean, so he delivered papers on his bike and raised rabbits. As a young man, he built a small house for his mother and drove a bread truck. While thus engaged, he met and fell in love with the woman who would become his beloved wife, Evelyn Fallow. They owned and operated a mobile home park in Whitby, Ontario for many years. In 1990 they left southern Ontario for Winnipeg, to be closer to their only child, David. Here, they settled into the community, joined bridge clubs, and explored garage sales. Richard and David played golf together, and rekindled their shared love of collecting/running Lionel trains. After Evelyn's death in 2005, Richard experienced numerous serious health challenges. He took each one in stride, without complaint. He joined the Reh-Fit Centre, followed the Blue Jays, discovered the public library system, became a voracious reader - non-fiction only please, and continued to cultivate the friendships he had made playing bridge. The highlights of his weeks, though, were family dinners, and David's cooking never failed to satisfy.
His last two years proved physically daunting, but in late 2018 he found a safe and welcoming harbour at Brightwater Senior Living of Tuxedo. There, the soup met his exacting culinary standards, and the residents who joined him at meals extended repeated kindnesses, despite the severe hearing loss that by now served to isolate him from others.
The family wishes to thank Jack Chambers for his unwavering friendship and moral support over the years, as well as the health care providers (Deer Lodge and the Victoria General Hospital: Urgent Care) and homecare workers (WRHA) who attended him during his final months. These compassionate caregivers also became his friends. At the end, he said, "I had a good life."
As per Richard's wishes, cremation has taken place.
Flowers and cards gratefully declined.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 31, 2019