September 17, 2023
In loving memory ~
Mary Ann will be greatly missed by her partner in life (Dirk Huysman) and children (Donovan, Adrian, Mosey, Joel, and Alina).
Born to Owen and Joy Richards late in their lives, Mary Ann was raised as an only child on a Red Deer dairy farm. She spent her early years in Red Deer, Edmonton, Calgary, and Victoria, and her last 15 years on Gabriola Island.
As a parent, grandparent, actor, artist, teacher, professor, and friend, Mary Ann had great generosity of spirit. There was always one more chair at her table, one more room in her house, and one more hour to help every single person make decisions, find their passions, and become the best they could be.
Yelling “Be free!”, Mary Ann loved to watch her children, and recently her grandbabies, run, followed by her smiling and laughing. The same energy and wishes influenced her work as a teacher and professor.
Mary Ann tackled her recent illness with a focus on living life and worked toward that goal until the sudden end. Sadly, cancer took her life two months after diagnosis.
Contact foundation@viu.ca to donate to the Dr. Mary Ann Richards Memorial Fund for students in literacy education. Obituary-