La célébration de
Richard Adam LeGresley
12 mars 1992 –
2 novembre 2018
Richard’s journey through this life ended on November 2, 2018 after a very brief, but courageous battle with bile duct cancer. He passed away at home, surrounded by his family and friends. Richard leaves his grieving parents Anne and David; his siblings Andrew (Genevieve) and Caroline (Cody); and grandparents Balfour Le Gresley and Margot Linton. His delightful demeanor and wit will be missed by his aunt Judy (Bruce), uncle Alistair (Kristen), aunt Susan (Jerry), aunt Karen (Gordon) and Nicole (predeceased by David’s brother Michael). All of his cousins loved to play with Rich over the years as they grew up together and his passing leaves a huge hole that will never be filled in the same way. We will all miss him so very much as he filled our lives with love and joy.
Rich, Richie, Richard… he responded to all of them and generally with a smile that truly stretched from ear to ear. Richard was born in Toronto but the family moved to West Vancouver when he was six. Quick to take advantage of the snow at Cypress and Whistler, Richard enjoyed skiing every opportunity he got. When the family moved back to Toronto two years later, Richard attended Royal St Georges College and he started to play hockey with the Humber Valley Sharks. Sports seemed to be in his blood and he was happy skiing, skating, playing hockey, tennis or golf. Give Richie a ball and he would be quick to throw it to anyone who could throw it back – though the best retriever was Caroline and Cody’s dog Ruckus, whom he loved to play with!
Richard went on to complete his undergraduate degree in Sport Management at Brock University. Rich absolutely loved the statistical, analytic and legal sides of sports. Who should be traded to whom and why it made sense (or not) – that was the aspect of sports that excited him the most. Having worked at Tennis Canada and then Landmark Sport Group, Richard was so excited in July 2018 when he joined SBX Group, a sports agency in downtown Toronto. He was genuinely looking forward to a challenging and bright future. After only five weeks in his new role, principally helping with the Duke Basketball team’s visit to Canada, Richard’s jaundice became apparent.
Rich loved to be outdoors. At the cottage in Tobermory he loved to paddleboard, swim, jet-ski, lie in the hammock, or simply play catch with his big brother. Richard loved the family barbeques on the deck and campfires by the lake. Indoors, if he wasn’t watching sports he was playing sports (beer-pong champion of all time). A self-taught golfer, he loved to get out and play.
As Richard’s family and close friends knew, he struggled with ulcerative colitis and had endured several surgeries in his early twenties. While these surgeries slowed him down in terms of completing his university studies, they didn’t slow him down as a person. Rich accepted the cards he was dealt with incredible fortitude and a hopeful outlook. Over the years he charmed more doctors and nurses than one could imagine. While cancer finally brought him down, he fought the disease with incredible tenacity and hoped that the statistics associated with bile duct cancer wouldn’t bring down an otherwise healthy 26 year old. His cancer was an unusually aggressive variant and we learned that the statistics are hard to beat in this case. It was eleven weeks from detection to passing.
During Richie’s short fight he received superlative care from the Hepatobiliary team at Toronto General Hospital (Dr.s Gallinger and Schubert) and then the GI Oncology team at Princess Margaret Hospital (Dr.s O’Kane and Knox). After six weeks in hospital, he spent the last five at home with family at his side. Ultimately Richard passed away at home as he wished with the support of the Dorothy Ley Hospice team and the LHIN palliative care team. The family appreciates the support provided by all of the friends, organizations and individuals that helped us along the journey. A special thank you to Judy, Anne’s sister, who was there to provide critical support along the way.
Friends are invited to a celebration of Richard’s life to be held Friday, November 9, 2018 at 11am at the Kingsway Lambton United Church, 85 The Kingsway, Toronto. A reception will follow.
Flowers may be sent to the Turner and Porter Funeral Home, Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. West or if you wish, David and Andrew are continuing their decade long fund-raising efforts with The Ride to Conquer Cancer (Richie’s Riders at
www.conquercancer.ca/goto/RichiesRiders). The family will match all donations and establish a fund in honour of Richard’s life within the UHN Hepatobiliary program.
Richard will live on in our hearts and minds forever and he will be missed profoundly by all who knew and loved him, especially Anne, David, Andrew and Caroline who loved him the most. Rest in peace Richard.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Richard Adam LeGresley 12 mars 1992
2 novembre 2018.
Décès pour la Ville: Toronto, Province: Ontario
