Obituary of Ronald Richert

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RONALD ALVIN RICHERT

OCT 15, 1947 - JAN 10, 2024

Our beloved father, brother, uncle, and friend, Ronald Alvin Richert, passed away on January 10, 2024, at the age of 76, with his two sons by his side at the Assiniboine Centre of the Brandon Regional Health Centre.

He will be lovingly remembered by his sons, Jeff and Jon; brother, Dave (Jan) Richert; brother-in-law, Robert (Pam) Caswill; sister-in-law, Wendy (Karl) Jurkowski; nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, cousins; former colleagues and co-workers; and former clients and friends.

He was predeceased by his loving wife, Gail Richert, to whom he was married for 52 years and who passed away in July, 2021.

Ron was born on October 15, 1947, at the Regina General Hospital.  His family, comprised of his parents, Alvin and Elsie Richert, and younger brother, David, lived in Regina for his preschool years. Then moved briefly to Kamloops, BC, for a summer, until they settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the rest of his younger years.

After graduating from Miles Macdonell Collegiate, where he was elected Class President and was the recipient of the Governor General’s Award, Ron went to the University of Manitoba for one year before transferring to the University of Winnipeg to pursue his interest in psychology. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he departed to York University in Toronto for graduate studies in Clinical and Counselling Psychology. 

He had a satisfying career in this field, where he helped countless people, starting with his first job at a maximum-security correctional facility in Penetanguishene, Ontario, working with inmates who had been convicted for some of the most serious crimes by the criminal justice system.  From there, Ron moved to Brandon and took on a director’s role at the former Brandon Mental Health Centre, before accepting a teaching position at the Department of Psychology at Brandon University where students voted to recognize him with the Excellence in Teaching Award in 1994.

It was around this time that Ron opened his private practice as a counselling psychologist at Richert & Associates.  He provided counselling services to clients in Brandon and the neighbouring communities in Southwestern Manitoba.  For several years, Ron was the only registered clinical psychologist for the Westman area, meaning his skill set and expertise was always in high demand. 

Eventually, Ron settled into his final career role as a clinical psychologist for the medical centre at CFB Shilo. As part of the team at Shilo, he was able to help Canadian Armed Forces personnel returning from overseas tours of duty in active war zones with PTSD and related problems. 

In addition, Ron also worked in multiple other roles throughout his career completing assessments and offering seminars for: Veterans Affairs Canada, various educational institutions at the grade-school and post-secondary levels, the Brandon Police Service and other law enforcement agencies, railway companies, Brockie Donovan funeral home, a local clinic for physical rehabilitation therapy, and many more before finally retiring in February, 2023.

Ron met his future wife, Gail Caswill, while both of them were students at the same high school.  They married at a young age, shortly after graduating from high school.  They lived and worked together as partners, raising two sons, Jeff and Jon.

Ron’s interests were wide and varied.  He enjoyed reading books and listening to audiobooks, painting in his youth (his favourite artist was Van Gogh), bird watching, trivia and games, and playing chess with his son, Jon.  Most of his activities were done in partnership with the love of his life, Gail, and as a result he became a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan, so long as he was quiet during the games that Gail enjoyed watching.  Ron and Gail regularly attended baseball games of the Winnipeg Goldeyes with friends from Neepawa.  They were avid curling fans, and not only watched local bonspiels, but also traveled internationally to Las Vegas to watch tournaments with friends and family.  Ron was a Beaver Leader for his sons, Jeff and Jon.  He enjoyed going on wine tasting tours with Gail and collected and tasted different Scotches from all over the world.  Ron and Gail toured many wineries in the Okanagan, California, Australia, and South America. 

Ron and Gail were also long-time founding members of a local book club, which has been meeting for more than 35 years.  Besides literature, Ron and Gail's interests included a strong passion for theatre, opera, ballet, and symphony.  With family and friends, Ron and Gail attended productions of the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Mecca, Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Warehouse, and Prairie Theatre Exchange.  Furthermore, they attended and supported the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concerts in both Brandon and Winnipeg, and numerous productions by the Manitoba Opera and Royal Winnipeg Ballet companies.  Additional travel destinations and interests revolved around Ron and Gail’s love for country western and other kinds of music.  As a couple, they attended numerous concerts in Brandon and locations in New York City, Winnipeg, North Dakota, Toronto, and Las Vegas.

From a young age, Ron and Gail discovered a love for travel and seeing the world via cruise ships with friends and family.  Ron and Gail's many cruising adventures took them all over the world.  It is with much love that his sons wish both of their parents bon voyage on their final cruise across the oceans of time.

A Celebration of Ron’s life will be held at Knox United Church, 451 18th Street, on Friday, January 26, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. 

Donations may be made to the Brandon Humane Society, 2200 17th St E., Brandon, MB, R7A 7M6, as a way to recognize his love of animals and the numerous family dogs who happily enjoyed “treats” from his hand.