Obituary of Robert Bruce Richards

 

Robert "Buck" Bruce Richards passed peacefully in his sleep on Friday, December 13, 2024, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Born on September 11, 1929, he was the son of the late Cecil and Nora Richards.  He was predeceased by his wife Maxine (Blaikie) in 2021.

 

Robert is survived by his sons, Eric (Ruth) and Kent; daughter, Melanie (Michael); grandchildren, Maddy and Bella Richards, Rachel and Norah McKinnon; sister, Judy Heinzen (Horst); nieces Laura, Kim, Cheryl, Michelle and Sarah; sister-in-law, Sharon; brother-in-law, Brian.

 

Robert was a Beaverbrook scholar and graduate (BA English, Honours) of the University of New Brunswick.  During his time at the university he started honing his craft as a poet. He published in the Fiddlehead and was a member of the Bliss Carmen Society. After graduation he returned to his hometown and worked at the local radio station – CKNB. It was there that he met his wife, Maxine. They were married on May 18^th, 1963.  Robert then attended the University of Toronto where he completed a Library Science Programme.  He worked as a Regional Librarian at the Restigouche Regional Library until 1987, after which he moved to Fredericton and worked at Library Services with the New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Heritage. He retired in 1990. 

 

While in Fredericton Robert re-connected with his writing community and started publishing.  He has a large body of work and over his lifetime he has been honoured with the Bliss Carmen prize for poetry (1949), an award from the Fiddlehead magazine for best poetry published for the year in 1988, and that same year he also won the Alfred G. Bailey Prize for Poetry by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick.  Richards was the feature poet at UNB’s annual literary forum Conversazione in 1991.  More information on his life and writing can be found on the website for the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia (NBLE).

 

A graveside service will take place at 11am on July 14, 2025 at Sunny Bank Cemetery.  Service will be followed with refreshments at Christ Church Parish, 245 Westmorland St.  Remembrances can be made to the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick ( https://wfnb.ca/Donate ).  Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com