Obituary of Mr. Richard Wayne Skilbeck

Rick was born in Weston, Ontario and grew up playing every sport that his school and neighbourhood offered. He was predeceased by his loving parents Wilf and Helen Skilbeck

Dear husband of Betty and loving father of Kjerstin and Bryn as well as their spouses, Aaron and Ginny. Rick loved being ‘Gramps’ to Kai, Ainsley, Miles, Marshall and Josephine and took great pleasure in watching them participate in their respective sports. He was so proud of their successes and very pleased to ski with them all at Big White and swim with them at the cottage.

He was an uncle to Julia, Sheryl (Ted), James, Nathan and David (Leah) and a brother-in-law to Kathy (Don), Brian (Lois) and Dorothy (Larry).

Rick taught at Agincourt Collegiate in Scarborough, Ontario for his entire teaching career and considered himself lucky to be there with such great students and faculty. He faced everyday with a smile because he loved to go to work as this wasn’t just an ordinary job. It was the best job in the world to him. He may have been called many names in his life, but he loved being referred to as ‘Coach Skilly’ or just ‘Skilly.’

While at Agincourt he discovered his passion for coaching, mainly football and rugby, and it was extra special when the time came to coach Kjerstin and Bryn when they reached high school. Anyone that knew Rick, knew that he led a very active lifestyle and maintained a high level of fitness through skiing, mountain biking, weight training, and of course, running. There were countless encounters of former students and friends catching him running in the far corners of Agincourt and Scarborough over the years.

Upon retirement, Rick and Betty moved to Kelowna, BC where the mountains provided the biggest playground of outdoor activities imaginable to keep him busy everyday. He even took up golf but that only gave him mixed pleasure due to the amount of lost balls and the occasional errant club flying through the air.

When Rick couldn't run anymore, he walked everyday in all kinds of weather because exercise was a way of life that he committed to no matter what. Upon learning of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, he volunteered to participate in a clinical study in the hopes of seeking some form of cure. If not for him, perhaps the future generations behind him would be able to benefit.

Rick and Betty moved back to Ontario in June of 2023 and settled in Burlington, Ontario to be closer to their family. As the Alzheimer’s continued to steal Rick away, he still enjoyed going for a walk and he even got spend some time at the cottage with the entire family which he enjoyed tremendously.

After seeing his mother battle the same disease many years ago, Rick was worried about what the next phase would look like and was terrified of following a similar path of being admitted to a long term care facility to live out his remaining days. Sadly, but with a small sense of relief, he was able to avoid the next phase and he will greatly missed by so many people.