Tribute

Richard Joseph Wrotny March 19, 1971 – May 20, 2019 Surrounded by his loving family and friends, Rick passed away peacefully after a lengthy, courageous battle at the age of 48. Rick was predeceased by his father, Joseph Wrotny, in 1983. He is survived by his loving wife Margaret and their two beautiful daughters Ailisan and Grace. He also leaves behind his loving mother Barbara Wrotny; his sisters Yvonne (Ian) Boyd and children Melinda and Cameron; and Elizabeth (Jay) Fraser and children Jacob, Kathryn and Braedon; mother and father-in-law Robert and Janet Hutton; and brothers-in-law Bobby (Fiona) Hutton and George (Karen) Hutton and their families. Rick was born in Ocean Falls and moved to Powell River in 1972. After graduating from Max Cameron Secondary School in 1989 he became a fully licenced mechanic. In 1997 he married his high-school sweetheart Margaret Hutton and they had two daughters, Ailisan in 2001 and Grace in 2004. Rick loved spending time with family and friends. He had a zest for life and when he was healthy he enjoyed diving, skiing and riding his motorcycle. He loved fishing, woodworking, being a volunteer firefighter and fixing things. Even during his illness he continued to build and fix. He was very outgoing and people were drawn to him. His sense of fun dominated his personality. Rick’s family meant the world to him. In 2004 he received an unrelated bone marrow transplant following his leukemia diagnosis and his long, difficult journey with graft-versus-host began. The surviving family would like to offer a very heartfelt thank-you for all your kind words and loving support throughout the years. A special thank-you to his sister Yvonne, who for over 10 years, came daily to provide physiotherapy for Rick. This truly allowed Rick to be able to stay with us for as long as he did. We would also like to extend our deepest appreciation and warm regards to the first responders/ambulance, doctors, nurses and staff at Powell River General Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. Rick will be greatly missed by many friends and family. We will forever cherish the time we were able to spend with him and our wonderful memories, especially his jokes and sense of humour.