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Richard (Rick) Walter Cepella
June 13, 1955 - June 13, 2025
Tribute
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Richard (Rick) Cepella on Friday June 13, 2025 on his 70th birthday. He was in hospital surrounded by family.
Beloved son of the late Otto Mario Cepella and the late Adele Cepella (nee Huslak). Dear brother of Otto Joseph, Susan, Robert and Mark. Uncle to Gabrielle, Saskia, Zoe, Fraser, Connor, Xavier and Maxine. Nephew to Daisy (nee Cepela) and George Kovacs and to Val (nee Huslak) and Holly Betaudier. Loving friend to so many. He will be lovingly remembered by many friends in his outdoors and artist community groups.
Born in Toronto, Rick was a high caliber athlete and recognized public speaker. He was a painter, art instructor and cartoonist/illustrator living in Powell River, British Columbia. Always a brilliant and engaging conversationalist, Rick is noted for the great interest he always took in others.
His paintings are expressive reactions to the wild landscape as well as the human form. Decades of outdoor activities, twelve years of work as a biological surveyor and countless hours of field drawing and painting in the rugged backcountry of Western Canada continue to shape his work. He actively showed, taught and lectured at public art institutions across British Columbia.
His cartoons and graphic art have been in more than 20 single and group exhibitions across Canada including faculty shows for the Kootenay School of Art, Victoria College of Art, Red Deer College of Art, The Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists and others. Rick has taught art to thousands of students for over 35 years at numerous art schools, public art galleries and in the public school system. He has taught at the Okanagan School of the Arts, Selkirk College and the Kootenay School of Art among others.
Rick was an award-winning cartoonist/illustrator published in many major Canadian newspapers and magazines. His cartoon and illustration work garnered several national and international awards and is in the permanent collection of the National Archives of Canada. He studied visual art and design at the University of British Columbia, The University of Ottawa, and Emily Carr College of Art and Design and has attended and been artist in residence at a number of artist residencies in British Columbia.
Friends may attend an art exhibit featuring Rick’s work at the Qathet Art Centre, Powell River and a celebration of life at one of Rick’s favorite fishing holes in Powell River at a date to be confirmed in September 2025.
The family would like to extend our deepest appreciation for the care provided by Qathet General Hospital, with special appreciation for Dr. Gambling.
Condolences
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From: Stubberfield Funeral Home
Stubberfield Funeral Home Ltd. Staff send our condolences to family and friends.
From: Win Brown
Relation: fishing buddy
A real gentleman. tight lines fishing buddy
From: Margaret Behr
Relation: Close friend
I’ll always remember our great conversations! Will miss you forever.
From: deb Calderon
Relation: acquaintance
I am so sorry to hear of Rick’s passing. I first met him at the pool and he was interesting and we explored some topics together. Regularly I would see him at the beach getting his swimming time in down there. He was a talented artist and his wonderful huge paintings are breathtaking. Rick was a lovely soul.
From: Joyce Furness
Relation: Through the art community.
Rick was a dear friend and beloved by many in the community and we’ll all miss him. He was also very private and I learned a lot about him through his obituary. He had an amazing and accomplished life.
From: Leon Fisher
Relation: Friend
We are so very sorry to hear of Rick’s passing.
Rick was a good friend of our family from way back in Nelson, where Michele met him at an art class he was teaching. Somehow the subject of fishing came up, and I met Rick shortly after.
That was the start of a decades long friendship, with many days on the water, adventures and mis-adventures, conversations, story-telling, living under the same roof, and more often than not, planning shoe-string fishing trips.
Rick was a good friend and mentor to our daughters as they developed their artistic skills, and their fishing prowess.
Rick introduced me to many interesting folks, and cared deeply about the natural world, its creatures and about us humans and where we would take this planet in the future.
He lived simply, as an artist, a naturalist and a closet intellectual, reading books well beyond my grasp and sharing new ideas while we waited for the fish to bite.
May you rest in peace Rick.
Tight lines and bold brush strokes old friend.
From: Jennifer Delgaty
Relation: Friend
Rick was an accomplished artist and won national level Canadian cartooning awards. I had the pleasure of learning cartooning and observational drawing in nature beside the river in Nelson, BC, with him. He was a good family friend and kept optimistic and light-hearted through all his health issues. I’ll remember him fondly and take courage in his example of living life fully even when in pain. Rest In Peace Rick.
From: Josh Wapp
Relation: I was his student and his friend when he lived in Nelson mostly.
I’m very sad to learn of Rick’s passing. He was a great artist who personally tutored me when he lived in Nelson, BC. Without his guidance, I likely would never have gotten the illustration jobs for the sorts of of magazines that published my work. For this, I’ll always remember his generosity in instruction and art theory.
I’m including a picture of a cartoon that Rick drew which was a portrait of me. He used to call me “Yowsh.”
From: Kate Bridger
Relation: He was an old friend.
I am so very sorry to hear this news. He will be missed by many … that charm, talent, kindness and occasional goofiness! My deepest sympathy to Rick’s family.
From: Evan McKenzie
Relation: friend
I was very sad to hear that Rick passed away. We became friends in Nelson through work when Rick was working as a biological surveryor. We had numerous adventures while doing ecosystem mapping fieldwork throughout the province including from the Kootenays to the lower mainland in the south, to the Chilcotin, Sustut River and Liard River in the north. During our first trip to the Sustut in 1989, Rick dubbed me the “Mooseman”, referring to the way that I crashed through the bush like a bull moose, and the nickname stuck to this day in some circles. He also enjoyed poking fun at the Mooseman through his creative cartoons and illustrations. Rick loved being in the outdoors, especially when he could throw his fishing line into a new creek , river or lake. He always had his rod on hand, in case the opportunity presented itself. I enjoyed his quirky sense of humor and appreciated that he could always find something to laugh about, even when his head was stuck in a soil pit with mosquitoes buzzing all around, or being soaked and shivering on the darkest, wettest and coldest of field days. He definitely liked being silling and having fun. After Rick moved away to Powell River, I didn’t get to see him very often, but we stayed in touch and his emails always made me laugh, and I really enjoyed the times when we could connect through long and engaging conversations over the phone. He was a talented and special friend and he’ll be truly missed by many. My sincere condolences to all of his family and friends.
Service Schedule
Private service arrangements have been made.
Memorial Gifts
In lieu of flowers, donations to The Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network; The Canadian Cancer Society; Qathet Art Centre or the Qathet General Hospital.
Thank You Notice
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Bloom Wildly
4712 Marine Avenue
Powell River, BC V8A 3B7
604-489-3384
Nicole Quigley
5300 Yukon Avenue
Powell River, BC V8A 4H4
www.bloom-therapy.ca
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