John Walter Rithaler

John Walter Rithaler passed away on January 8, 2019 at Richmond General Hospital.  He will be missed by his wife Dawn, family Shelley and husband Bob, son Don and his wife Pat, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.  John will also be missed by his brother Ron, wife Judy, sister-in-law, Naomi, cousin Anne and many nieces and nephews as well as Dawn's brother George, sister-in-law Linda and nieces and nephews.

John and his seven brothers and one sister grew up in Richmond near No. 5 Road and Cambie.  He attended Mitchell School, Richmond High School and went on from there to graduate as a forestry engineer from the University of British Columbia.  He loved working in the woods up and down the coast of BC.  Later in his career he continued to work in the woods in such far flung countries as Malaysia, Myanmar and Bhutan.  He also worked in Africa and South America.  On his retirement he and Dawn settled again in Richmond.

John was an avid golfer who spend many years as a member of Quilchena Golf and Country Club in Richmond.  He enjoyed a good game of bridge, swimming while on holiday in Mexico and sharing meals with family and friends.

We would like to say a very special and heartfelt thank you to John’s dedicated housekeeper Rose Mary for her continued care of John right until the last hours of his life.  Also, we want to thank the staff at Richmond General Hospital for their care and support of John and his family.

A family celebration of life is planned for later in the year.

You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence for the family.