Rick Lyons was born and raised in Aylmer, Quebec by his beautiful Mom Iggy (Agnes), and Dad, Ernie. A truly wonderful Aunt Lu and Uncle Phil, cousin Bobby, and Aunt Marge rounded out their close-knit family. Some of his fondest memories were from his time in Aylmer with his quirky grandfather and loving grandmother and the many friends who gathered often to laugh and enjoy life after the hardship of the war. In their tiny house, a parade of birds and beasts tenderly cared for by Aunt Lu made for great stories to tell.

The friendships Rick made in Aylmer lasted for his lifetime. In fact, many childhood friends came to Westport in 2017 to be a part of Rick’s celebration of life. It was said, “once you met Rick, you never forgot him” and they did not. Rick moved to Manitouwadge in the 1950s when his father took on the job as town manager. During his early high school years there, he gained a true love for northern Ontario life. Then, after his mother’s death, it was back to Aylmer to live with Aunt Lu and Uncle Phil in their tiny home and to finish high school and begin a new phase of life. ln the mid 60s, Rick landed his first job as a copy boy at the Ottawa Journal newspaper. This copy boy climbed the ladder quickly to become an Ottawa Journal reporter and on to become City Hall Bureau Chief. Rick’s life as a reporter was fodder for so many of the riveting stories he told so well. He valued time spent with Joe Finn, Dave Brown, John McLeod and many more. Rick was married twice, first in the early 70s to Antonia Marie. Together, they had three sons: Chris, Darcy and Sean.

His career path shifted as Rick was drawn into the political scene and began another colourful journey as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Ottawa, at the time Lorry Greenberg. By the 80s Rick was lured to the west to be the new Public Relations manager for the City of Calgary and later Director of Public Information working shoulder to shoulder with then Mayor of Calgary, Ralph Klein. With his right-hand man Bill Pringle, Rick developed Calgary’s first computer-based cable TV municipal news station. Aside from managing a team of communications people, organizing civic events and promoting boom town Calgary, he was active in the planning and promotion for the 1988 Olympics, attending the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics as part of the promotions team for the big event in Canada.

Houseboating in BC was a favourite pastime for Rick and his second wife Mary and her daughter Jenny along with his boys Chris, Darcy and Sean. They loved their time exploring the west but soon the east was calling again. The family cruised east with a new fleet of houseboats heading to the Trent-Severn Waterway. Rick, Mary and family joined forces with Steve and Pauline Smart embarking on a three-year houseboating adventure that had them meeting, greeting and watching the amazing parade of personalities and kindnesses of thousands of guests and unforgettable staff.

Rick’s career after houseboats continued as an active management, marketing and media relations practitioner focusing on a variety of recreational marine tourism projects and businesses on both the Trent-Severn and Rideau waterways. Over a 15-year period of time he managed three municipal marinas: Peterborough, Trenton and Lakefield. He led a well-trained and devoted small army of students who returned summer after summer to work hard and many became and remained treasured members of his extended family.

Rick designed and managed a five-year Tourism Marketing Initiative with Friends of the Trent-Severn Waterway, Parks Canada and Human Resources Development Canada and many contributing tourism stakeholders along the entire waterway. The program was designed to draw US boaters back to the waterways of Ontario, and it worked! During this time Trent-Severn and Rideau Boating & Road Guides became part of Rick and Mary’s growing publishing business. By 2008, Boating East Magazine was added to the catalogue that kept the family cruising along and actively promoting Ontario's prime marine tourism destinations for years.

Rick Lyons was a dreamer, a story teller, an enthusiastic entrepreneur who enthralled those lucky enough to be close by with stories of his experiences and the favourite characters he met along the way. Rick passed on September 8, 2017 and will be so very much missed by so many, A gentleman and a gentle man, a life well lived!

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