Obituary for Rich Swirklis
Swirklis: Richard
We are deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Richard Alexander Swirklis, 58, of Clinton, ON.
Richard was preceded in death by the love of his life, Anne Powell. In the heavens, he is now reunited with his dad, Henry, and beloved brother, Michael Swirklis, who have a cherry sunburst Les Paul guitar waiting for him to play. On earth, Richard is survived by his beautiful daughter, Calista Powell (Matt Teatero); mother, Diane Prudum; sisters, Natalie Coombs (Jeff Musselman) and Katrena Tucker (Kevin Wicke); beloved sister-in-law, Cheryl Swirklis; nieces and nephews, Marcy & Max Swirklis, Jamie (Madge), Dyon (Kristen), Dylan (Luis) Tucker, and Jadyn Coombs; his lifetime co-conspirator since childhood, bandmate, and best friend, Al Chesney, as well as many other friends and fans.
Richard’s biggest passion in life was music. He co-created and played in many bands since grade school, most recently performing with the iconic IROX. If you were in Seaforth when Richard had his first amplifier, playing on the front porch of his family home, you could hear his music from blocks away. His creative abilities started at a young age and included homemade recreations of movies and skits, teaching his best friend Al to play bass guitar, wrestling matches in the living room, basement bands, and homemade pyrotechnics. He was a self-taught guitarist and artist who spent decades perfecting his craft.
Richard played music until his body could no longer keep up. On May 1st, he passed away in his sleep, and is now living a pain-free existence with his loved ones who passed before him. We will all miss him dearly and, for now, have to hug him in our dreams. Rest well, Rich. Your rock legacy will live on!
To his family and friends, we encourage you to honour Richard's memory by posting lots of stories and pictures of the good times you shared with him. We will be celebrating Richard's life on May 21st from 1 pm to 4 pm at the lower portion of the Seaforth Legion. Instead of flowers, please bring printed photos and memories to share.
We are deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Richard Alexander Swirklis, 58, of Clinton, ON.
Richard was preceded in death by the love of his life, Anne Powell. In the heavens, he is now reunited with his dad, Henry, and beloved brother, Michael Swirklis, who have a cherry sunburst Les Paul guitar waiting for him to play. On earth, Richard is survived by his beautiful daughter, Calista Powell (Matt Teatero); mother, Diane Prudum; sisters, Natalie Coombs (Jeff Musselman) and Katrena Tucker (Kevin Wicke); beloved sister-in-law, Cheryl Swirklis; nieces and nephews, Marcy & Max Swirklis, Jamie (Madge), Dyon (Kristen), Dylan (Luis) Tucker, and Jadyn Coombs; his lifetime co-conspirator since childhood, bandmate, and best friend, Al Chesney, as well as many other friends and fans.
Richard’s biggest passion in life was music. He co-created and played in many bands since grade school, most recently performing with the iconic IROX. If you were in Seaforth when Richard had his first amplifier, playing on the front porch of his family home, you could hear his music from blocks away. His creative abilities started at a young age and included homemade recreations of movies and skits, teaching his best friend Al to play bass guitar, wrestling matches in the living room, basement bands, and homemade pyrotechnics. He was a self-taught guitarist and artist who spent decades perfecting his craft.
Richard played music until his body could no longer keep up. On May 1st, he passed away in his sleep, and is now living a pain-free existence with his loved ones who passed before him. We will all miss him dearly and, for now, have to hug him in our dreams. Rest well, Rich. Your rock legacy will live on!
To his family and friends, we encourage you to honour Richard's memory by posting lots of stories and pictures of the good times you shared with him. We will be celebrating Richard's life on May 21st from 1 pm to 4 pm at the lower portion of the Seaforth Legion. Instead of flowers, please bring printed photos and memories to share.