January 11, 1956 – September 20, 2020
Richard A. Boucher, Jr., passed away Sunday, September 20, 2020 in his home surrounded by love and family. He was born January 11, 1956 to Richard A. Boucher, Sr. and Dolores Margaret Boucher (Lotze) in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He has left an abundant legacy of generosity, love, intelligence, wit, and compassion that influenced and enriched many lives.
Throughout his life, Richard has felt blessed by his family of origin for the work ethic and love of family they instilled in him. Richard’s circle of friends are many. He deeply appreciated those who helped him to be a better person and shared many outdoor adventures with him. He was a true friend and continually nurtured his relationships. He fiercely loved the greater McNabb family, his wife Margie’s family of origin, who welcomed him into their loving embrace.
Richard’s upbringing instilled in him a love of travel, transformation, and new adventures. He was raised in a military family and grew up in different areas of Southern California and Hawaii. His family settled in San Diego where he graduated from Castle Park High School. He obtained a Bachelors of Science at University of California Santa Barbara with a double major in Political Science and Economics. He started his international travel by joining the Peace Corps and volunteering in Jamaica for two years, followed by a backpacking excursion through Europe. When he returned he pursued a Master’s Degree in Computer Science at Cal Poly and began his 30-year career with Hewlitt-Packard.
Richard’s love for travel and adventure was unmatched. He always sought out new challenges and destinations. Richard was a mountain climber, skydiver, wrestler, runner, hiker, backpacker, rock climber, kayaker, rugby player, football player, horseback rider, yogi, and cyclist. He eventually settled in Southern Oregon to raise his daughter in the abundance of nature and outdoor opportunities that the Rogue Valley offers.
Richard’s greatest joy was his family. He loved family gatherings, creating memories at home, growing gardens, and traveling with his loved ones. He felt very strongly about providing enriching experiences for Olivia, and ensured that she had a strong foundation of education, love of the outdoors, international travel, empathy for others, love of family, and the importance of working towards something greater than oneself. Some of the family’s favorite memories are of traveling to various places in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and exploring The West. The family has enjoyed many traditions in Southern Oregon, San Diego, and summer trips to Lake Michigan to visit Margie’s family. He also loved his Massachusetts family and cherished time with them whenever possible.
When Olivia was 2-years-old Richard was diagnosed with stage-four throat cancer. At the time his greatest wish was to live to see his daughter graduate from kindergarten. Because of his incredible self-determination and commitment to health he lived another twenty years to see her graduate from college this past March. He was profoundly proud and grateful to see his daughter thriving and moving forward in life. One might feel he lost this most recent battle with brain cancer, yet he gained so much more in these 20 years in being able to nurture and see his daughter grow into the beautiful young woman she is today. He also was able to meet the love of his life, Margie, and enjoy many years of happiness with her.
Richard held a steadfast commitment to giving of himself to help others. Following his throat cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2000 he found great solace in volunteering with cancer support organizations helping those similarly afflicted. The non-profits most important to Richard include SPOHNC.org (Support for People with Oral, Head and Neck Cancer) and First Descents (FirstDescents.org). He started and facilitated the Southern Oregon chapter of SPOHNC for over 13 years. He held monthly meetings to hold space for those living with or surviving from oral, head, and neck cancer. Once retired, he volunteered with First Descents, a group that takes young people living with cancer on outdoor adventures to use the power and beauty of the great outdoors as a foundation of healing and resilience. Richard is eternally grateful to these non-profits for providing him a means of giving back to the cancer community, and he touched many lives through his selfless dedication to the causes of said organizations. If anyone wishes to send an expression of sympathy, please consider donations in his name to either one of these non-profit cancer support groups.
Richard was preceded in death by his father, Richard A. Boucher, Sr. He is survived by his wife, Margie (McNabb); daughter, Olivia (Kadin Pasley); stepchildren, Chelsea Reha and Danny Sacksteder (Robin); step-grandson, Dylan Sacksteder; his mother, Dolores Boucher; and his sister, Debi Boucher-Ownby (Barry Ownby). He is also survived by multiple nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins too numerous to mention.
Due to the pandemic, we will wait to hold any services to celebrate his life until it is safe to do so. At that time we will have 3 gatherings: Jacksonville, OR; San Diego, CA; and Traverse City, MI.
Richard was a loving husband, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend. He will be greatly missed and always remembered in our hearts.