John 'Richard' Wahlgren Obituary In Loving Memory Of RICHARD WAHLGREN November11, 1956 February 24, 2025. It is with profound sorrow that we mourn the passing of Richard, six months and four days after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Richard died peacefully with his wife Sandra by his side. He is survived by their two sons and five grandchildren, James (Savannah), Noah, Ella and Oliver and Daniel (Sierra), Westen and Coen, his brother Roland (Melanie) and their daughter Tegan. Richard emigrated to Canada with his parents, Vincent and Ruth in 1957 and settled in North Vancouver where he attended North Star Elementary. In grade 4, he attended Queen Mary Elementary where he first met Sandra (although neither of them remembered each other) and graduated from Delbrook High School. Richard attended University of British Columbia, beginning his education in the geology faculty. He spent two summers working for the Geological Survey of Canada in northern BC, being dropped off on a mountain ridge by helicopter with his lunch, pick and canvas bag, before being picked up by helicopter on another ridge and flown back to camp. He loved those summers, being paid to hike and collect rock samples in beautiful surroundings. Richard changed his studies to animal science before graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. A career followed in his familys business, Modern Materials, a building supply business, located in North Vancouver and Richmond until 1998. Richard, Sandra and their two young sons moved to Deep Bay, Vancouver Island where Richard volunteered with Unit 59 Deep Bay Marine Search and Rescue, eventually becoming Unit Leader for a term. Richard also volunteered with various streamkeeper groups in the mid-island region before taking a streamkeepers stewardship course. While enquiring about work possibilities after his course completion, he contacted Streamside Native Plants and learned that the owner, Richard Porter, was selling his business and the rest, as they say, was history. Richard expanded the business, propagating hundreds of thousands of plants and supplying plants to regional, municipal, provincial, federal and Hydro projects on Vancouver Island and beyond. Richard leaves a legacy of "his" plants on too many trails, campgrounds, parks, highways and foreshores to count. Numerous projects received his special attention to restore degraded or damaged ecosystems. Richards spirit lives on in all he has accomplished, which continues to make Vancouver Island a better place for all of us. Special thank yous to the BC Cancer Centre in Victoria, the Oncology Department at the Comox Valley Hospital, Richards family physician, Dr. K. Swanson, the nurses and care-aids from Oceanside Health and the nurses and care-aids at Trillium Hospice. Each one of you treated Richard with dignity and respect and our family is grateful for your kindness and the care you gave him. In honour of Richard, please consider a donation to the Richard Wahlgren Memorial Award at University of Victoria to be given to students in the Ecological Restoration Professional Specialization Certificate and Restoration of Natural Systems Certificate programs https://extrweb.uvic.ca/richard-wahlgren A private Celebration of Life will be held on a later date.