Dr. Richard “Dick” Stace-Smith.
Dr. Richard (Dick) Stace-Smith
Husband. Scientist. Adventurer. Leader. Born May 2, 1924, in Creston, B.C.; died Jan. 17, 2017, in Vancouver, of a stroke; aged 92.
In 1999, Dick Stace-Smith turned 75 while trekking through Khangchendzonga National Park in northern India. His Sherpa told Dick he was the oldest person he had accompanied on the epic march to the Valley of Rhododendrons, but as a globally respected plant specialist and president of Vancouver's VanDusen Botanical Garden, exploring nature was an important part of Dick's life, home and away. The hike was also a worthy parallel to how Dick lived his life: full of purpose and determination.
Dick grew up in the British Columbia farming town of Creston and moved to Vancouver in 1946 to study agriculture at the University of British Columbia. He met Joan while at university, and she would become his wife for 64 years, until her death in 2015. Shortly after marriage, they moved to Oregon where Joan worked as a social worker and Dick completed his PhD. Their first child, Donna, was born in 1954, just after their return to Vancouver. She was followed quickly by John and Peter, and later, Julia.
Dick went on to enjoy a 40-year career in Vancouver as a plant pathologist, researching how viruses affected food crops in Canada. His study of viral diseases on fruit trees, raspberry plants and potatoes made him a leader in the field and, in 1972, Dick and his teammates received an award for the development of the first virus-free potato program. (Later in life he received the Order of British Columbia for his leadership to protect biodiversity and the environment.)
It goes without saying that Dick was the neighbourhood authority on raspberries. His Vancouver garden was one of the most fruitful in the surrounding area, with the crown jewel being a 20-metre-long row of raspberry canes, good for jam, pies and many happy, messy grandchildren.
In his retired life, gardening was only one of many passions. He also enjoyed baking bread, making wine, playing bridge and even dabbling in astronomy.
Whether Dick was hiking a mountain in the Himalayas or Patagonia, driving a family of five around Europe, birdwatching in the Galapagos Islands or flipping pancakes at the annual Canada Day community breakfast, he always poured his heart and spirit into everything he did. He was an active member of the Vancouver Natural History Society, BC Naturalists' Foundation, Brock House Society and the Fraser River Coalition, among others.
Ever travelling, Dick visited his family in Prince Rupert last fall to celebrate his younger brother's 80th birthday. After a final Christmas with his relatives in the Lower Mainland, he passed peacefully with family at his side.
To honour Dick's spirit and his lifelong quest for knowledge, his children have established the Dr. Richard Stace-Smith Memorial Scholarship to support students at UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
A family man, mentor and servant to his community, Dick will be lovingly missed by all who knew him.
Kevin Underhill is Dick's grandson.
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