The death has occurred of:
Richard Annett
The sudden and unexpected death of Mr Richard Albert Annett, aged 51, occurred on 19th May 2023, at his home in Deep Brook, Nova Scotia, Canada. He passed away peacefully in his sleep from natural causes.
Richard, formerly of Kilkeel, County Down, was the devoted husband of Alison (nee Graham) and the third son born to his beloved parents Hubert and Isobel, on 23 July 1971. He was a dear brother to Geoffrey (Maureen), Andrew (Valerie), David (Heather), son in law to Florence (the late George), brother in law to Sharon (Russell), William (Emma), David (Julie), Gordon (Steph) and Mark (Allison). Over the years Richard was blessed with many nieces and nephews and a great niece, all of whom he loved dearly and they miss him sorely. His loss is also deeply felt by his Uncles, Aunts and cousins in the Annett and Graham family circles.
Richard was brought up in a happy home and had the privilege to attend Mourne Presbyterian Church where he faithfully heard the Gospel preached and the prayers of his parents were answered when he gave his life to the Lord as a teenager, on a Youth Fellowship trip to England.
He attended Kilkeel Primary School and later Kilkeel High School and Newry Technical College, where he undertook a Mechanics course, as this was one of his biggest passions in life - to be elbow deep in oil and grease taking apart and rebuilding anything with an engine. He was a highly skilled mechanic who could fix anything from a chainsaw to a large piece of mining equipment. He spent many happy years working alongside his father and other family members, in the family business - Albert Annett & Sons, at Kilkeel Harbour, where he first developed his love of all things mechanical. He served his mechanics apprenticeship at Martin Cromwell’s in Kilkeel. He also worked as an engineer on the “Havilah” Fishing Vessel and spent some time working at Cyril Johnston’s Lawn Equipment and with Baird Transport and as a mechanic at the MOT Centre in Downpatrick.
He was a former member of Kilkeel True Blues LOL 1034 and a former member of the Mourne Young Defenders Flute Band, a band which held a very special place in his heart, right up to his untimely death.
Richard had many good friends over the years in Kilkeel and outside of the Kingdom of Mourne, who shared his lifelong passion for motorbikes and tinkering on old cars. He travelled through Europe and to various holiday destinations with them and they had great times together, which he always spoke very fondly of.
He met the love of his life Alison, also from Kilkeel, when he was 23. They married in June 2002 and spent the next 5.5 years living first in Kilkeel and later in Annalong. They shared a great love for travelling and adventure and had always wanted to try life in a different country, so off to Canada they immigrated in January 2008 with their two dogs, Sasha and Mac. They spent the last 15.5 years living in various Provinces, five years in Indian Head, Saskatchewan and then nine years in Kamloops, British Columbia and embarked on their greatest trip of all in March 2022, when they drove 6000kms right across their vast country from British Columbia to Nova Scotia! They made many lifelong friends in all the Provinces they lived in and had great adventures travelling throughout Canada and the Northern States of the Western USA. Richard and Alison loved their life there and spent a lot of time camping in the wilderness of BC or out on their boat with their beloved dog Roxy, fishing for salmon. They enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors together and had many happy vacations in Saskatchewan, BC and Alberta with their friends. For all the short time they had together in Nova Scotia, they explored many different areas and loved their new home.
Richard sat some more exams in Canada, earning Inter-Provincial Red Seal Journeyman status in both Automotive and Heavy Equipment Mechanics. Over the subsequent years he had the exciting opportunities to work repairing equipment in various settings; from Hertz Equipment Rentals and Potash Mines in Saskatchewan, to Highland Valley Copper, one of the worlds largest copper mining and milling operations, situated outside Kamloops in British Columbia, where he worked for two years as a Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic repairing the monster mine dump trucks, before moving for 7 years to the Automotive side of the mine. These were great experiences for Richard and he made many friends along the way with the people he met and worked with.
When they moved to Nova Scotia last March, they had no idea that in their near future they would open a mechanic business in their backyard. Richard, with the help of his good friends and neighbours in Deep Brook, built his own garage and had it just outfitted the way he wanted and his business was thriving, when God called him Home to Heaven. He had also became a Motor Vehicle Inspector at the start of April this year, an accomplishment of which they were very pleased with. He was held in very high esteem in the local area and had made a huge impact within a very short time of living there, both with his mechanical skills and his friendliness and “big smile that lit up his twinkling eyes”. He was kind to all who knew him and helped anyone out who needed a hand.
Richard will be forever loved and missed by his broken-hearted wife Alison and his sorrowing father and mother Hubert and Isobel, brothers, mother in law, sisters in law and brothers in law and his Annett and Graham families, also the wider family circles and all his dear friends, in Northern Ireland and Deep Brook and right across Canada.
The family circle, wish to send their thanks to everyone in Kilkeel and across Northern Ireland and Canada who have supported them in their recent bereavement. To the many people who visited them and sent messages and upheld them in prayer and for those who sent cards and donations for Richard and Alison’s church in Canada, Bear River East Baptist Church - Food Bank outreach program, they send their sincerest thanks and appreciation.
Alison would like to send a special thanks to her wonderful friends, neighbours and church family in Deep Brook, Nova Scotia and surrounding communities and her dear friends in Okotoks, Alberta, without all whose help and daily support, she couldn’t have gotten this far.
There will be a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Richard, in Mourne Presbyterian Church, Greencastle Street, Kilkeel, on Monday 9th of October 2023 at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend.
“At the river’s crystal brink, Christ shall join each broken link”.