Name:
Larry Marshall Richards 
Location served:
Blenheim  
Years in Practice:
1966 to 2000
Area of Specialization:
Family Medicine  

Biography:

Dr. Larry Marshall Richards was born in Chatham, Ontario on the 20th of May, 1938.  Dr. Richards was the son of Harry Arthur Richards and the former Margaret Leota Holman.  He had an older brother named Harry Jr. and an identical twin brother named Garry.  The Richards family resided on Stanley Street in Blenheim and Dr. Richards attended Talbot Street Public School, then Blenheim District High School.  He graduated from high school when he was just 16 years old.

Dr. Richards was too young to enter medical school when he graduated from high school, but he was eligible to attend teachers college.  With his teaching credentials in hand, he set off for his first teaching position in Fort Severn, Ontario.  Fort Severn is located on Hudson Bay and it is the most northern community in Ontario.  There are no roads connecting Fort Severn to the rest of Ontario.  Dr. Richards had to fly in to fulfill his responsibilities where he taught grades 1 through 8 in the community school.  In 2016 the Wasayo Cree Nation School was built in Fort Severn and today the Keewaytinook Internet High School provides distance learning opportunities.

Dr. Richards continued his education at the University of Western Ontario, where he graduated M.D. in 1966.  He interned at St Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.  This was followed by 2 years of service with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Baden-Soelligen, Germany (C.F.B. Baden-Soellingen closed in 1993).  In 1971, Dr. Richards did a year of general surgical residency at the Winnipeg Health Science Centre.  In 1972, Dr. Richards took a position with External Affairs in London, England.

Dr. Richards met Pearl Dyer when he was interning at St Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Mrs. Richards worked at the hospital as a nurse.  They were married in Winnipeg on the 2nd of November, 1968.

Dr. and Mrs. Richards had 2 children: David and Rachel.

Dr. Richards moved to Blenheim in 1974 and worked in a family medical practice with Dr. Peter Green at 15 George Street.  Mrs. Richards worked in the medical office as a medical secretary.  Eventually Dr. Richards and Dr. Peter Green built a medical clinic at 34 Ellen Street.  In 1981, Dr. Richards accepted a position with Health Canada in Winnipeg.  He was the head of the Northern Medical Unit and in 1991, he became the head of the Northern Medical Unit for Ontario for Health Canada (Ottawa).

Dr. Richards had many interests.  He enjoyed reading, playing the piano, dancing, gardening and playing bridge.  He enjoyed cooking and he enjoyed the outdoors.  He liked to go camping and fishing and spending time on his boat at Kenora and Lake Erie.  He also refurbished antique furniture.  Dr. Richards enjoyed skiing with his family, both downhill and cross country.  The family enjoyed trips across Canada and to Europe in search of the best snow.

Dr. Richards retired from the practice of medicine in 2000.

Dr. Richards died at his home in Ottawa on the 2nd of December, 2002.

*Dr. Peter Green also appears on the Chatham-Kent Physician Tribute website.

**The webmaster is grateful for the assistance of the Richards Family.

Dr. Richards in his classroom at Fort Severn.