Cathy & Family,

I am shocked and so sorry for the loss of Richard. My heart breaks for you and I wish you peace as you navigate your grief journey.

I have had the privilege of working with and learning from Richard for many, many years at Sunrise Spas. I will miss working with Richard and seeing his talent shine through in the multiple projects he consistently had on the go. I will be forever grateful to have him as a colleague and friend.

Sending you love, light and peace now and forever.

Hugs,

Andrea (Daniel), Ayla, Dexter

Cathy & Family

I was fortunate enough to meet Richard back in 2011 at my first visit to Canada and the Sunrise Spas plant. As I was doing my plant tour Richard happily introduced himself and gave me some in's and out's of the product and a short introduction to some of the innovative solutions Richard provided the product and Sunrise. Later in life I learned how humble he was that day. This was the start to our great relationship.

Two years later I was privileged to call Richard my work colleague and shortly thereafter my friend. I loved having our morning discussions on a daily basis tackling any challenges ahead of us, you always seemed to have an answer. The amount of knowledge you possessed still amazes me and your legacy will forever live on in the spa industry. I will make sure to honour it daily.

We didn't always talk work. Knowing you were a big Leafs fan and such a hockey lover made us even closer as friends. You are the reason my children will grow up as Leafs fans and not a Canuck fan, like myself. I loved the fact that you took time outside of work bringing, your love of your life, Cathy, with you to cheer me on while I played for both Stoney Creek Generals and Hamilton Steelhawks. It didn't matter it wasn't the NHL, it was a friend supporting another friend and that was just who you were as a person. Always there for others.

You will forever be my friend, Richard.

We are so sorry for your loss. Our deepest condolences to Cathy and family.

Jake, Lisa, & Lexi Thompson

Such a heart breaking loss. While I only had the opportunity to work with Richard for a few years, he had a passion for all things related to the hot tub industry. His research into new technologies and opportunities for Sunrise kept the rest of the team aware of what was happening outside of our busy plant. He routinely worked on new innovations and collaborated with our supply chain partners to develop and improve new features. Respected and highly appreciated across many years in the industry, he provided Sunrise Spas with both the opportunities and support to be a leading supplier of quality hot tub products. His impact on Sunrise Spas and the industry will be deeply missed. My condolences go out to Cathy and his entire family.

Brian McFadyen, General Manager, Sunrise Spas

Emailed Comments/Condolences from Richard’s Business Contacts

Andy Bateman, Sales Director, LAS WATER

Good afternoon, this is very sad news indeed. I did not know Richard that long, but I can say he was a delight to work with. We have communicated over the past year on ideas and jet designs for Sunrise, and his enthusiasm for the spa industry and Sunrise was an inspiration.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.

Andy Bateman

Jeremy Sullivan, Sales Account Executive, Aquatic AV

My gosh what terrible news. It was a pleasure to work with Richard Howey over the past 2 years. Very easy to work with and a true gentleman. I will have his family and friends in my thoughts over the holidays, thank you for reaching out.

Jeremy Sullivan

David Connolly, Partner, TH Connolly & Sons Inc

Soooo sorry for the loss...

He was a prince of a professional.

David Connolly

Steve Samuels, President, PQN Enterprises, Inc.

What heartbreaking news to start this day. I feel for his family as well as his Sunrise family.

My history with Richard goes back to my old Waterway days while spear-heading their audio program. When I established PQN, Richard was one of the very first people to reach out to me which formed a working friendship built on trust between us as individuals as well as between our two companies. The result of this relationship was PQN always sharing new product concepts with Richard as well as extending Sunrise first look at all new products prior to market wide introductions. To this day, PQN holds Sunrise in high esteem and always strives to serve and support Sunrise first. Sunrise has always been more than just a customer to PQN.

May I extend to you and the rest of the company the same dedication PQN has always extended Richard.

I trusted Richard and valued him. His loss is everyone’s loss.

With great sadness,

Respectfully,

Steve

Larry Savage, Director International Sales, Waterway Plastics

Very sad news indeed.

Richard was much more than a colleague and Waterway supporter - he was a real friend.

I have so many memories of Richard going all the way back to Maax in Beamsville and all the years at Sunrise.

Thanks for letting me and his industry friends know.

He will be sorely missed by all of us.

Best regards.

Larry

John Sloan, Director of Sales & Marketing - North America, Balboa Water Group

My heart is truly hurting. Such a great person! I am so glad I got to spend some time with him a couple weeks ago just talking about life and his recent challenges! He will be sorely missed!

John

Dave Jackson, CEO, Jacuzzi Group Worldwide

So sorry to hear the sad news about Richard. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his entire family at this tragic time. I have known Richard for many years through the industry… he was an exceptional long term team member for Sunrise and more recently our Jacuzzi Group.

Sincerest Regards,

Dave and Carrie and our Jacuzzi Team

My sincere condolences to Richard's family and loved ones. He was such a welcoming coworker at Sunrise when i first started 8 years ago and he will be greatly missed by so many of us. I will always remember our regular chats about our wild pups and what silly antics they've been getting up to most recently. Richard was such a generous person and volunteered a lot of his time to his church as well as with Kiwanis and he is one inspiring person. Even in the midst of his health struggles he kept a positive mindset which is certainly admirable! Rest in peace Richard

We have lost one of the good ones with Richard. An exceptional man that could figure out just about anything and make it look easy. His love for Cathy was boundless and they were a great team! This is a world that should not suffer his loss, he will truly be missed. My heart goes out to Cathy as I know that hers is broken.

Cathy and family,

Richard will be sorely missed. He was a kind and helpful man who was always willing to jump in and help out in any way he could. May he rest in peace.

Cathy I would like to extend my sincere condolences for your terrible loss. I hope the love of family and friends bring you comfort and strength as you navigate this difficult time.

Brenda Brammer

Cathy & Family,

I was privileged enough to work with Richard for 18 years at Sunrise. When I first started in 2004, I had no idea the ins and outs of a hot tub, but he made everything make perfect sense. He was always warm and welcoming in that little corner office of the plant, no matter how foolish my questions may have been. A lot of knowledge I’ve gained in this industry is thanks to him.

To Cathy, I’m sure you know you were the light of his life. Early on it was always conversations on how to fix the Leafs and after he met you there weren’t many conversations we had that didn’t start out with what you two had done or were planning to do.

To Richard, I will miss our late-night Leafs texts when they were playing on the west coast and our Monday morning NASCAR recap. Thank you for all that you’ve done and know you will continue to inspire all the lives you’ve touched.

I’ll never forget the love you always showed us growing up Richard, you were and are like an uncle to us. I remember you making me feel special on my birthday as a little boy, I remember many hockey games being watched and peters pizza or Chinese being ordered lots of popcorn too. I can’t believe the Lord called you home this early.

Rest Easy Rich

Richard was a soft spoken soul & fun to be with . Many good laughs with Richard & Cathy . Always busy being involved in the cumunity .A drink & a great backyard fire Long time friend . Love you so much & will deeply miss

Richard was an amazing man with a giant heart. I was privileged to know him as was anyone who got to meet him and his giant smile.

My sincere condolences to Cathy and the family

Scott Crawford

Cathy our deepest Condolences to you and Richard's family and friends.

The one thing that Lynne and I remember most about Richard was his kindness his willingness to help when ever he could, and his big Heart always had a kind words to say about everyone. You will be missed Richard Terry & Lynne

Richard was our next door neighbor since Leanne and I moved to Smithville in January of 2019. He and his wife Cathy were the first to welcome us to the neighborhood and have always been very pleasant and cooperative ever since. We will miss seeing Richard reading on the front porch, working in his yard or tinkering in his garage. Our deepest condolences to Cathy, his family and friends.