Rick had gained great respect in China even though it was only for about 6 years. Rick was a great teacher; he was the kind of teacher who not only taught students knowledge and the world beyond in English but also helped students establish their confidence on themselves, especially when most of his students were only one child of the family in China. For many students he was a teacher, an advisor and a father whom they can always trust.

I am lucky and thankful to have Rick as my great friend! I met Rick online in early 2003 when he decided to explore a new world in China as an English teacher. I arranged everything for him in China in the first few months and very soon we became friends. He enjoyed the teaching and the food in Beijing but disliked the weather. Later on I moved and started a new business in Dalian but we still kept close contact. When Rick learned I needed some support which he could provide, he did not hesitate and gave up his job in Beijing and moved to Dalian to help me. Without Rick’s support and encouragement, I doubt I could make such a success today in China.

Rick had contributed a lot to my business in China, to his students and his Chinese colleagues, and local Chinese communities where he lived. He has appeared on local papers because of his volunteer teaching for poor Chinese children; his interview was aired on one of the CCTV channels. Every morning he rode his bicycle to school and it conveyed a healthy image for many local people.

Rick’s death was not so sudden but still a shock. Many of our beloved in China died because of cancer. I had some confidence that Rick could recover with advanced medical facilities and treatment in Canada. But now we have to admit that human beings still have too much limitation on fighting cancers.

Rick was well-loved and he had done so many things on earth and I’m sure he’ll do much more in heaven. I will forever be grateful to have known Rick. I will forever be grateful that Rick was there at the right place to help me. I will forever be grateful for spending 6 years of my life with a friend like him. All the memories I have shared with him will forever be cherished and remembered. Rick will forever live in my heart… In our hearts.

Rick is in heaven now and we are here on his funeral. This is not the time for us to grieve his death but it’s our time to celebrate his life. This is not the moment for us to shed our tears but we should all be thankful that we were given the chance to have known a man named Rick.

- Frank Sun, Feb. 24, 2010, China