It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Dr Frances Mary Forrest-Richards, age 101, in Victoria, BC, on 14 January 2025.

Frances defied convention with her intelligence, hard work, and determination to become a medical doctor at a time when few women did so. Specializing in psychiatry, she dedicated her professional life to supporting veterans, students, and private patients over a long career and actively mentored junior doctors, particularly encouraging young women to take up the profession.

Frances was a beloved mother to Megan (Tassos), John (Mary Lou), and Elizabeth (Trevor); devoted grandmother to Clara (Alistair), Katherine (Rishi), Alexis, Kate (Kevin), and Graham; and delighted great-grandmother to Hector, Niovi, Sophia, and Emile. Her husband and lifelong partner Dr A. Gerald Richards (17 December 1921–13 October 2013) shared her love of adventure, music, art, and literature, as well as having a profession in common.

Frances’s wit, ready retort, and curiosity with everyone she encountered made her an engaging companion. She left a lasting impression on all around her.

Frances will be sorely missed, but those who knew her will be grateful for having been touched by her energy, enthusiasm, generosity, and joie de vivre, which endured until her last days.
—Megan Richards
Brussels, Belgium

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