Ester Joy Richards

It is with sadness that the family of Ester Joy (nee Sanders) Richards announces her passing on December 21, 2023.

Ester was born April 9, 1938 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the youngest of six children born to Bert and Verna (McDonald) Sanders.  Ester grew up in Choiceland, where she completed her formal education.  She attended church with her family and sang in the choir.

For several years, Ester worked as a secretary at Newfield Seeds in Nipawin.  It was here she met a handsome young farmer, Ron Richards.  They were married October 22, 1966 at Choiceland United Church.  After their wedding, they moved to the Richards’ family farm in the Armley area where they farmed for many years. 

Farming was a true passion for Ester and Ron, but in their downtime, they enjoyed spending time at Pasquia Regional Park.  It was here they enjoyed many good times with their many friends, sitting around the campfire telling stories and singing songs.  Ester’s love of camping took her and Ron north to La Ronge to enjoy many July long weekends with her sister Geneva and her family.

Ester enjoyed golfing and made her own scorecard according to her own rules – 10 was a par, 9 was a birdie.  There was no such thing as a score above 10.  The highlight of Ester’s golfing years was scoring a hole-in-one on hole #3 at the Pasquia Regional Park Golf Course. 

Ester is survived by her husband Ron, sister Joan Sanders, special friends Penny and Derek Hedin, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Bert and Verna Sanders, and siblings Cathy Rempel, Geneva Gibson, Vernon Sanders, and Pat Wall.