Richard Eugene Rousse

1946 - 2020

August 18, 1946 - April 1, 2020 Richard Eugene Rousse was born August 18, 1946 in Newport, RI to a French father, Joseph Eugene Rousse, and an Italian mother, Anne Rose Rousse (née Muskatello). Rich died in Everett, WA on April 1, 2020, his wife at his side, after new strokes. His survivors include his wife, Ann Vining (née Packard); daughter, Jenny Jiangdi Vining Rousse; sister, Susanne Richardson; nephew, Steve Richardson and wife, Michele and their sons; many cousins he grew up knowing in Vermont and New Hampshire; and former wife and steadfast friend, Denise DeVaney. His parents predeceased him; and his niece, Tracy Richardson, sadly has been missing since 2007. Rich grew up in a Navy family that moved 25 times before settling in southern California. From an early age he liked making things, and he made art throughout his life. In 1970 he received a B.A. in Art from Cal State College at Fullerton. Two weeks later, he was drafted. He was at heart a conscientious objector, and eventually he received an honorable discharge without being deployed. He worked for many years as a set and graphic designer and builder in theaters and later in museums. In the early 1980s he moved to Seattle and worked as chief exhibit designer at the Museum of History and Industry, producing 39 exhibits and displays in four and one-half years. For the Seattle Children's Museum, he designed and built a huge, sinuous Chinese dragon for children to crawl through and climb over. He made the dragon's face friendly by modeling it after his beloved cat, Sadie. After arthritis forced him to stop this kind of work, he got training in computer programming but didn't find employment he enjoyed. Instead, he began working as an aide for a young man with a brain injury. He turned out to be very good at this. After moving to Everett in 1992, he worked for Catholic Community Services, with many assignments to help grumpy older men, who relaxed in his large, calm presence. Rich and Ann became part of the community at Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Marysville. Then they embarked on the profound adventure of adopting a daughter from China. Rich became her primary caregiver after she developed significant health problems in the U.S. Rich had his first serious stroke in 2013, with increasing challenges thereafter. Rich still considered himself to be lucky, and happy. He expressed his love freely, brought home flowers for no reason, and endeared himself to his wife by chuckling reliably at her little jokes. He was unique and wonderful, and very much himself, to the end. In Rich's words: "I have never been someone who has benefited from a good first impression. I am very straight-forward about what I feel and think. Some people would say this is a strength; others would call it a failing. America is a culture that cherishes its extroverts; I am an introvert. I am a right-brained visual thinker in a left-brained, verbal world. I am blunt when I should be subtle. It's just the way it is. "When I was young I was certain of everything; now I am not so certain. I cherish my uncertainty, because it is the wisest way to be. As for goals, I might be able to plan a few months ahead, but I'd rather not. I am not future oriented. It is just not the way I view life or live it. I like to Paint. In my painting, I am the kind of artist who does not see the canvas in my head before I start. I have no idea how it will look or what colors I will use. I use various materials which I force to dry and to crack and otherwise alter themselves, sometimes without my intervention. I watch the process and decide if it is good. If it is not, I start over. I call this Art. Some people don't. When it's working, I don't mess with it. "I used to think of myself as an agnostic, but possibly a more appropriate term is "pagan," with a small "p." In my point of view, an Artist takes inanimate objects and breathes some life into them. This is a religious act and highly spiritual." A celebration of life service at EUUF in Marysville will be planned later, after the COVID-19 danger passes. To contact family, please email: icosatec@gmail.com.