Richard McKinnell "Rich" Waters

Rich Waters and his longtime companion Eleanor were neighbors and friends of ours for many years. They were both exceedingly kind and considerate. We often commiserated about neighborhood problems and celebrated milestone events.

Rich was always trying to help people, and make things better. He wasn't afraid to speak truth to power, and he frequently berated and harangued elected officials into doing their job better.

Rich was an avid sailor and often looked forward to a time when he could once again get out on the ocean. He also was an expert arborist and could expound at length on the trees in Southern California. He often said that Eleanor taught him about birds and he taught her about trees.

Every Christmas he would bake shortbread for all his friends using a family recipe that had been handed down over generations. They were delicious.

He is gone from this world, but he lives on in our memory of him.

Dan Haley

I knew Rich through Eleanor. We were wonderful friends and chatted on the phone fairly frequently. We would share photos of birds and flowers. We would chat about nature, adventures he had taken and some he was still planning. He had a way of making me laugh in the midst of my frustrations, he was a wonderful storyteller, and he nurtured a curiosity for this world that still encourages and inspires me to this day.

I became close with Rich after Eleanor´s passing. He was very kind and caring. We shared stories of Eleanor and mourned together. We would eat out at Tom´s Sushi and IHOP and catch up on life whenever I was in L.A. He would show me all of the incredible trees that he planted around town.

Rich made me feel seen and heard. He made me feel like I could do anything. He made me feel truly supported and loved. I will never forget him and his beautiful presence in this world. I will miss him so much.

*He didn´t like that this palm tree was directly behind him in this background but I couldn´t help but share this photo. It's one of my favorites.

When I think back on my times with my cousin Rich I realize with great clarity that they were too few and far between. Lois and I had our trip to LA in the books to visit him, and he died two days before we were supposed to head down from Spokane. A reminder for us all: don´t wait to go and see the people you care about.

When we attended the Robert Burns dinner with he and Eleanor I never saw any Scotch pass between his lips, but haggis did! Rich was truly Scottish deep in his heart. There was a moment when the bagpipers were marching and playing and he turned to me smiling and with tears streaming down his cheeks, and I knew he was a Scot in his deepest heart. Then I saw a couple at the next table tearing up , but I knew them to be Scandinavian , so maybe the pipes brought them to tears for different reasons.
I will miss Rich, his civic mindedness, his big heart, and his great sense of humor.

Cousin Richard was quite a character, and will be remembered as such for many years to come!

He was passionate about planting trees, his Scottish roots, and family. Most of our conversations were about one, or even all three, of those subjects.

One of my best memories is of visiting the Finch Arboretum in Spokane with him and marveling at his knowledge of the many varieties of trees there.

My favorite memory was when he and Eleanor stayed with us for a few days and we all went to the Robert Burns Dinner. It was everything you´d expect at a Scottish traditional event....haggis, Scotch whiskey, bagpipes, highland dancing, shortbread, Robert Burns poetry, and many toasts to the ancestors!! A grand time was had!

Cheers to you Rich!

I first met Rich through my older sister, Cher, in 1968. They were best friends, in love and adventurous. Rich was different and quirkier than anyone I'd ever met, and I loved him for that. Back then he had a buddy named Pete and the two of them were involved in a college hiking/exploring/conservation group. They took my sister on many outdoor trips, including the Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree and Havasupai Indian Reservation in the Grand Canyon. He inspired me and my best buddy, Cole, to travel the United States after we graduated from High School. We started off with a hike down to Havasupai Indian Reservation. The entire experience shaped the rest of my life, and I am forever grateful to him. Rich & Cher stayed in touch throughout the years. Cher eventually married and raised a family in Chewelah, Washington, and Rich would regularly visit them, even staying for an extended amount of time to help them build their log cabin. They remained friends through think & thin. I stayed in touch with Rich as well. He would stop by my place in Northern California on his way back from visiting family in Washington. My kids called him "pink socks" because he always wore them, I believe in support of breast cancer, but it made him that much more of a character. We were fortunate to meet Eleanor a few times and were saddened by her passing and for Rich's overwhelming loss. I would be remiss if I didn't mention, with great love and gratitude, that at Christmas I was a recipient of Rich's "famous shortbread cookie" or as I called them, "spare tire cookies"! They were so delicious and so BIG! A secret family recipe, baked in the same pan handed down for generations. Thanks Rich, and thanks for all the memories. May your travels continue in the Heavens.

Richard leapt into his Vanagon in CA on the spur of the moment and joined us on our 4-Corners tour beginning with the fantastic Albuquerque Ballon Fiesta. He had the Vanagon humming as he followed us to the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Sedona and Flagstaff, AZ. He was `the´ naturalist authority and photographer. We had a lot of laughs, learned about the wonders of our National Parks and about the McKinnell-Waters family history.

Knowing Rich was to learn, to consider new thoughts, to love, to strive. He will be greatly missed.

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.

Many years ago we got little saplings from the Tanana Valley State Fair. He crouched down and showed me how deep to dig the hole (fuschia socks on full display) and talked about how the tree would live to be longer than either of us. He was a true conservationist and an absolute gem.

Rich had a way of just showing up. He lived a thousand miles away in reality but the doorbell would ring and there he would be. Walking in to my 60th birthday party and completely unannounced and me?? so happy and surprised to see him. Arriving in CO for a nephews wedding....and noone knew he and Eleanor were coming. It was always his way. It added to the moment always in a big way. He will be missed.