Richard "Rick" Demers

1958 - 2022

Richard "Rick" Demers, an industry leader of hospital pharmacy and beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, died suddenly the evening of 11 August in his home in North Wales PA. He was 63.

Born in Nuremberg, Germany on a U.S. Army base to Roland and Inez Demers, Rick was the youngest of three siblings Robert Demers and the late Patricia Peck. Rick grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire; he was an avid, fearless skier, spring-board diver, biker, runner, and golfer.

He is a graduate of Northeastern University and received his MS and residency training at The Ohio State University. It is in Ohio where Rick developed a great friendship within the hospital pharmacy community. These friendships would stay with Rick throughout the remainder of his life and was memorialized by both an annual golf trip with his close friends and a pilgrimage to Columbus for an Ohio State football game.

Rick was well-known professionally as a national leader of several different pharmacy organizations. During his time as Director of Pharmacy at HUP, Rick led the development of best-in-class patient care models. Rick was a strong advocate for the profession and served in many leadership roles including, serving as past President for both the Pennsylvania Society of Health System Pharmacy (PSHP) in 2008 and the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association (PPA) in 2019. In 2010, he was awarded the Sister M. Gonzales Duffy Lecture Award, awarded annually in Pennsylvania to a pharmacist with high moral character who made sustained contributions to health system pharmacy. His most prized acknowledgment came in 2011, when he was awarded the Clifton J. Latiolais Award for his significant contributions to institutional pharmacy practice. Rick was a humble leader who allowed other people to receive credit for a job well done. Much of what he did was not obvious to most but proved invaluable to Penn Medicine.

Rick's impact on the world was not however limited to best-in-class national pharmaceutical practices; he is survived by his wife, Karen, his sons, Benjamin (Andrea) and James, his granddaughter, Audette and his brother, Robert (Linda). Rick was a loving husband, father and grandfather who lived for his family; he was full of life up to the end and found satisfaction in the little things, whether it be free refills of coffee, golf with his sons, lobster-themed mugs, or hot sauce on eggs.

Rick's untimely death came on the heels of one of the best weeks of his life - a vacation with his family on lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire; during this time, he was able to relive core memories by fishing with both of his sons, eating lobster, laughing around the dinner table, playing cribbage, and holding his infant granddaughter.

Professionally, Rick will be remembered for his caring and empathetic ways, his commitment to patients, and all the many relationships he built during a remarkable 30-year career at Penn. Personally, Rick will be missed as a compassionate, loving husband of 37 years, father, grandfather, and brother. His surviving family members commit to memorializing his legacy through simple acts of kindness, commitment to family, and finding joy in the little things.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Funeral Mass on Friday, August 19, 2022 at 11:15 AM at St. Rose of Lima Church, 428 S Main St, North Wales, PA 19454. A viewing will be held from 9:30 AM to 11:15 AM at the Church. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Rick to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Delaware Valley Chapter, Marple Commons, 2002 Sproul Rd Ste 102, Broomall, PA 19008-3510 or to the American Heart Association, 1617 John F Kennedy Blvd # 700, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Condolences may be made at www.ciavarellifuneralhomes.com.