Richard David McDonald (1 Aug 1970 - 10 Jan 2021)

Biography and Obituary:

Richard David McDonald (1970-2021) passed away on the 10th January surrounded by love and close family, in no pain, and with the utmost dignity.

Richard was born in Dublin, before moving to Nottingham with his Mother (Elizabeth), Father (Richard/Richie), and Sister (Michelle), with a Brother (Alexander) being born shortly after their arrival at Nottingham. He later had one child (Richard/Risteard) with Carleen Bentley. He lived an iconic and varied life, and soon became a well-known and respected figure in Bulwell and beyond, running several versions of his famous gym and being known for his astuteness, sense of judgement, and never-ending warmth. Even those who met him in passing felt as though they knew him dearly.

Richard lived a life of sheer enormity, legend, and presence. His life cannot be captured adequately here, and lives on in the tales, love, and blessings that his memory grants us. His adventures and travels took him around the world, and we are all devastated that his presence has left us so quick and so soon. We are all still coming to terms with losing a man who seemed at once both irreplaceable and ever-present. He was a man of many personas: a friend, brother, Father, uncle, and partner: all of these laid within the hugeness of his character.

A fighter until the end, Richard filled the lives of those close to him with love, laughter, and lasting memories that will bless us forevermore. A Nottingham treasure, he could turn any kitchen into a nightclub, and we will never forget his infamous stories that ended with a classic ‘can-can’.

A self-described Viking, Richard loved intensely and fiercely defended his family and those he loved from any threat: he fell when we fell, and rose when we rose. His adoration of children knew no bounds and he will be revered as a valiant father and uncle. To lose a warrior such as my dad is devastating, but we will all call on his strength in times of need.

His soul may have left us to share in the comfort of paradise with his father and two children, but he leaves behind the indelible mark of his legend.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis / May his soul stand at the right hand of God.

Funeral Plans:

Please read the following.

We sadly cannot share details of the funeral service date or time here, to prevent a mass gathering. We apologise for this, but we ask for understanding given the current rules.

We must stress that you must only attend any aspect of the funeral day process if you knew Richard or the family in a genuinely close capacity. If numbers become too large, we risk having the funeral shut down. We must also stress that you exercise social distancing and mask-wearing at every stage of the day. We cannot create any opportunities for the authorities to shut down Richard's send-off. It is difficult to speak like this in regards to a funeral, but we must be clear about rules that need to be followed given the current situation to protect the day for Dad's dignity and the dignity of the family.

Funeral plans will be shared on a need-to-know basis with those who are attending either formally as one of the allowed 30 attendees, or those who will be following the convoy of the hearse and the cars or attending the graveside burial (with extreme social distancing away from the 30 attendees). We have to ensure that numbers are kept to an extreme minimum to prevent overcrowding.

You are welcome to view the service which will be live-streamed on Youtube and which will be shared on Richard's Facebook page when available.

Graveside Service:

There will be a graveside service. Those attending who are not one of the 30 attendees must exercise extreme social distancing (at least 20 metres) from the burial site and other attendees.