Tribute to Dr. Richard Emery

It is with great sadness that we pay tribute to Dr. Richard Emery through this letter. He was an exceptional friend, colleague, surgeon, teacher, mentor, husband, father and son who stood out from the crowd.

The numerous awards and public recognitions he has received demonstrate his dedication throughout his career. Dr. Emery was the mainstay of the oral and maxillofacial surgery program at McGill University. He was an exceptional surgeon and appreciated by all, involved in several professional organizations: he was the president of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Canada as well as the secretary-treasurer of the Canadian association of specialists in oral and maxillofacial surgery ( ACSCBMF).

He was recognized for his talent as a teacher and clinician. He has also been able to influence the careers of many professionals and the lives of countless patients. Many will be able to testify to the hilarious speaker who hid behind his calm personality. During the well-cooked of his graduating residents, Dr. Emery always managed to offer the most humorous and sought-after talk in the room. He was having a field day.

In addition to his dedication to his work and to the improvement of education provincially and nationally, Dr. Emery knew how to spend quality time with his colleagues, friends and family: his wife Laurie as well as his three children, Tess, Ryan and Matthew.

Dr. Emery knew how to take full advantage of his life and it was an honor to have been a part of it. Dr. Emery was a caring and beloved family man, a valued colleague, an outstanding surgeon and a devoted friend. He will be missed by all, but never forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to have known him.

Remembering Dr. John Richard Emery 1952-2017