Sara Winnifred Roque Richardson joined the spirit realm in Toronto in the early morning of June 7th, 2023, at Kensington Hospice, surrounded by her family. Daughter of Louise and Tim Richardson, spouse of Andrew Balfour, sister to Lisa and Murray Richardson, sister-in-law to Andrea Mueller and Nick Purdon, loving Aunt to Frida and Hugo Purdon and Lauren and Cameron Richardson. Beloved friend, niece and cousin to many.

In addition to her artistic practice as a producer and director, Sara mentored, supported and catalyzed the careers of many artists in the Indigenous community through various leadership roles, including her tenure at the Ontario Arts Council. She was known and loved by her peers for her creative and passionate spirit, and as a powerful force in examining and dismantling colonial structures and practices through thoughtful advocacy in both cultural and healthcare institutions. Her creativity, generosity, laughter, beauty and style enlivened her work and daily life, and she grounded all she did in her love of the land and in strong relationships with family, friends and community.

A celebration of life will be held for Sara on Sunday, June 18th, 2023, from 1-4 pm at the Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre. Please see below for directions. Visitation will be from 1:00 - 1:30 pm, followed by a formal service including musical performances from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, and a reception with light refreshments from 2:30 - 4:00 pm.

For anyone not able to attend in person, there will be a live stream of the formal service. To make use of this online option, a link will be posted at the top of this page starting at 1:20 pm on Sunday, June 18th.

We welcome any comments and memories about Sara in the guestbook below!

For those who wish, a donation page for Women's College Hospital in Toronto (in lieu of flowers) can be found here:

https://wchf.akaraisin.com/ui/SaraRichardsonRoque