08/06/2026
Thought this was the most effective way to share such sad news.
RIP, Sherry from your TFC co-pilots.
It is with great sadness that we write to inform you of the passing of LCdr (Ret’d) Sherry Richardson, a cherished member of the HMCS Sackville family.
Sherry's connection to Sackville spanned an extraordinary 36 years. She served as First Lieutenant from 1991 to 1994 and, from 1994 to 1999, made history as the first female Commanding Officer of Canada's Naval Memorial. Her naval career began in 1954 when she joined HMCS Donnacona in Montreal, and in the decades that followed she served as an air electronics technician, was commissioned into the Canadian Intelligence Corps, participated in Arctic operations with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, and was recognized as a Parks Canada Hometown Hero in 2023.
To those of us who knew her aboard Sackville, she was someone who showed up; in fog, in gale-force winds, and on Battle of the Atlantic Sundays, because, as she put it: "She's my ship." That sense of pride and personal connection defined everything Sherry brought to this organization.
We will share further details, including obituary information, as they become available. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to share a memory of Sherry.
Fair winds and following seas.
Sincerely,
All of us at the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust
