Richard “Dick” Neil Lillico was born May 3, 1921 in Moose Jaw and attended school at Alexandra Public School and Central Collegiate. In 1941, he accepted a position at the Moose Jaw Times Herald. In 1944, he accepted a job at CHAB radio station where he worked in various positions, such as announcer, operator, salesman and writer for sports desk, Confucius Say, and Army and Navy programs. In 1945, Lillico married Florence Webber of Moose Jaw and had one daughter, Michel. After Lillico ran and lost as the liberal candidate for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre district in 1957, the family moved to England where he worked as a freelance newscaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation. They returned to Moose Jaw in 1960. Lillico then worked as an advertising manager for newspapers in the Moose Jaw area. In 1962, he attempted to seek nomination at the Liberal nominating convention, but did not succeed.