Mariposa Gazette

Popular Categories

Howard Lee Ricks


 

 

Howard Lee Ricks was born on Jan. 6, 1930 in Firebaugh, Calif., and died on June 15, 2019 in Fresno, Calif.

Howard was the fourth child born to parents Willie and Clara Ricks. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Billie Jane and Mary Bella; two brothers, Albert and Mike; and his wife, Patsy Ricks. He is survived by sisters Doris Johnson of Twaine Hart, Calif. and Betty Wright of Fresno. He is also survived by his children, Tar Batey (Cecil) of Dos Palos, Calif. and Shawn (Cory) of Visalia; and three grandchildren, Paul Gattos of San Diego, Calif. and Tiger Ricks and Makenna Ricks of Visalia.

Howard served in the United States Army in the division that became the current CIA. He was always very active in his life. In high school, he served on student council and was an officer in the Future Farmers of America.

He married Patsy Bunch on May 17, 1951. He and Patsy moved to Los Angeles with their daughter, where he worked at the General Motors factory. After moving back to Dos Palos, he worked for Kaljians Motors and Triangle C.C. as a salesman. After that, he was a State Farm insurance agent. He then farmed out of Mendota before working for the city of Dos Palos. While working for Dos Palos, he served on the city council and school board. He was also a volunteer firefighter, member of the Lions Club and many other service organizations. After a short period of retirement, he moved to Avenal, Calif. and was instrumental in the construction of the prison and many other buildings and sites. Finally, he went to work in Exeter, Calif. as the director of public works.

 

 

Wherever he lived or worked, he kept busy. He loved the singer Martie Robbins, reading and eating.

Services will be held on July 11 at 11 a.m. at Del Hale Hall in Dos Palos. Please come and share your memories of dad with us.

One response to “Howard Lee Ricks”

  1. Pat Conway says:

    One of my dear friends Sue Murphy just called me with the sad news, she found out by luck.

    God Bless you Shawn and the whole the Ricks Family line! I am so sorry for your loss, I feel the pain myself… Howard changed my life, and mentored me in the Water Business and thanks to his mentorship and enthusiasm. I have now been in the Water business for 34 years. I will plan on attending his celebration of life. I have many photos of working with him. My e mail is pconway@calruralwater.org. Let me know if there is anything I can provide or do for the family. My cell is listed on our web site.

    God Bless you all,

    Pat Conway

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.