He is my crazy, fun, strong as a bull, heart of gold uncle. He was my football coach when I was 12. He was a tough coach but for the right reasons. He would pick me up for and bring me home from practice and games. One day he arrived early to pick me up. He said we were picking up another boy for practice. That young man rode with us every day, back and forth and to the games. We got to know each other. Move ahead 10 years. I'm out of the Navy and started working at Garden City Hospital. I began to meet many new coworkers, in particular, a switchboard operator. I recognized her last name and asked if by chance if she was this young man's mother. She was and I told her how I had come to meet her son, through football and Uncle Rick picking him up. She praised Rick for being there when her son needed it the most. This young man's father had recently died of a heart attack and the family of 9 was devastated. This small gesture of kindness provided structure for this young man. This is one of the many unselfish things Rick did, never saying a thing about it.

We became workout partners at Big Daddy's Powerhouse in Garden City. After a few months, everyone in the place knew Rick. On our Chest and Back day, others in the gym would stop and watch as Rick would bench press 500 pounds with ease. He was incredibly strong physically and as many of you that know him, incredibly strong in the heart.

He will be greatly missed but always remembered in the stories. I'm sure everyone in heaven would love to see his rendition of the "Lord of the Dance" that Rick renamed his performance "Lard of the Dance".