Gerald L. Rickaby

Gerald L. Rickaby, CPCU, passed away on December 8, 2014, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jerry was born September 29, 1936, in Ironwood, Michigan, to Louis and Elizabeth Rickaby, the eldest of 2 children. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Detroit Lutheran High (Joy Road), and attended Concordia Junior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. While in seminary, Jerry met and married the love of his life, Wanda Basham, who was a nursing student, on March 1, 1958. This joyful union produced 3 children - Mark, Gail and Michael. Jerry worked in the property and casualty insurance field and managed the Albuquerque and Denver offices for the Ohio Casualty Group. A CPCU designation (Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter) was awarded to Jerry in 1980 after a series of comprehensive examinations over many years. Jerry's career took his family to live in many locations, including Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, New Mexico, and Arvada, Colorado. He worked as an agent for Keller-Lowry Insurance in Denver and finally opened his own office in Wheat Ridge known as Commercial Insurance Concepts Inc., in which his son, Mark, became his partner. Jerry had a wonderful singing voice and enjoyed performing with the Lutheran Chorale in Denver for many years. He loved listening to classical music and was very well read. He was an avid sports fan with wife Wanda. They and their family built a vacation cabin in the Colorado mountains and enjoyed several happy years there before transitioning to ""snowbird"" status in Phoenix during retirement. Jerry is survived by his wife, Wanda, of Arvada, and sons Mark (Debbie) of Arvada and Michael (Joya) of Albany, New York, and daughter Gail of Arvada, along with grandchildren, Nori, Allie, Ben, Sam and Jared, and great-grandson, Eli. He is also survived by his brother, Clarence (Linda) of Phoenix and family, along with half brothers, Richard Gayan of North Carolina and Robert (Irma) Gayan of Texas and their families. He loved his family dearly. A Memorial Service will be held Friday, December 12, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Peace Lutheran Church, 5675 Field Street, Arvada, Colorado. The Interment will be held Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 10:00 AM at Crown Hill Cemetery, 7777 West 29th Avenue, Denver, Colorado. In lieu of flowers and memorials, contributions are suggested to: The Student Emergency Fund, c/o Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105 (as Concordia Seminary at Springfield is now closed) as Jerry remembers borrowing a couple hundred dollars while a student in 1957 which was never fully repaid. Please share your memories of Gerald and condolences with his family by signing the guest book below.