Ricks Family Home Page

Mrs. William R. Ricks [Rilla Maye Fowler] died Thursday afternoon at the Moody Air Force Base Hospital. She had been ill for several months. Mrs. Ricks was born in Randolph County, Alabama, but came to Valdosta five years ago. She was a member of the Lee Street Church of God.

Surviving are her husband, William R. Ricks; three sons, Douglas, of Ft. Campbell, Ky., Donald Ricks with the U. S. Air Force [army] in France, and Jimmy Ricks of Valdosta; three daughters, Dorothy, Doris and Marilyn of Valdosta; her father, William D. Fowler of Oxford, Ala.; four brothers, Shelton Fowler of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Roy D. Fowler of Clarkston, Wash., Benton [Fowler] of Anniston, Ala., and William D. Fowler [Jr.] of Oxford, Ala.; four sisters, Mrs. Roscoe [Muriel] Swilley, Lake Park, Ga., Mrs. O. L. [Daisy] Wester, Valdosta, Mrs. Douglas [Lillie] Smith, Atlanta and Mrs. Robert [Audrey] Tomlinson, Atlanta; several nieces and nephews and two grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Lee Street Church of God with burial to follow at Sunset Hill [Valdosta]. McGowan Funeral Home is in charge.

Obituaries for August 5, 1992

William Roscoe Ricks

William Roscoe Ricks, 87, was born Sept. 26, 1904, in Prentiss County, Miss. He departed this life on Wednesday Aug. 5, 1992, in Lake City, Fla., at the Veterans Administration Medical Center after a short illness [died from complications following surgery to remove a cancerous part of his colon].

He is survived by his wife, Jose [Padgett] Ricks, Valdosta; 11 children [six of his own by their mother, Rilla Maye Fowler, and one adopted daughter, Lynn Henderson], Lavon Henderson, Jasper, Fla.; Douglas F. Ricks, Everett, Wash.; Donald M. Ricks, Nashville, Tenn.; Donald Henderson, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Robert E. Henderson, Pinetta, Fla.; James W. Ricks, Columbus; Barbara Butler, Jasper; Dorothy M. Ricks, Valdosta; Lynn R. Carter, Jasper; Doris R. [F.] Lankford, Dallas, Texas; Marilyn R. [G.] Williams, Colquitt; 29 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a brother, Oscar Ricks, Montgomery, Ala.; two sisters, Mary Allison, Redland [Greencastle], Ind.; Dale [Lola Dell] Donica, Columbus, Ind.

Mr. Ricks was a faithful member of the Forrest Street Church of God and the Auditorium Sunday School Class. In 1990, 1991, and 1992, he was honored as Father of the Year. The church honored Mr. and Mrs. Ricks as Senior Citizens of the Year for South Georgia in 1980. Mr. Ricks was retired from the Army and had received numerous honors. Recently, his church honored him with a pin as honorary member of the armed forces of the Church of God. He is well loved and will be missed. Our loss is heaven's gain.

Funeral services will be held 2 P. M. Friday in the chapel of the Carson McLane Funeral Home. Burial will be at McLane Riverview Memorial Gardens [7 August].

Obituaries for Sept. 29, 2001

Esther Padgett Carter

Esther Padgett Carter, 88, of Jasper, passed away Friday, Sept. 28, 2001, at Suwannee Valley Nursing Center, Jasper. Mrs. Carter was a native and lifelong resident of Hamilton County, Fla. She was a retired school teacher having taught for many years in Suwannee County and later substituted for the Hamilton County School System. She was a member of Corinth Baptist Church near Jasper. Esther, also lovingly referred to as "Aunt Tilly," was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. I.T. Carter. While the couple never had children of their own, they opened their home and helped raised their niece and nephews. Survivors include four nephews, Lavon and Robert Henderson, Jasper, Donald Henderson, Lake Worth, Fla., and Ronnie Padgett, Clewiston, Fla.; niece, Barbara Butler, Jasper; one brother, Earl Padgett, Tallahassee, Fla.; three sisters, Doris Douglas, Orange Park, Fla., Jeanette Jestes, Jasper, and Josie Ricks, Valdosta; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Corinth Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. today at Harry T. Reid Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Corinth Christian Academy c/o Corinth Baptist Church, 7298 SW 37th Terrace, Jasper, Fla. 32052. - Harry T. Reid Funeral Home.

Obituaries for Oct. 22, 2002

Josie Padgett Ricks

Josie Padgett Ricks, 80, of Valdosta, died Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2002, at her home after a lengthy illness. She was born on Aug. 31, 1922, in Jasper, Fla., to the late Dan and Susan Wells Padgett and had lived in Valdosta for 50 years. Mrs. Ricks was a member of the Forrest Street Church of God (formerly Lee Street Church of God) where she was recently honored at the church for her years of dedication and service. She was the widow of William Roscoe Ricks. Survivors include 11 children, Lavon Henderson of Jasper, Fla., Donald (Clara) Henderson of Lake Worth, Fla., Robert Henderson, Barbara (David) Butler, Lynn (Wayne) Hart, all of Jasper, Fla., Douglas (Marcia) Ricks of Everett, Wash., Donald (Len) Ricks of Pleasantville, Tenn., James Ricks of Seneca, S.C., Dorothy (Lloyd) Crumley of Valdosta, Doris Lankford of Dallas, Texas, and Marilyn Ricks of Donalsville; 31 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; one sister, Jeanette Jestes of Jasper, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25 at the Forrest Street Church of God with Pastor Wayne Hughes and Pastor Jesse Ogden officiating. Burial will follow in McLane Riverview Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. today at the funeral home. - Carson McLane Funeral Home

The Tennessean, Obituaries:

Kyung Bok 'Len' Ricks

Mrs. Kyung Bok "Len" Ricks, age 47, died on December 7, 2004 at her home in Spring Hill. Mrs. Ricks was born in Kongwol Kun Province, South Korea on August 12, 1957, the daughter of Tae Lyong Park, an engineer for the Westinghouse Corporation, and Hwa Soon Kim, a Methodist missionary in Korea. Len made her home in Spring Hill. She was an active member of Hillview Baptist Church, Franklin. Mrs. Ricks was a naturalized American citizen.

Survivors include:

Husband: Donald Milton Ricks, a retired army officer and employee of the Federal Aviation Administration in Nashville, of Spring Hill, TN

Stepsons:
Jimmy Triquneaux of Elsenheim, France :
James Arthur Ricks of Parker, CO

Stepdaughter: Leona Marie Ricks, Atlanta, GA

Sisters:
Kyung Lam Chung of Seoul, South Korea
Kyong Ja Lee of Atlanta, GA
Kyung Ok Young of Rockvale, TN

Brothers:
Hang Uong Park of Seoul, South Korea
Kyung Chun Park of Leesburg, VA

Several nieces and nephews in America and Korea

Kyung Bok 'Len' Ricks, wife of Donald M. Ricks

Services will be conducted 1:00 PM Friday, December 10, 2004 at Hillview Baptist Church, 1642 Lewisburg Pike, Franklin, TN, with Pastor Lee Barnett officiating. Burial will follow in the Memory Section of Williamson Memorial Gardens. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Visitation will be from 6 8 PM Thursday at the Williamson Memorial Funeral Home and one hour prior to service at the church Friday.

Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, 3009 Columbia Avenue, Franklin, TN is in charge of arrangements. 615/794 2289

"Len's Gone"

What do I care about tomorrow?
She's gone!
I watched her go, I helped her go,
I held her while she went.
Oh, God, it hurts!
Just to think, she Lived!

But what a style, what a class,
this lady who did what she did.
In her I saw the sun, the moon,
the essence of Your every list.
The grace You gave to her ensued
the ones who gathered about!

I'm sad, indeed, that even I
can't reach the height of her reflected light.
I saw her there in peace and sleep,
I wondered, when I might go—
this rest seems, yet, so remote!

God help me understand:<\em>Why this one?
Whom You chose to lovingly smote."

Donald M. Ricks
July 26, 2005

HUGH RICKS, ARTIST AND FRIEND:

I never met Hugh, but he was my friend. We exchanged e-mail messages for a long time, researching the Ricks family together and sharing information. A few days before and during the period of Hurricane Katrina, Hugh was confined to a hospital in Slidell, Louisiana. After the storm passed that city, Hugh was found wandering around the neighborhood with his hospital IV still in his arm, I am told. He was subsequently evacuated to a hospital in Fort Worth, where he died some days later. His death was a tragic loss, perhaps preventable, but he is no longer with us. This entry is a tribute to the man I knew and Nita mourns. Don Ricks:

"I woke up the Saturday morning (2:30 a.m.) that Rita came in and wrote the following by using a flash light - have never written anything like this before - please put it on your web site for me.

A later e-mail sent by Hugh's daughter, Emma, corrects some of the above information:

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BIRTH NOTICES AND OBITUARIES

Birth Notices:

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Obituaries
for April 13, 1961

Mrs. William R. Ricks

Obituaries for August 5, 1992

William Roscoe Ricks

Obituaries for Sept. 29, 2001

Esther Padgett Carter

Obituaries for Oct. 22, 2002

Josie Padgett Ricks

The Tennessean, Obituaries:

Kyung Bok 'Len' Ricks

"Len's Gone"

HUGH RICKS, ARTIST AND FRIEND:

Sidebar

Site Links:

Book/Research Links:

BIRTH NOTICES AND OBITUARIES

Birth Notices:

Obituaries:

Obituaries for April 13, 1961

Mrs. William R. Ricks

Obituaries for August 5, 1992

William Roscoe Ricks

Obituaries for Sept. 29, 2001

Esther Padgett Carter

Obituaries for Oct. 22, 2002

Josie Padgett Ricks

The Tennessean, Obituaries:

Kyung Bok 'Len' Ricks

"Len's Gone"

HUGH RICKS, ARTIST AND FRIEND:

Obituaries
for April 13, 1961