For a career, Ricky worked 38 years for Giant Food across the entire Washington DC metropolitan area at various stores and in various roles. His final position was as Grocery Manager for the store in Annandale, Virginia. Ricky always talked about "retirement" from Giant for many years- but never pulled the trigger on the decision because he "needed to work." But in reality, deep down, Ricky loved his job and loved interacting with his coworkers and customers. He spoke highly of those around him over the years, including his best friend and coworker of many years- Lawrence Doors. Ricky became a staple in the community where he worked, and developed a reputation of being hard working. When he was young and stupid and had trouble at work, Neva stepped in to help him retain his job. Years later, Ricky returned the favor for a family member who had also worked for Giant and ran into trouble- Ricky made one call, and because of his reputation, helped smooth over the difficulty.

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Ricky enjoyed a simple life. As an example, he made Brenda promise to bury him in jeans and a t-shirt and not a suit he never wore. Ricky liked to collect things-- and he never met an item he didn't need to collect. Some people refer to it as hoarding, but Ricky always knew something would be worth a lot more in the future. His retirement savings is stashed in the attic in the form of every stuffed animal his kids ever had over the years. His soon-to-be vacation home was funded by all the replacement parts from cars that he decided to keep in case he needed it one day- even if the car was older than any of his four children. 

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Ricky loved sports. He was a diehard Washingtonian sports fan. He rooted for the Redskins, the Capitals, and the Nationals. He was alive to witness all 3 capture championships (even if the Redskins hadn't accomplished it since he was 30). Ricky loved NASCAR and always routed for Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, or "anyone driving a Chevy."

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Ricky loved tv and movies. He has seen every Western ever produced. He enjoyed the worst movies- usually something like a buddy cop movie starring Melissa McCarthy hilariously fumbling through tracking down a worldwide crime syndicate. Wednesdays were for Survivor- and he and Brenda watched religiously every week for 20 years.

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Ricky loved to eat. Steak. Potatoes. Crab. Pickled eggs his mother Neva made. Deviled eggs. Turkey over Thanksgiving. Pina coladas. Boiled peanuts. Later in life he branched out of traditional American foods and would try anything. He ate Filipino and Thai food. He ate sushi, peking duck, and al pastor tacos. He ventured out of his comfort zone because of his kids urging and was always willing to try something just to please his kids (and because he loved to eat).