EDWARD “ANDY” RICKETTS

Sailing
Takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
-Christopher Cross

Edward “Andy” Ricketts, 74, Hot Springs, formerly of Pierre, passed away Thursday, August 4, 2022. There will be a visitation on Friday, August 12, 2022, starting at 10:00 a.m. (one hour prior to the service) at Isburg Funeral Chapel. Services will be August 12, 2022 at 11:00 a.m., at Isburg Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at Scotty Philip in Ft. Pierre, SD.

Edward “Andy” Ricketts, the old Navy seaman and Merchant Marine, sailed away on August 4, 2022, at the Minneapolis Veterans Hospital. He went out the way he wanted to with others honoring his wishes, his sense of humor still intact, and with family members nearby.

Andy was born July 2, 1948, the third of George and Lola Ricketts’s five children. While a baby, his family dubbed him “Eddie”. His grandfather, A. C. Ricketts, started visiting on Saturdays to bathe the baby and bond. He always called the baby “Andy”. Lola said it became abundantly clear that the baby’s name was to be “Andy” and so it was from then on.

Andy was intelligent, athletic, made friends easily, possessed a great sense of humor and was mischievous.

He attended Fort Pierre Elementary and High Schools. One of his favorite stories was the time he skipped school and tried his hand at making fudge. Bernie Duffy was a school administrator at the time and called to see if Andy was okay. He kept him on the phone and as Andy said, “I couldn’t say, I’ve got to get off this phone, my fudge is burning!” That pan was never the same.

School did not hold Andy’s interest and with his parent’s consent, he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. He was a Vietnam Vet and that had a profound impact on his life. Until the day he died, he hated the sound of Huey helicopters. Marines held a soft spot in his heart. They would bring them on the aircraft carriers and as Andy would comment, “those poor bastards are constantly marching”. Like many veterans, he rarely spoke of this time.

Once being honorably discharged; he joined the Merchant Marines. He traveled the world basing out of either Houston, TX or New Orleans, LA. One of his sisters recalled going to the Pierre airport at Christmas to pick Andy up when he came home from New Orleans. The three people on that plane included Andy and two nuns. They deboarded arm in arm singing “Feliz Navidad”.

Fort Pierre was always home for Andy. Eventually he found his way back. He married Kay Jean Anderson. The couple would later divorce but remained friends until the time of his death.

Andy’s friends were his extended family. He would do anything for them; and they in turn returned the favor.

Andy’s last few years were spent at the Michael J. Fitzmaurice South Dakota Veterans Home in Hot Springs. It is a beautiful facility, and the family is so thankful for the care he received there. Right after he moved in, he told family members, “I never thought I’d say I was glad I was in Vietnam; but I’m thankful it resulted in my being able to stay here”.

Andy is the first of his five siblings to go. He is survived by sisters Linda White and Janet Ricketts, his brothers Robert “Bob” (Jean) Ricketts, and William “Bill” (Audry) Ricketts, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, George, and Lola Ricketts.

He dreamed of returning home to Fort Pierre and was adamant that he be buried there. He is home now. Andy’s last words to a family member resonate with most of us, “you always think you’ll have more time”. We all do. Sail away Andy, you are free.

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