Ray Harvey Rickard

Aug. 4, 1948 - May 3, 2014

Ray passed from this world during the early morning hours of May 3, 2014, doing what he loved best. You would never have guessed that Ray was three months shy of his 66th birthday as he was 1,400 miles into a 3,000 mile bike ride across the continent. Ray was blessed with the fortune of dying peacefully in his sleep. He is survived by his wife Charmaine, son Jarrod, daughter-in-law Amanda, grandson Noah and honorary grandson Christopher. Nobody appreciated life and all it had to offer more than Ray. Although he found purpose in his work as a psychologist at NNCC, work was not his purpose. Ray always made time for his family and pursuit of the hobbies he enjoyed most. Ray came into this world on August 4, 1948, in Miles City, Montana. As a young man, Ray earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and enlisted in the Air Force. If you asked Ray, enlisting was one of the smartest decisions he made as it afforded him the chance to earn a master’s degree and started him on the path to meeting his true love while stationed at Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, South Dakota. Ray married his love on May 24, 1975. Three years later, they and their new son relocated to Pierre, South Dakota and later to Carson City, Nevada. If you knew Ray, you knew that he had a habit of telling anyone that would listen how much he thought of Carson City. For him, the community, people in it (including his many friends), and wide selection of outdoor recreation were nothing short of perfection. In the wintertime, Ray would be seen skiing the slopes of Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak,Heavenly or others and volunteering his time with the Junior Ski Program. In the summertime, he was on his bicycle, many times with friends from the Alta Alpina bicycle club or volunteering as part of the Bike Patrol at Spooner State Park. Ray also enjoyed volunterring to help build hiking trails in the hills outside Carson and spending time with friends from the First United Methodist Church. Although their hearts ache and they will miss him, Ray’s family finds peace in the fact that his restless heart will never be stuck with a reluctant body. When they see him again, Ray’s family plans to tell him what it was like living to be old and ask him what it was like living every day.In lieu of flowers, you may donate to Muscle Powered: Citizens for a Bikeable snd Walkable Carson City in Ray’s memory. Address: P.O. Box 2402 Carson City, NV 89702.