Robert A. Ricker, Jr., age 57, of Wayne, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, November 4, 2017.

Bob was born in Annapolis, Maryland to Dorothy and Robert A. Ricker, Sr. His family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, then to Valdosta, Georgia in 1965 where Bob was raised. He attended Lowndes Junior and Senior High School in Valdosta where he participated in many competitions, festivals and concerts. Because Bob was exceptionally tall, he was often asked why he didn’t play basketball. His typical response was “Because the cheerleaders are all on the band bus.” He graduated high school with the Class of 1978 and, after one year at the University of Maine, Bob quickly concluded that the weather was too cold. He shifted gears and, in 1982, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. After reporting for boot camp in San Diego Bob was sent to the Armed Forces School of Music in Virginia and soon-after he became a member of the Marine Corps Band where he was stationed in New Orleans. An extremely talented musician, Bob played saxophone, tuba, and string bass. While touring with the band, he was honored to play bass with famous American clarinetist Pete Fountain at a performance at Mt. Rushmore. There he also received a standing ovation for singing Lee Greenwood’s famous song “Proud to be an American.” Bob loved to tell stories about flying to concert locations in a C-130 plane and, for his service to his country, he was honored with two letters of appreciation, a certificate of appreciation, the Good Conduct Medal, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

After being honorably discharged from the Marines in 1985, Bob remained in his beloved New Orleans where he attended and graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in May, 1993. Bob supported himself by doing what he did so well – playing his guitar and singing along and telling jokes. He was so good at it, he was even billed “The Funniest White Boy on Bourbon Street.” Later Bob became part of The Bob and Dick Show along with his funny-man counterpart Dick Hughs. They kept everyone laughing in the French Quarter until 1995 when Bob was ready for a new adventure. He spent the next eighteen months in St. Thomas and, in the fall of 1997 he moved to New York City where he worked as an optician for Gruen Optica in Manhattan and East Hampton, NY. There he made many friends including Lynn Brescia in 1998. They fell in love and were married on June 6, 1999 settling in the Pines Lake area of Wayne, NJ and Amagansett, NY. Bob received his New Jersey real estate license in 2000 and greatly enjoyed working for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in the Wyckoff/Franklin Lakes Regional Office alongside his wife Lynn Brescia as her online marketing expert and photographer.

Bob possessed a tremendously active spirit. He enjoyed long cross-country motorcycle trips, including a ride to Alaska where he met his brother-in-law for a continued trip together to the Arctic Circle. There were also the annual trips to Mardi Gras to catch up with old friends, and frequent trips to Broadway where he always liked to sit in one of the first three rows to see the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall where he loved the Rockettes and swears that one of them winked at him. The tickets for this year were already purchased. Bob also loved to sail so he spent lots of hours on his Hobie Cat sailing around Gardiners Island and last year taking a sail with his good buddy Aaron Romaine around the Statue of Liberty from Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Around Thanksgiving you could always find Bob frying lots of turkeys for his family but also many for his friends. You could be sure that his precious “Pumpkins” – his beloved Shih Tzu’s Pearl, Bruno, Bubba and Lulu would be by his side angling for a piece of that delicious turkey.

Bob will be greatly missed by all his Pines Lake friends who he would see while walking the lake, always greeting everyone with a huge smile and a warm hello.

Bob was the beloved husband of Lynn Brescia of Wayne, with whom he shared nineteen years of divine happiness and laughs, and her daughter Noelle Brescia, who he affectionately called Boo Boo, of Pompton Plains, NJ; loving son of Dorothy and Robert Ricker, Sr. of Clermont, Florida; dear brother of Michael Ricker and wife Christine and their daughters Ryeigh and Aly of Mount Dora, Florida, and Terri Martin of Winter Garden, Florida; loving nephew of Audrey Warren and Lucille Dickerson, both of Maryland; loving uncle of Megan Brashears of NYC, Michele Townsend and partner Kenneth Webb and their daughter Serenity of Anniston, Alabama, Crystal Shaw of Colorado Springs CO, Rachel and husband Danny Lauretta of Wayne, NJ, and Bjorn Holmgren and wife Sunshine of Wantage, NJ; dear son-in-law of Brooks Scholz of Wayne, NJ; dear brother-in-law of Mary Holmgren of Wayne, NJ, and Claire Shaw and husband Ike of Florissant, Colorado; and dear friend to many in Long Island, NY and friends in Georgia who just visited in late October.

A light has gone out but, because you touched so many people while you were here, we will pay it forward. You will be in our hearts forever.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Bob Ricker’s name are asked to consider The Carter Center at One Copenhill, 453 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia, 30307 (cartercenter.org), or The SYTA Youth Foundation, Attention Hazel Mejia, 8400 West Park Drive 2nd floor, McLean, Virginia 22102 (sytayouthfoundation.org)