March 24, 1951 – Oct. 28, 2019

Rick left us for his home with the Lord and a better place following a months-long battle with cancer. He grew up and lived his entire life in La Crescenta and Montrose, except for a brief time in Colorado. As a young adult, he coached Little League teams and often treated his team to games at Dodger Stadium. He was an avid Dodgers fan.

Growing up in the ’60s, Rick always wore his hair long. When he worked with his dad, Art, as jerky peddlers he wore a wig by day and sported a ponytail at night.

A most caring person, he was well known in the early ’80s as one of the friendly faces at Tricky Rick’s, a popular Honolulu Avenue bar, where he was a personable co-owner with his cousin, Larry Lousen. It was like La Crescenta’s Cheers, where everyone would meet and share good times and where Rick met the love of his life, Nancy. After the bar closed in 1984, the party and good times continued at the home of Rick and Nancy – playing pool, throwing horseshoes, enjoying a beer and friendship.

For over 15 years, he worked at Queen of Angels Hospital in the mechanic/engineering department where his ability to fix and figure out just about anything came in very handy, and he was known as the man who could hang anything. He was voted the most valuable employee of the month and of the year several times and became an ambassador of the Hospital.

His mom’s love of gardening rubbed off on Rick creating his passion for roses and tomatoes. Rick liked to make people feel special by taking the time to warmly address them and frequently presented them with Mr. Lincoln roses or pear tomatoes, both from his garden.

Gardening and giving were his two biggest passions. He was generous and kind-hearted and lit up a room with his quick-witted humor and jokes – there was never a bad day with Rick around. Vacationing by both tent and RV always included water whether it be a lake, stream, river or ocean, but stream fishing in the High Sierra was his favorite.

Rick is survived by his wife and partner of 35 years, Nancy Pepitone; stepdaughter Kristen (Eddie) Wheatley; granddaughter Vivian; mother Trudy; brother Roger; sisters Jan (Carl) Siechert and Maggie (Steve) Bowles; two nieces, a nephew, their children and many cousins. His father, Art, preceded him in death.

A celebration of life will be held on Nov. 23 at the home of Rick and Nancy, 2520 Piedmont Ave. in Montrose. A short memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite veterans charity.

Directors: Crippenmortuary.com