How do I put our dad in a paragraph?
Our dad was bigger than life and, over a lifetime, he was an adventurer, a do-er, a gypsy, an off-grid-liver, a jack-of-all-trades, a traveler, a sailor, a fisherman, whistle train builder, a hunter, a sappy-card-writer, a cheesy-message-leaver, the hardest worker, a life-liver, a groupie, a camper, a builder, a mechanic, a dancer, a high-kicker, a concrete master, an artist, a fun grandpa, a farmer, a livestock tender, a satellite constructor, a Montana boy, an honoree Hawaiian, a lover of the land, the helper of all people, a teacher, the light in a room, a mentor, a solutions king, an advice-giver, a not-an-advice-taker, a provider, a joker, a midnight toker, master of most, a dreamer, a maker-of-dreams, a master surpriser, a friend, a son, a brother, a husband, a partner, and a dad. There are not a lot of people who lived as much in 63.87 years, but in that amount of time, our dad put his mark on most of America. I can also say with certainty that most or all of the stories we have of our dad will make a jaw drop, bring a smile to your face, or both.
Ricky Lynn Richerson, 63, was born to Gladys and John Henry Richerson in April of 1961. He is the first born to their pack of a yours, mine and ours situation that was seemingly never ending by the time they had eight kids in their brood. The stories of Rick and his siblings growing up on the west side of Great Falls are quite colorful and will leave you full of disbelief and laughter. He told stories of working alongside his brothers in John Henry’s shop fixing cars and causing mayhem. He spoke fondly of his family's ability to always help and think of others despite their own large family to feed. Most of his stories were filled with adventures that involved his brothers Gary and Terry. From a young age they had an entrepreneurial spirit and if they weren’t working in the shop, they were working hard at one of their many side hustles or cruising around in one of their sweet hot rods. Among these boys there was never a lack of ambition, work ethic, and respect, which was instilled and expected in their families as time went on. He was gifted in the art of hustle, and this took him on many adventures across the United States finding work and chasing a dream. He proudly boasted tales of winning best legs at a Fort Lauderdale beach side contest. He told stories of standing next to concrete plants and chasing concrete trucks down and asking if they needed a hand to get money and experience. This led him to become a master of the craft he loved the most.
In 1983, fate (and a fender bender) brought Genevieve Gordon into his life when she backed into his truck. Lucky for her, he was just the guy to fix it—and the rest was history. They married and built a family together, welcoming Zerick in 1986, Katie in 1988, and Zarin Jon in 1991. As they built their family, Rick continued to hone his craft, run large jobs on Malmstrom Air Force base and eventually bought land and moved to Ulm. As time went on, he built multiple businesses that brought some of the first technology that was the latest and greatest form of concrete artistry to Montana. You can still see these pieces of art in places like the Great Falls Holiday Inn and the Great Falls airport. As time went on, the business pulled him to training and opportunities across the country. In 2002 Rick and Genevieve parted ways, and Rick continued his adventures doing jobs from Canada to Mexico and New Hampshire to Maui. He built pools, grottos, waterfalls and caves; he poured patios, stamped concrete, decorative overlays, created every kind of landscaping rock you can imagine. Zerick fondly recalls walking in to find his dad sculpting a mermaid out of concrete, chuckling while trying to get her breasts just perfect. His obsession with rock formations was contagious, and any road trip through a canyon or mountain pass turned into a conversation about the incredible things he could recreate.
In 2005, after the tragic loss of his brother and business partner, Rick reassessed his path. He reconnected with Cindy Macek, and together they set out to build a life. He was invited by the Maui Landscape Association to train contractors in creating rock features without disturbing nature—something he took great pride in. The island life captured his heart, and soon he and Cindy made it home, relocating with her daughters, Teyia-Linn and Torie. He fell in love with island life and the endless work he could do there. Over the years, the rest of us visited or did short living stints with dad and Cindy to see what this island life was all about. It was beautiful, and it wasn’t hard to see why he loved to be in such a breathtaking place. Between jobs they spent time at their home in Great Falls to be closer to the kids and get to spend time in the other state that was so dear to his heart. As the years went on, and his kids started having kids, Rick decided he needed to start working on getting back home to be closer to his grandkids and family.
Over the last 3 years, he took a lot more jobs in Montana and was able to spend more time with their loved ones. He proudly told people that he came back to help build his daughter’s business in a time that contractors were incredibly scarce and expensive. He was amazing in this process and I will forever be grateful for the time I was able to spend with him while he built my coffee shop. We have now been open for a year and I will forever be expecting him to walk through the back door in a surprise visit to catch up over coffee and a bowl of soup. Living with your dad as an adult is an interesting journey, but I would not have had it any other way as I saw Owen get to spend time with his grandpa and build a bond. He loved referring to his stays at the 5-star where Justin made the best Manhattans and together Katie and Justin created delicious home cooked meals nightly. The late night story sessions and getting to share our table every night will be moments that I treasure forever.
Since he always had a million things going on, he regularly did jobs with Zerick and ZJ, pouring concrete with them when they needed help. This partnership culminated in the perfect way when it came time to pour the coffee shop foundation and drive through. The whole family was there, it felt just like old times, and Ricky got to see the ambition and drive he passed down to his children being put into practice. You could see the pride in Rick’s eyes on those days that he got to work side by side with his sons and he regularly told them how great they have gotten with their craft.
After this last trip to settle things in Maui, Rick and Cindy’s goal was to be back full time to completely immerse themselves into their Grandma and Grandpa life. He excitedly talked about getting to work with Zerick and Z.J. full time, watch his granddaughter Kash wrestle, go to Kiley’s basketball games, build things with Owen, snuggle baby Scotlyn, and work on projects with his brother Gary. We are all so thankful that he got to meet Scotty right before he left this last time. He bought a boat and a camper and was ready to do all the grandpa things with the kids. Our hearts break that this dream will never come to fruition, but we are all so grateful for the time we had with our dad, the knowledge and work ethic he instilled in us, and that he was ours. He was a man who had an impact on so many and he will forever be missed by the people who loved him. Our fathers passing was on the morning of March 12th, 2025. He was a brother, he was a son, he was a partner, he was a friend, he was a grandpa, he was the master of most, he was our dad.
He is survived in death by his Son Zerick Richerson(Whitney, Kashius, Scotlyn), Daughter Katie Flint(Justin, Owen), Son Z.J. Richerson(Kiley), partner of 21 years Cindy Macek(Teyia-Linn and Torie), Mother of his Children Genevieve Gordon, Brother Gary Richerson(Ronda), Randy Pieper(Vin), Jay Richerson(Deb), Sister Judy Kenmir, Sister Vicky O’hara(Jim), and a slew of cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Gladys and John Henry Richerson, Brother Terry Richerson. Our comfort in knowing that he was welcomed home with open arms to his mom, dad and brother is the best feeling we have to hold on to during this devastating time.
Services will be announced at a later date once Ricky can be returned home to Montana.
