Pearl "Wayne" Ricks

Pearl “Wayne” Ricks, 80, of Benedict Lake, Minn., died Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, at home.

Wayne was born Oct. 20, 1942, the youngest of two boys born to Everett and Lillian (Slavens) Ricks in Troy, Mo. Named after his grandfather Pearl Ricks, who had the same birthday, Wayne grew up in Troy, hunting and fishing in Lincoln County. He fished on both the Cuivre River and the Mississippi River, and worked at a filling station in Troy all through high school. After graduating from Buchanan High School in 1960, Wayne worked at McDonald Douglas Aircraft Corporation until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1964. Wayne’s father served as an MP in Europe during WW II. The draft letter Wayne received said, “Your neighbors and friends have selected you to go into service.” Wayne spent eight weeks of boot camp at Fort Leonard “Lost in the” Wood in Missouri, followed by his training to become a heavy equipment mechanic. He spent the next 18 months at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, building roads and airstrips for what the military term called “the push to come in.” During his time in Vietnam, Wayne worked 12-hour days, seven days a week — guarded by the South Korean ROC Marines — with only two days off each month.
Wayne returned to Fort Leonard Wood and received an honorable discharge on March 31, 1970. On April 3, 1970, Wayne married Marilyn Meyer at the Troy Methodist Church. He started working as a mechanic at his uncle’s garage in Troy until he bought the garage. He ran it for 18 years until he sold it and then drove a dump truck for about a year. Wayne then worked as a mechanic at Cuivre River Electric Coop from March 1988 to January 2005, when he retired. In 2005 Wayne and Marilyn bought a home on Benedict Lake — their dream retirement spot. Starting in 1969, Wayne Marilyn would vacation in northern Minnesota, where they spent a lot of time fishing, and fell in love with the place.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 51 years; son Kelly and daughter-in-law Lynette; and two grandchildren, Kayla and Wyatt Ricks. He was preceded in death by his brother, Gerald, in 1960; his parents; and other relatives.

Wayne’s hobbies were ice racing, rebuilding antique tractors and pulling them, fishing and hunting, feeding the deer and squirrels, and whitefish netting. He was a lifetime member of VFW Post 8828 in Troy and a member of Walker Legion Post 134. His military decorations include the Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal. He qualified as an expert marksman at Fort Leonard Wood.

A celebration of Wayne's life, and full military honors, will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at the Walker Legion Club basement meeting hall, in Walker. Arrangements provided by Whispering Pines Funeral Home of Walker, Minn., (www.whisperingpinesnorth.com)

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