Frederic "Ric" Leo Mahaffey, Jr

Frederic Leo “Ric” Mahaffey, Jr. age 80 of Indianapolis, IN passed away peacefully in hospice care on March 26. He was the son of Frederic “Fred” and Elinor (Kirby) Mahaffey, Sr. and was preceded in death by his brother Tom and sisters Ellie and Marilyn. He is survived by his sisters Dalene and Reenie.

Ric graduated from St. Joan of Arc grade school and Scecina Memorial High School. He attended St. Edwards College. He served in the US Army Reserves. Rick was a top salesman for Panasonic and Sylvania Hi-Fi electronics in the 1970s and was a custom home builder on the east coast until returning to Indianapolis where he worked in sales for KITE, Inc. and was President of Gates Company. Ever the entrepreneur he was ‘flipping’ houses before it was a thing and continued until his departure from the world. He enjoyed restoring classic cars in a similar way.

Ric also had a string of restaurants including the 5th Quarter, Center Court, Kelly and Cohen's Delicatessen and a catering business that was known for amazing ribs and would be present at various festivals.

His love of entertaining was legendary as were the parties he and Cathy hosted. He was a gourmet-level chef and had a love for wine and boating. Those passions were combined on the “floating condo”, the 1954 Chris-Craft yacht he and Cathy lovingly restored and kept in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He led the family on many adventures including skiing and the legendary “Camp Cohasset”. In stride with his love of the unique, he found a small island on a glacial lake in northern Indiana that was a retreat for the family for many years.

Memberships include St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, White River Yacht Club and the American Legion Broad Ripple post.

Rick is survived by his wife; Cathy Wiggs Mahaffey and his children; Frederic (Kimberly) Mahaffey III, James Casey (Emily) Mahaffey and Garrett (Kelsey) Mahaffey. Grandchildren include Jackson and Kiley, Aidan and Marla Rose, Garrett, Sylvie and Juniper Stilley.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 4217 Central Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana 46205 on Friday April 16 at 1:00 pm with the calling from 12:00-1:00.

Leppert Mortuary, Nora Chapel assisting with funeral arrangements. You are invited to visit the website www.leppertmortuary.com to share a memory of Rick or arrange for a memorial contribution to Food for the Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073.