I was very happily married to Rick Jahns for 53 years.
Rick and I were born miles apart.  How did destiny bring me to the city where Rick lived?  
He was in Minnesota and I was in Idaho.
My family moved to Minnesota when I was an infant.  We moved twice and lived in different parts of the City of Albert Lea.  The parks where he visited were the same ones that I visited.  We had several conversations about being at what park at what time and what we were doing there.
Rick used to play hockey next to my house.
I live next door to a park and in the wintertime the parks department flooded the park with water and it froze into two separate ice skating rinks.  One was for figure skating and one was for Hockey.
The Hockey Rink was surrounded by a barrier.  As I entered the park I had to walk by the hockey rink to get to the figure skating rink.  We wondered how many times I walked right by him.  Maybe he skated by me to get a better look.  Was that why I felt like I knew him?  I trusted him the minute I met him at a party.  He told me that we would get married some day.  We saw each other every day after we met until the football coach told the team that if any player was caught with his girlfriend he would have to blow bubbles in the toilet as the punishment.  When Rick told me that we couldn't see each other I became very upset.  I asked him why he didn't stand up to the coach and tell him it was none of his business what we did outside of school.  Rick said that since he was a co-captain of the team he had to set an example.  It was an important game and the coach wanted no distractions.   Rick's code of ethics impressed me.  
TO BE CONNTINUED

I met Rick in 1972.  I had just joined the Casa Grande Police Dept. Because of my position I was at City Hall often and always made it a point to talk with Rick ass we hit it off right away. 
When Rick left the city and went into the Ins business, I was disappointed because he was a great asset to the city. One evening Rick came to my apartment wanting to talk about my future. He was there too see if I would be interested in changing professions. He asked me how much money I would like to make, at that time my Police pay was $478. I told him if I could make $2000 a month I would be happy. Rick looks at me and tells me that the Ins company couldn't use me Why? Because I hadn't set my goal high enough. I learned from that, I didn't going into the Ins business but what ever I did Rick was in my head. We always had a great relationship. He was a special kind of person. I loved him. 

Rick is my baby brother, by 1 year, and we were so close as kids and at one point people thought we were twins.  I have so many memories that its hard to limit them. Rick was shy, quiet and never seem to get in trouble.   I remember one summer, we were about 10 or 11 and decided to be explorers so made peanut butter sandwiches and hiked a couple miles to Pickerel Lake.  On the way home we went through a pasture and way off we saw a bull and since we weren't wearing the color red..we felt safe and casually walked on. Rick was so smart and he told me he liked to watch people and learn from their mistakes.  Later in life told me that he especially learned a lot from my mistakes.
When he was a teen ager, I thought he looked like Ricky Nelson the movie star and singer. He entered a bike race at the local fair and won. He won a new bike and was entered to race at the Minnesota State Fair. This was our 1st time at the fair, our 1st footlong and seeing Brenda Lee concert. He came in 8th with the bike race but gave it his all.  He was so caring, loving and had such a good sense of humor.  He always had a way of listening to you that made you feel special.
He was a bright and caring soul unlike any other.  I was so blessed and lucky to call him my brother. ♡

One of my favorite memories of Rick (and Dodi) is when Juli and I were roommates in college.  At the end of their every visit, we would get to play our own version of the game show "Supermarket Sweep". Just a they were leaving town, we'd go to the local grocery store, and they would pay for anything we could grab and get to the check out lane in 10 minutes.  Juli and I would go racing through the store trying to load up our carts with as much  "college" foods as we could.  I tell so many people this story... it is a memory I will cherish forever.  ❤

I knew Rick in high school.  My best memory was when he gave me a ride in his Model A.  He was so proud of that car. So happy that his sister in law Susan has been working on restoring it.  Now that I live in AZ I'll have to hitch a ride again with her. Rick was a gentle giant and had a wonderful smile and I don't think he ever met a stranger. Always was friendly and kind to everyone.

OBITUARY

Richard Chester Jahns

November 20, 1946 – December 7, 2020

Valley of the Sun Mortuary & Cemetery

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services