Rickey Booth

James Rickey Booth went to heaven on December 26, 2025 at the age of 77. He was born November 18, 1948 in Bessemer, Alabama. He moved to Houston, Texas in 1954. Rickey met Judy Ebel in September, 1964 and they were married May 10, 1968.

Rick entered the Navy June 25, 1968. He went to boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, Damage Control “A” school in Philadelphia, and was assigned to the USS Enterprise December 23, 1968. He served on the Big E until April 14, 1972 when he became a member of the reserve. He was discharged from the U. S. Navy April 11, 1974. During his years in the Navy he achieved the rank of Damage Controllman 2nd Class. He did two tours in Vietnam and was a member of a Task Force off the coast of North Korea. He crossed the equator four times. He was home ported in Alameda, California and Norfolk, Virginia. He visited Subic Bay Philippines, Singapore, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was onboard January 14, 1969 when the Big E was performing sea trials preparing for deployment to Vietnam. There was a fire. Bombs on the jets were overheated and exploded and rockets went off piercing through the deck and exiting just above the waterline. As a Damage Controlman his battle station was the flight deck and he along with hundreds of other sailors put the fire out. He patched the hole in the stern which allowed the Enterprise to return to Hawaii under it’s own power. He received Second Degree burns. Rick was awarded two Navy Achievement Awards. He received the first November 25, 1970 for “single-handedly carried a shipmate to safety”. Rick was awarded the second Navy Achievement Award March 1, 1972 for “organizing a new damage control systems shop and tailored a lightwater Preventative Maintenance System and contributed directly to the safe accomplishment of the ship’s mission”.

Rick returned to Houston and eventually joined the Houston Fire Department in January, 1973 and retired in March, 2004. During his years he served on the pumper, ambulance, and HazMat. Most of his time was served in the downtown area of Houston. Among the more notable fires that he made were Texas Motor Exchange, Redwood Chemical, Dixie Hotel, Englewood Yards, Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 288 tanker truck and Coastal Tower but the biggest fire he ever fought was on the USS Enterprise. He earned an Associate Degree in Fire Science Technology and was rated a Master Firefighter.

Although he was proud of these accomplishments to him the most important part of his life was family. He was married to his soul mate Judy for 57 years. He had two children Kevin and Vickey. He had two grandsons Rickey and Samuel.

As a side line to the HFD he owned several businesses: Rick’s Cycle Shop, Goodlett and Booth Builders, Texas Heritage Pools, Rick’s Rain Gutters, and J & R Restorations. He worked hard his entire life.

After retirement he started restoring classic cars. He did most of the work himself including fabrication and painting. He enjoyed building the cars and traveling in them taking several trips from coast to coast.

Rick is survived by his wife Judy, son Kevin and wife Jennifer, grandsons Rickey and Samuel. He is preceded in death by his daughter Vickey.

A visitation will be held at Cashner Funeral Home, 801 Teas Rd. Conroe, Texas, 77303, on January 4, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

The funeral service will take place in the Cashner Colonial Chapel on January 5, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by a committal service at Garden Park Cemetery.