Keith Hunter Ricketson

Keith Hunter Ricketson passed away peacefully on October 8, 2025, in Atlanta, GA after a long illness. Keith was born at Morton Hospital in Taunton, MA on April 14, 1955, the second born son of four boys to Carol G. and Robert B. Ricketson Sr., brother to Robert B. Ricketson Jr, Jon C. Ricketson, and Mark P. Ricketson.

Keith was the beloved husband of Amy (Crawford) and proud father to their daughter, Anya Janet Ricketson. Keith’s eyes sparkled at the mere mention of Anya’s name. He adored her and celebrated her every success of which there are many.

Keith’s happy childhood home at 6 Edwards Ave. was where sandlot football and baseball games were played in Gram’s back yard. Memories of homemade bread, cookies and root beer were savored. Across the street was Grampy’s metal spinning shop where much was learned and pocket money earned. Anticipated visits by his New York cousins were relished. Adventures down the old cranberry bog brought much fun and mischief.

Keith’s childhood summers were spent on Cape Cod at Gramma and Papa Schmidt’s cottage. Wonderful summer days were spent with cousins and local friends. Boat rides on Winnie the Pooh, water skiing, swimming, digging clams, and crabbing were all centered around Follins Pond at the end of Bass River. All-day fishing charters out of Rock Harbor in Orleans, MA on the Columbia later became an annual tradition.

Industrious and self-reliant as a young boy, Keith had a neighborhood paper route which he delivered faithfully early mornings before school. Working diligently to save his earnings, Keith purchased a purple Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle as well as a small motorboat that he used on Follin’s Pond.

During the summers of eighth and ninth grades Keith attended PCC (Project Contemporary Competitiveness) at Bridgewater State College, an educational enrichment program serving to cement lifelong friendships.

A volunteer during his teen years at “On the Corner” teenage drop-in center in Whitington, Keith exhibited an awareness of and dedication to his community. Keith also helped to launch the People for the Arts program in Taunton, focused on bringing arts to the community and most notably concerts at Memorial Park. Keith could often be seen driving a VW Beetle or camper van back then.

Music was essential for Keith. A member of a small high school rock band, he attended the legendary 1973 Watkins Glen Music Festival with his brothers. The Grateful Dead headlined this concert, and a forever devotee Keith would be.

Keith initially attended Taunton High School, but graduated from the White Mountain School in New Hampshire, an independent boarding school where Keith flourished in the heart of Franconia Notch. Keith would proudly recount his favorite high school adventure - a senior class trip where Keith and fellow classmates canoed the full length of the Connecticut River from north to south. A cross-country road trip in his late teens rounded out his adventurous nature. Keith attended Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. He also frequented UMass in Amherst to visit friends and brothers.

Keith’s early work experience at Paul A. Dever State School in Taunton, MA would influence his professional career. A defender of all and especially our most vulnerable, over the course of his extensive career Keith developed and championed programs for people with disabilities, dedicating his career to advocating for the betterment of support systems and living arrangements.

Over the course of his 70 years Keith resided in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, California and lastly, Georgia. He was a quiet observer and deep thinker, loving, kind, and caring. He was a son, brother, husband, uncle, and best friend to many. Keith is survived by his father Robert B. Ricketson Sr., wife Amy, daughter Anya, and brothers Robert B. Ricketson Jr., Jon C. Ricketson, Mark P. Ricketson, as well as many nieces and nephews and numerous cousins. He is and will be missed…