Ricky was a quiet and introspective man who preferred intimate moments spent alone or with a few close friends. He was imaginative, intelligent and sensitive. He hated conflict and growing up, spent time mediating between his younger siblings, trying to establish peace and order. Ricky was also uncomfortable being the center of attention but enjoyed participating in social events from the fringes. A daydreamer with a practical side, Ricky had a natural talent for working with his hands.
Ricky was proud to say he was born September 28, 1960, in the big state of Texas. It’s ironic that he was born in a small hospital in the city of Beeville to parents, Lieutenant jg Richard P. Alberts, Sr. (Rick) and Helen M. Alberts. In the 60’s, fathers were rarely present in the delivery room but that wasn’t an option for Rick Senior. He was hands-on during the delivery of his first-born son, Richard Paul Alberts, Jr.
Shortly before Ricky’s first birthday, the family moved to San Diego where Helen gave birth to Ricky’s younger brother, Michael (Mike), on September 21, 1961. Three years later, his sister Christine (Chrissy), was born, also in the month of September. The family resided in sunny San Diego for the next seven years.
In December of 1970, the Alberts family moved back to Oregon to be closer to Helen’s parents since Richard Senior had “unaccompanied” orders to serve in the Philippines for a year. Rick fulfilled his promise to the kids and purchased a house with a basement. It was a huge house on Valley View Drive and it was while living here that Ricky met Greg Ellison and Kevin Beach, two boys who would remain his life-long friends. The family of four rattled around in the house until Richard Senior returned to Portland in December of 1971 and rejoined his family.
A year later, new orders came in for Ricky’s dad and the family moved once again, this time across the ocean to Honolulu, Hawaii. With no other family around, the three kids stayed close to each other in their new home. They had traded a basement for a built in pool and warm weather. In 1976, Rick retired from the Navy and the family moved back to Oregon where they have remained ever since.
Ricky was creative and curious as both a child and as an adult. He qualified for the Gifted Child program in California, had a natural talent for science, math and music but was never very interested in sports while growing up. He played baseball and learned to play several instruments, including clarinet, trumpet, guitar and trombone but he enjoyed playing drums the most.
Ricky was an active participant in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and as he grew up, his hobbies included anything to do with cars and building and flying remote control airplanes. He was also a huge ham and CB radio enthusiast. Had he been born 10 years later, he would have been a full-fledged computer geek. As it was, Ricky could always be found in front his “command center,” settled comfortably in his plush leather chair in front of his computer with his CB, ham radio and TV within reach.
Ricky attended high school in both Hawaii and Oregon and graduated in 1978 from Tigard High School. His favorite class was auto shop and he enjoyed drafting class. He was most comfortable tearing car engines apart and rebuilding them and was known to keep a car part or two around as a momento. His customized Monte Carlo was a particular source of pride.
In the early 1980’s, Chrissy introduced Ricky to one of her best friends, Deadea Coss, and in June of 1986, Ricky married Deadea in Beaverton, Oregon. They had one daughter, Lindsey, who was born in 1988. The family lived in Metzger for several years, in a house located less than a mile away from the place Ricky’s grandparents lived in for many years. Ricky and Deadea divorced a few years later. Despite rumors spread by his daughter (as a joke at work), there are no grandchildren.
Ricky followed in his father’s footsteps right out of high school and joined the Navy but military life wasn’t for him; he only served a few years before returning to civilian life. The majority of his career was spent working in Logistics in a variety of positions. The majority of his career was spent working for Circle AW and he worked for Intel for almost 2 years. His last job was Warehouse Manager for Azimuth Communications.
Although Ricky made his first Holy Communion in Catholic Church, he didn’t maintain any formal church affiliation. He was very spiritual and believed in a higher power. He told his daughter, Lindsey, that one night he woke up one night to find his Grandma Pillster sitting at the foot of his bed. In 1997, Ricky was devastated when Richard Senior died from cancer at the age of 63. As a junior and the oldest child, Ricky idolized his father and never completely recovered from the loss.
Ricky died peacefully at home in bed while watching TV.
He is survived by his mother, Helen Alberts, his brother, Michael A. Alberts, his sister Christy Schuck, and his daughter, Lindsey Alberts Bourgeous.
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