Ricardo "Ricky" Riley

Ricardo Darnell Riley was born on July 4th, 1967 to the union of Ronald Riley, Sr. and Gloria Dean Hubbard. His father died when Ricardo was just 8 years old, but he was blessed with a bonus dad when his mom met Roy Harris. Ricardo loved Roy as if he were his own biological dad and was happy to call on him whenever he needed fatherly advice. Ricardo was preceded in death by his mother and both of his fathers, his brother, Ronald Jr.; and his son, JaQues. Ricardo was a Christian. He confessed his life to Christ (several times… LOL) at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. He loved to watch the live church services via the internet on Sunday mornings. Ricardo was affectionately known by many names, such as Gleeky, Big Rick, Rick Da Ruler, Deacon Tito’s, Slick Rick (just to name a few). His immediate family knew him as simply “Ricky.” Ricky had the biggest smile and loved to show it. Whether lovingly joking with you or simply showing admiration, when you saw that smile, you smiled. He was a gentle giant who had no problems showing his emotions. Ricky cared about family and was always the life of the party. Ricky was educated within the St. Louis Public School system. His most memorable times is when he attended Vashon High School. Ricky loved Vashon High School! He would become excited about attending home games and cheering on the athletes. He would travel with his former classmates to support Vashon events. He proudly wore the colors of his alma mater because he thought Vashon was the best. LOL! Ricky began his employment working for the city of St. Louis as a teenager and that was his only job! He devoted 37 years of his life working as a recreation leader. The majority of those years were spent at Tandy’s Recreation Center, his home away from home. Tandy’s was Ricky’s domain. He loved to mentor the neighborhood children and he was known as the “neighborhood Father.” Ricky loved to instill the love of sports and recreation into the minds of the many children who looked to him for guidance. Many of those children have gone on to play professional sports and have lucrative careers. Ricky loved sports. Whether he was watching wrestling on Mondays and Friday nights or attending an alumni game on the weekend, he was mesmerized by anything sports. He was an essential part of the “Midnight Basketball” league during his earlier years in recreation. Ricky was also a proud member of The Hit Squad, St. Louis City Hitters, and the St. Louis Pistons (just to name a few). Ricky loved to travel. He especially loved to travel with his family at their yearly family reunion trips. He would get so excited when it was time to load up on those charter buses as “Dem Hubbards” invaded a new city every August. He couldn’t wait to take his seat in the back of the bus (by the cooler) to gear up to become the comedian of the trip. Ricky would play practical jokes and “play the dozens” with his cousins along the way. The bus trips were the real highlight of the entire family reunion for Ricky. He would brag on his family’s bond and he was so proud to be a Hubbard. Ricky was also known as “The Pit Master.” He loved to BBQ and brag about it, LOL. He would lay out rows of meat on various barrel grills and send pictures via text to show off his skills. Ricky used to BBQ over 2,000 pounds of meat, with the assistance of his friends (The A-Team), in preparation for Carr Square Neighborhood’s “Downtown Day.” He happily performed his task for two main reasons: he loved his favorite Uncle Rodney (the organizer of the event) and he loved his Carr Square neighborhood. Ricky was praised for his time and dedication to “Downtown Day” and there will be a pavilion named in his honor at Loretta Hall Park in Carr Square neighborhood. Ricky always joked that he would never marry and that he loved being a bachelor but all of that changed when he met Miss Cherita Lanell Major. Ricky and Cherita dated for 2 ½ years before marrying on February 14, 1997. Ricky treated Cherita like a queen and she gladly treated him like a king. They loved to party on the weekends and when their kids grew up, they partied as a family. They especially loved the weekends at “The Riley Pub” in their home basement. Those memories will last forever. Ricky departed this life at 5:03 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024. He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife of 27 years, Cherita; his 5 surviving children, Ricardo Jr., Chas, Rodney, Briah (Clyde) and Briahna; 8 grandchildren, Javion, JaNiya, JaQues Jr., Jaylah, Jaylan, Jaliyah, Lily, and Aaliyah; 1 surviving brother, Eric (Leda); 2 nieces, Gloria and Khadijah; 1 nephew, Khaleel; 1 great niece, Tavionna; 1 great-great nephew, Dallas; his sister-in-law, Yolanda (Richard) and his cousin, Daphyne (Antoine) whom he considered sisters; 2 sisters-in-law, Priscilla and Pamela; 2 uncles (whom he loved as mentors), Rodney Sr. (Penny) and Jonas Hubbard III (Faye); twin cousins (whom he considered brothers), Rodney (Shameem) and Rontonyo (Tiffany); and a host of family and friends who will miss him dearly.

Ricardo "Ricky" Riley

July 4, 1967 - April 30, 2024