Richard Glenn Fentress, 68, of Falls of Rough passed away Sunday, July 12 after a brief illness.
Ricky was born to the late Anna Lee Critchelow and Clinton Fentress. He and his 7 siblings had an adventurous childhood, which led to some wild stories, a few broken bones, a lot of lake time, and Ricky shooting his brother in the eye with a suction bow and arrow.
His Tom Cruise looks caught the attention of Karen, the woman Ricky was lucky enough to convince to marry him. She spent the next 42 years nagging him, loving him, and taking the best possible care of him, even when she burned the biscuits. There is comfort in knowing he is now reunited with the “prettiest girl in the world.”
Anytime you asked Ricky what he’d been up to, he quickly replied, “I’ve been workin my ass off.” Ricky and Karen raised two boys- Matthew and Ryan- and Ricky taught them that same strong work ethic. He also passed along the power of a good cuss word, the proper timing of a smart ass comeback, and the importance of getting every detail exactly the way you want it before you move to the next job.
He never hesitated to treat his boy’s friends the same way – putting them to work and hollering at them without hesitation. Before arriving at his house, they would get a check in on what mood he was in so they could gauge how hard of a time they could give him.
Ricky’s favorite titles were Grandpa and Pampaw. In his old age, his grandchildren mellowed him and brought out a side the grumpy old man had never shown before. He constantly showered his grandkids with donuts, handmade trinkets, pink lemonade, or anything that would get an extra hug out of them.
It was once said about Ricky, “you had to love him to like him,” and we’d be remiss to dispute that statement. Despite it all, we were reminded multiple times over the last few weeks that many people did indeed love him.
Thank you to those of you who left your doors unlocked and allowed Ricky an open invitation to stroll through them anytime he pleased. Dropping in unexpectedly on his favorite people brought him more joy than you likely realize in the years since Karen’s passing. We will miss hearing the unexpected squeak of a door and “anybody home?” in the future.
Ricky is proceeded in death by his wife, Karen Fentress, his parents Anna Lee Critchelow and Clinton Fentress, and his father in law, Charles Fentress.
He is survived by his sons and their wives, Matthew and Rackel, and Ryan and Dayna, and his six grandchildren- Hayden, Hadley, Rylee, Sutton, Grayson and Reagan. His brothers and their spouses, Wayne and Vicky, Greg and Debbie, Dobie and Norma, and Bruce Fentress, his sisters and their spouses Peggy Meriwether, Patty and Perry Lee, and Pam and Barry Hart, along with Butch Meriwether, and many nieces and nephews.
Ricky’s life will be honored Tuesday evening from 4:00 – 8:00 pm and from 8:30 am Wednesday morning at Trent Dowell Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 am at St Anthony Catholic Church with burial in the church cemetery. A prayer service will be held on Tuesday at 7:30 PM.
Expressions of sympathy are suggested to St. Romuald School.