Rick Abbott
Richard (Rick) Lee Abbott was born on August 21, 1947, in Corvallis, Oregon, to William Henry Abbott and Ethel Marie Moffett. He was the first of three children. He grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1965, in the top 10 of his class. High school was filled with pole vaulting, football, and all kinds of academic, athletic, and leadership awards.
After graduation, he aimed for the stars, aspiring to an astronautical career. He attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where more academic and athletic success ensued, and graduated in 1969, 10th in a class of 670. He ultimately determined that the space program was not promising enough post moon landing. Following graduation, he did a research project with Northrop Aircraft, then pilot training at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Georgia, where he met his wife Sharon Francis Bland, and all the frogs in the road. He then went to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for fighter pilot training. He served in the Vietnam War from 1971 – 1972, during which time he narrowly escaped death when he was shot down into the South China Sea and picked up by a USS Destroyer before being approached by a Vietnamese ship.
He was married to Sharon on July 30, 1972. They honeymooned in Germany, the first of many future international trips. He was then stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii where they lived for four years. While in Hawaii, he went scuba diving, built a stereo just for fun, and got a master’s degree in business administration. Although he had become a captain in the Air Force, his desire to be captain of his own life led him to leave the military. So without any connections to the area, he and Sharon moved to Santa Rosa in 1976 to begin a family and a new career.
Once in Santa Rosa, Rick and Sharon became involved in the Jaycees, a leadership training and civic organization. There, they created a new community and a lifelong friend group.
Rick was highly involved in the lives of his children, Nicholas Kingon and Ashley Elise. He coached their soccer and baseball teams; led camping, climbing, and backpacking trips; imbued his high moral values, and tried to get them to understand their math homework. He later extended this involvement to his four grandchildren, faithfully attending their many soccer games.
Rick began his career as a personal financial advisor with Dean Witter and remained steadfastly committed to his clients and the evolving company until retirement in 2014. He was beloved by his clients for his integrity, honesty, and calm demeanor. When the industry started charging a higher fee for managing assets, he didn’t increase his fees, saying that he was content financially, and didn’t feel right charging more to his clients.
After retirement, Rick led a campaign against non-hosted short term rentals and their evil intrusion on local neighborhoods, such as his own. He also served on the Board of Catholic Charities from 2015 – 2022, including a three-year term as president. His financial expertise, leadership, and determination were instrumental in making Caritas Village a reality.
Rick was a curious and lifelong learner, teaching himself languages and instruments, even recalling information learned in high school, much to the annoyance of the weaker minded among him. He was a walking dictionary of local flora and fauna, birds, and wildlife. He quietly worked on personal goals and challenges, such as summiting the high peaks in each of California’s 58 counties – which he accomplished! (Apart from three peaks on private property.) His favorite place was atop a mountain. He was someone you could seek advice from and get a thoughtful honest opinion. He was direct and didn’t mind ruffling feathers. Later in life, he pursued woodworking, crafting beautiful and intricate pieces out of everything he touched. He showed his love for others by learning about their personal interests and making them his own. His love of family and adventure took him as far away as Ethiopia and India. He had an ease with sleep envied by many. Probably because worry and stress had no residence in his brilliant mind.
In January, Rick was climbing mountains. In May, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And on September 7, he left this beautiful broken world. In many ways, he faced mortality like he faced life – by gathering information, becoming an expert, earning the admiration of those around him, accepting reality, maintaining optimism, and defying the odds. But one stark difference stood out: in life he needed answers. In death, he embraced the mystery, ultimately allowing the Maker of the stars to be his captain.
Alas, what was possible a second ago is now left undone – the Porsche he never got to own, the inside passage of Alaska never explored… His unfulfilled dreams have been left behind with us – Sharon, the love of Rick’s life and wife of 52 years, as well as his two children Nick (Sarah) and Ashley (Hardik). Grandpa Rick relished his role to Sammy, Johnny, Kamya and Alisha. He is also survived by his siblings Sherry (Kent) Sanders of Reno and Bruce (Jane) Abbott of Santa Monica. Although he gave up on space, he never stopped reaching for the stars. And now we look to those stars and are reminded of him.
Please join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Rick on Sunday, October 6, at 2:00 at Trione Vineyards & Winery. (RSVP here.) One way the family invites you to honor Rick is by making a charitable donation to Caritas Village in care of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa.* (You can also try doing Sunday’s New York Times crossword puzzle.)
*Donations can be made online via the button below, or by mail at P.O. Box 4900, Santa Rosa, California 95402. (If done online, please indicate that it is a tribute gift in memory of Rick. Catholic Charities will automatically notify Sharon of your gift, so there is no need for you to request that she be notified.)