Rickie D Whitman Obituary (1956 - 2014)

Rickie D. (Slick Rick) Whitman, 57 of Houston, Texas and formerly of Jacksonville, Florida passed away on Wednesday, April 2, 2014. He was born in Dothan Alabama to Myrtice L. Hughes-Smith, and the late Shelby B. Whitman. He is survived by his wife, Ava Fulford-Whitman, two sons, Christopher (Tabitha) Whitman of Chesapeake, VA, Adam Whitman of Houston, TX, one daughter, Kristin (Joshua) Pete of Charleston, SC, eight grandchildren, Brandon, Kyle, Hayden and Gavin Whitman all of Chesapeake VA, Isabella, Carson, Siena and Eden Pete all of Charleston, SC, three brothers, Michael "Whit" (Robin) Whitman of Houston, Texas, Wayne (Alice) Whitman of Pansey, Alabama, Gary (Shawnee) Whitman of Dallas, Texas, one sister, Rita (Patrick) Walters of Dothan, Alabama, several nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews and four beloved pets, Basil, Lil Girl, Chica and Scooter. He was a very dedicated and loving family man. He had worked for Prime Controls in the Houston branch since January, 2011. Prior to that, he had served eight years in the US Navy, and after that he worked for the Civil Service as a QA/QC lead over the Aircraft Maintenance in Jacksonville, Florida, where he retired after 38 years of service. Rick's role in the Houston office of Prime Controls was to manage the panel shop, and assist with the facilities management role. For the short time he was with Prime Controls, he made a huge impact. He was a hard worker, an extremely dedicated employee with strong integrity, and took tremendous pride in his work. Rickie was an avid deep sea fisherman and loved spending his spare time at sea, or on the closest body of water, fishing with his children, grandchildren, brothers, family, friends and co-workers. He also loved cooking what he caught and sharing it with family, friends and neighbors. Memorial services in Houston, Texas, Dothan, Alabama, Madisonville, Kentucky and Jacksonville, Florida with interment of ashes at sea in Jacksonville, (Mayport) Florida are all pending. Arrangements are being handled by Carnes Funeral Home in Houston, Texas and Ward Wilson Funeral Home in Dothan, Alabama. Dates and times for the memorial services will be posted at a later date. Memorial contributions in honor of the avid fisherman can be made to Special Day Foundation. Their mission is to enrich the lives of special needs children and adults through nature-based opportunities, mainly fishing trips, and specialized dental services. Specialdayfoundation.org.