I am proud to have been numbered among Bob Rickard's friends and to have
been mentored by him over the past six years. I'll miss him, of course, but
Bob was better prepared for his passage to the next life than most, and
death held no fear for him. His pain and trials are now over, for which I am
grateful.

Bob was plagued with diabetes, heart disease, reduced liver and lung
function, and many health issues that might have broken most men. Throughout
his trials he maintained an incredibly upbeat attitude. Friends who called
on Bob to encourage him were invariably uplifted by his positive,
light-hearted demeanor. In phone conversations with retailers, distributors,
vendors and customers, few could tell that he was often fatigued and in
constant pain. He was a living example of how to treat people and handle
adversity with grace.

Bob's love for his family, friends, and fishing was apparent to all. He
spoke often and with obvious pride of his children, sons-in-law, and
grandchildren. And as I got to know several of them, I could tell that they
loved and respected him as well.

One can tell a lot about a person by the company he keeps, and Bob's closest
friends - Jim Winn, Herb Scherer, and others who welcomed me into their
circle - are the kind of men that you would want by your side in life's
journey. Honest, devoted, hard-working salt of the earth kind of guys. That
says a lot about Bob right there.

Some readers may not be aware how brilliant the man was. A self-taught
mechanical engineer, Bob posessed a combination of communication,
interpersonal, and technical skills rarely encountered in the engineering
field. For many years and around the world, anglers will benefit from his
ingenuity as they enjoy using the fishing tackle he developed. He devoted
the same creativity, rigor and discipline to redesigning the spinnerbait
that he applied as part of the engineering teams working on the F-4 Tomcat,
F-15 Eagle, and the lunar landing module. For more about Bob's interesting
story, go to http://secretweaponlures.com/swhistory.htm

Bob made a profound imprint on the company he founded, too. His commitment
to go an extra mile for his customers is woven into its fabric. He demanded
top quality in everything we built. From the outset, he insisted that Secret
Weapon focus on unique products that deliver high value, top performance,
and better results. If he coudn't figure out a way to design and manufacture
best-in-class lures, then he really wasn't interested.

Bob Rickard will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by his co-workers,
vendors, customers, and friends whose lives he enriched.

Several of his friends here in ROFB have contacted me, asking if there is
anything they can do to ease the pain of his passing. Thank you for your
consideration and concern. At this time, I don't know of any need, but I'll
let you know if something comes up.

Bob insisted on no public funeral or memorial service. His family and
friends will gather next month to reminisce and honor the memory of this
fine person. Knowing of Bob's enjoyment of ROFB and his many friends here,
family members have already visited this newsgroup and sincerely appreciate
the notes of condolence left here. Jim Winn is making sure they are
collected and shared with all the family. If anyone would like to offer a
personal message to the family, please e-mail it to me and I will convey it
to his loved ones.

Joe Haubenreich
Secret Weapon Lures