To the Editor:

Beautiful downtown Voorheesville lost a gem on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. Michael Ricci passed away quietly with family at his side in his residence at 5 South Main St., the same home he was born in some 91-plus years ago.

Mr. Ricci, as I first knew him, spent his entire life in the small village of Voorheesville. He was a rather intimidating figure when I first met him as a youngster, as he stood in his store, Ricci's Market, sporting a white T-shirt and bloodied apron from cutting meat all day, sternly asking me if I was the boy with the fireworks. Little did I know at that time, what an imposing figure in the community he really was.

Michael Ricci served the community in one way or another his entire life. As a businessman, he operated Ricci’s Market for decades after the passing of his father. Anyone that ever called the market or was in the store when the phone rang, heard Mike on the line answer, “Beautiful downtown Voorheesville, Ricci’s Market; how can I help you?”

He served our country as a medic in the Army, was an active member in various local organizations such as the Legion Hall, volunteer fire department, etc., and held various elected positions over the years. I later came to realize his store was a meeting place of sorts, for conversations, card games, a meal, etc.

Mr. Ricci had quick wit, loved conversations, and displayed a big heart, as he often sacrificed profits to help out a neighbor or customer in need. Even when he closed the store down, Price Chopper hired him as a meat ambassador and to teach their butchers a thing or two. When Nichol’s Market opened in the old Grand Union building, the owner put Mr. Ricci to work there as well, selling his famous meatballs and immortalizing his image with a gigantic photograph that still hangs in Hannaford to this day.

As he welcomed me into his family and gave me his blessing to marry his only daughter, I was able to learn a great deal more about his life. It was not all work and no play for Mr. Ricci, as he enjoyed many things outside of running a business and serving the community. I heard of great Army-Navy games, seeing the only perfect game pitched in the World Series, and going the Daytona 500. There were trips to the Cape, bowling leagues, golf leagues, and many other stories about fun times in the past.

As time was catching up to Mike, perhaps his greatest gift (at least to me) was the incredible bond and relationship he established with my daughter. He was an integral part of her life from her birth until his recent passing. Mike doted over her, taught her life lessons, and made a lasting impression on my child. Some of her fondest memories are making sauce with “Tadone,” frying dough on Sunday mornings, and just hearing stories from his life.

Beautiful downtown Voorheesville lost a gem on Friday; he cannot he be replaced but certainly won’t be forgotten.

Dean Decker

Voorheesville