Richard "Rick, The Ricker" Carlton Carrithers, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, tier of flies, exerciser of trout, solver of problems, baker of pies, student of history, capturer of moments, master of metaphor, and storyteller extraordinaire, passed away on January 5, 2026 after a brief illness.
Rick was born on July 17, 1943, in Portland Oregon to Ray Carlton Carrithers and Frances "Frankie" (Bartlett) Carrithers.
Rick spent most of his childhood with his sister Diane in Robinette Oregon, a very small, isolated community on the Snake River in the Hells Canyon country along the Oregon/Idaho border. Ray and Frankie ran the Robinette General Store and Post Office, while raising cattle and alfalfa seed on their Jackson Bar ranch on the Idaho side of the river. Rick and Diane attended school in a one-room schoolhouse in Robinette, under the guidance of his beloved teacher, Bernice Robinette (a descendant of the town's founder). Rick always credited Bernice for his lifelong love of learning. He went on to attend Eagle Valley High School in Richland, Oregon.
Growing up in Robinette, working on the ranch, Rick learned a number of things that he carried with him throughout the rest of his life:
- If you can envision it, you might be able to build it (or fix it).
- You can do a man's work before you're a man.
- Walking the ridgeline will get you there.
- We live in the footsteps of others. History is all around us. It's important to understand it.
- Reading the water correctly is as important to fishing as it is in life.
The completion of the Brownlee dam in 1958 created Brownlee reservoir, which resulted in the flooding of Robinette and the Snake River Canyon. Prior to the flooding, the townsfolk worked together to relocate the houses and buildings that could be salvaged to the surrounding communities. The Robinette General Store and Post Office was moved to Richland Oregon, where it is now a home, next door to the Shorthorn Cafe and Bar.
With the flooding of Robinette, the Carrithers family moved to Santa Cruz, California. Rick attended Santa Cruz High School, ran track, worked on the Wharf, fished and skin dived for abalone. He studied for a summer abroad as an exchange student in Wales. He graduated in 1961 and went on to attend San Jose State, where that country boy from a one-room schoolhouse earned a full-ride scholarship to Yale University.
Prior to leaving for Yale, he married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Dice, in 1964. As an undergraduate student at Yale, he was accepted to the Yale Law School. While Rick was in law school, Nancy taught high school french. While on a summer internship in Seattle, Rick fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. He loved the area and loved the greenery, fishing and hiking every weekend.
After Rick graduated, he and Nancy moved west to Seattle, where their son Matt was born in 1968. Living in a tiny apartment in Seattle, Rick began working at a law firm in Kirkland. Needing space, the young family moved to a house in Bellevue. Their daughter Nina was born in 1970.
Rick unsuccessfully ran for judge in Bellevue, but was able to leverage his name recognition that resulted from that run, and started his own successful law practice.
Rick's family was important to him. He and Nancy took the kids on numerous road trips to visit family in Baker City, Klamath Falls, and Santa Cruz, creating lifelong memories.
A fisherman since he could walk, Rick enjoyed fishing whenever he had the opportunity. He was naturally drawn to the wild and remote north coast of Washington - Neah Bay, Cape Flattery, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca - where he fished and explored for many seasons aboard his boat, the Kelp Kutter.
Rick and Nancy's marriage ended in the mid 1980s. He met the second love of his life, Kathryn (Toy) Nelson, while fishing in Neah Bay. Just one week after they met, Rick asked Kathy out to dinner. They started dating and Rick taught Kathy how to fly fish. This began many years of fishing adventures together across the northwest United States. Rick and Kathy were married in 1992, with Rick serving his famous chili at the reception.
Rick and Kathy had many adventures traveling outside of the United States, including memorable trips to Antarctica, visiting Kathy's extended family in Norway, and riding the Trans-Siberian Express through Russia to Mongolia. They hosted numerous family "camp-a-thons" for Rick and Kathy's children and their families, where Rick would serve as fishing guide and grill master.
When Rick retired from his law practice, he was able to double down on his fishing and his time with his family, usually combining the two. Rick often made note of the fisherman he met while fishing in a notebook he carried with him. A number of these meetings turned into friendships of many years.
"Come hungry!" was an often-heard phrase of Rick's. He enjoyed feeding everybody, the more the merrier. He was especially talented at grilling meat to perfection and wowing the family with his pie-baking skills. On his fishing trips, he'd often bring gourmet dinner ingredients in his cooler. In the evenings, he'd assemble amazing meals while talking through the day's adventures and what was in store for tomorrow, everyone pleasantly tired from fishing all day (and excited for dinner!).
Rick's hobbies included fly fishing and tying flies, fabricating and building in his garage workshop, telling stories about growing up in Robinette, and ultimately writing some of his stories. He and Kathy took classes at the University of Washington, always wanting to learn more and enrich their lives. In their later years, the couple loved being surrogate grandparents to their neighbor's children.
Rick was preceded in death by his daughter, Nina, in 2006, and his sister Diane in 2021.
He is survived by his wife Kathryn Carrithers, son Matt (Amy) Carrithers, stepdaughters Heidi (Craig) Rominger and Michelle (Kevin) Lehman, grandchildren Zach (Hennessy) Carrithers, Sarah (Jax) Tucker, Grace Wesson, Steven Wesson, Allison Lehman, Brandon Lehman, Dexter Rominger and Holden Rominger, niece Tymmera Whitnah, nephew Robert Whitnah and dear friend and ex-brother-in-law, Warren Whitnah.
Memorial services will be held at a future date in the spring.
Rick was born on July 17, 1943, in Portland Oregon to Ray Carlton Carrithers and Frances "Frankie" (Bartlett) Carrithers.
Rick spent most of his childhood with his sister Diane in Robinette Oregon, a very small, isolated community on the Snake River in the Hells Canyon country along the Oregon/Idaho border. Ray and Frankie ran the Robinette General Store and Post Office, while raising cattle and alfalfa seed on their Jackson Bar ranch on the Idaho side of the river. Rick and Diane attended school in a one-room schoolhouse in Robinette, under the guidance of his beloved teacher, Bernice Robinette (a descendant of the town's founder). Rick always credited Bernice for his lifelong love of learning. He went on to attend Eagle Valley High School in Richland, Oregon.
Growing up in Robinette, working on the ranch, Rick learned a number of things that he carried with him throughout the rest of his life:
- If you can envision it, you might be able to build it (or fix it).
- You can do a man's work before you're a man.
- Walking the ridgeline will get you there.
- We live in the footsteps of others. History is all around us. It's important to understand it.
- Reading the water correctly is as important to fishing as it is in life.
The completion of the Brownlee dam in 1958 created Brownlee reservoir, which resulted in the flooding of Robinette and the Snake River Canyon. Prior to the flooding, the townsfolk worked together to relocate the houses and buildings that could be salvaged to the surrounding communities. The Robinette General Store and Post Office was moved to Richland Oregon, where it is now a home, next door to the Shorthorn Cafe and Bar.
With the flooding of Robinette, the Carrithers family moved to Santa Cruz, California. Rick attended Santa Cruz High School, ran track, worked on the Wharf, fished and skin dived for abalone. He studied for a summer abroad as an exchange student in Wales. He graduated in 1961 and went on to attend San Jose State, where that country boy from a one-room schoolhouse earned a full-ride scholarship to Yale University.
Prior to leaving for Yale, he married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Dice, in 1964. As an undergraduate student at Yale, he was accepted to the Yale Law School. While Rick was in law school, Nancy taught high school french. While on a summer internship in Seattle, Rick fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. He loved the area and loved the greenery, fishing and hiking every weekend.
After Rick graduated, he and Nancy moved west to Seattle, where their son Matt was born in 1968. Living in a tiny apartment in Seattle, Rick began working at a law firm in Kirkland. Needing space, the young family moved to a house in Bellevue. Their daughter Nina was born in 1970.
Rick unsuccessfully ran for judge in Bellevue, but was able to leverage his name recognition that resulted from that run, and started his own successful law practice.
Rick's family was important to him. He and Nancy took the kids on numerous road trips to visit family in Baker City, Klamath Falls, and Santa Cruz, creating lifelong memories.
A fisherman since he could walk, Rick enjoyed fishing whenever he had the opportunity. He was naturally drawn to the wild and remote north coast of Washington - Neah Bay, Cape Flattery, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca - where he fished and explored for many seasons aboard his boat, the Kelp Kutter.
Rick and Nancy's marriage ended in the mid 1980s. He met the second love of his life, Kathryn (Toy) Nelson, while fishing in Neah Bay. Just one week after they met, Rick asked Kathy out to dinner. They started dating and Rick taught Kathy how to fly fish. This began many years of fishing adventures together across the northwest United States. Rick and Kathy were married in 1992, with Rick serving his famous chili at the reception.
Rick and Kathy had many adventures traveling outside of the United States, including memorable trips to Antarctica, visiting Kathy's extended family in Norway, and riding the Trans-Siberian Express through Russia to Mongolia. They hosted numerous family "camp-a-thons" for Rick and Kathy's children and their families, where Rick would serve as fishing guide and grill master.
When Rick retired from his law practice, he was able to double down on his fishing and his time with his family, usually combining the two. Rick often made note of the fisherman he met while fishing in a notebook he carried with him. A number of these meetings turned into friendships of many years.
"Come hungry!" was an often-heard phrase of Rick's. He enjoyed feeding everybody, the more the merrier. He was especially talented at grilling meat to perfection and wowing the family with his pie-baking skills. On his fishing trips, he'd often bring gourmet dinner ingredients in his cooler. In the evenings, he'd assemble amazing meals while talking through the day's adventures and what was in store for tomorrow, everyone pleasantly tired from fishing all day (and excited for dinner!).
Rick's hobbies included fly fishing and tying flies, fabricating and building in his garage workshop, telling stories about growing up in Robinette, and ultimately writing some of his stories. He and Kathy took classes at the University of Washington, always wanting to learn more and enrich their lives. In their later years, the couple loved being surrogate grandparents to their neighbor's children.
Rick was preceded in death by his daughter, Nina, in 2006, and his sister Diane in 2021.
He is survived by his wife Kathryn Carrithers, son Matt (Amy) Carrithers, stepdaughters Heidi (Craig) Rominger and Michelle (Kevin) Lehman, grandchildren Zach (Hennessy) Carrithers, Sarah (Jax) Tucker, Grace Wesson, Steven Wesson, Allison Lehman, Brandon Lehman, Dexter Rominger and Holden Rominger, niece Tymmera Whitnah, nephew Robert Whitnah and dear friend and ex-brother-in-law, Warren Whitnah.
Memorial services will be held at a future date in the spring.
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