Rick Garverick

Frederick J. “Rick” Garverick, of Bucyrus, went to his heavenly home after a courageous 8-year battle with multiple myeloma on Sunday, July 7, 2024. He was born March 10, 1948, in Galion, Ohio to the late Fred N. and Mary L. (Cross) Garverick. Rick was a 1966 graduate of Galion High School and attended Columbus Business University receiving his associate’s degree in accounting in 1968. 

Rick was a foreman at Smith Transfer and was a member of the Ohio Air National Guard from 1976 to 1988. Rick served his country, retiring from the Army in June 2003 with 22 years of active duty. Upon his retirement, Rick went to work at the Marshall County Courthouse in Plymouth, Indiana working until 2010 as the County’s Substance Abuse person for all three courts. While working full time at the courthouse, Rick attended Trine University at night and received his B.S. in criminal justice in 2007 for which he felt much pride.

Rick met Sharon L. “Sherry” Smith on a blind date in June 1975 and married her in June 1976. Rick and Sherry enjoyed traveling as Rick’s goal was to see all 50 states, which he completed in 2020 with a drive up the west coast to the states of Washington and Oregon. Besides traveling in the US, Rick and Sherry enjoyed cruises, having taken around a dozen, visiting the Caribbean Islands, Germany, England, and some of South America including Belize and Columbia.

Rick was an active member of the community. Not only was Rick a member of the Colonel Crawford Lions Club (Melvin James Award Recipient 2022), but he also served as the chaplain for the American Legion, DAV, and the AmVets. In 2019, Rick was a guest of the Honor Flight Network’s trip to Washington, DC. Rick had previously served as an Honor Flight Guardian for a World War II veteran. Rick was a member of Bucyrus Nazarene Church.

Rick, along with his wife, Sherry, was involved, made friends, and left an impression on the people they met as they lived in Galion, Ohio; Fort Mead, Maryland; Harrisonville, Missouri; Plymouth, Indiana; Plymouth, Ohio; and Bucyrus, Ohio. Serving proudly in the military left an impression on their three children, as they all served as well. A passion of Rick’s was his love of sports. He always supported the local teams, whether high school, college, or professional, with his number one team, the Buckeyes, on the top of his list.

Rick is survived by his bride of 48 years, Sherry Garverick of Bucyrus; daughter, Kim (Dan) Egbert of Lakeview, Ohio; sons, Sean (Lisa) Garverick of Dresden, Ohio and Scott (Lynn) Garverick of Galion; grandsons, Derek (Sarah) Clark of Severance, Colorado, Devin (Allison) Garverick of Cambridge, Ohio, Joel (Lori) Van Egbert of Westminster, Colorado, Jordan (Erica) Egbert of Worthington, Ohio, and John (Maggie) Egbert of Westerville, Ohio; granddaughters, Drew (Nick) Bouquin of Shreveport, Louisiana, Morgan Garverick of Mansfield, Ohio, and Melanie (Brogan) Runion of Frisco, Colorado; 12 great grandchildren; sister, Diana Haspeslagh of Galion; and brother, Mike (Barb) Garverick of Galion. 

In addition to his parents, Rick was preceded in death by brother-in-law, Chuck Haspeslagh.

All services will be held at Wise Funeral Service in Bucyrus. On Friday, July 12. The Garverick family will receive friends from 4-7 pm and Lions Club Ceremony will be observed at 7:00 pm. On Saturday, the funeral will begin at 10:30 am with Pastors Ray LaSalle and Steve Estep officiating. Burial will follow in Iberia Cemetery with military rites by the US Army Honor Guard and Bucyrus Veterans Military Funeral Detail.

Memorial donations are encouraged to be made payable to Honor Flight Columbus and given through the funeral home. Memories and photos can be shared on the guestbook.