Thomas Richard "Rick" Cuddy IV

Born in Los Angeles, California, Rick was the first child of Donna Mae Pecorny Cuddy and Thomas "Tim" Richard Cuddy III (both deceased). He has five siblings: Vincent Cuddy (wife, Debbie, deceased); Carol Ann Cuddy McKee (husband, Mick); Ronny Cuddy (wife, Heather); Raette Cuddy Green (husband, Kendall); and Michael Cuddy.
Rick dearly loved his sister-in-law, Renée Cruickshank and her husband, Kurt Henneck and their kids. Rick also spent time with and loved his cousins, neices, and nephews; people he chose to call "family;" and his mother-in-law, Audrey Schulte Cruickshank.
Rick's family moved several times. The first move was from California to Alaska in the late 1950s, then back to California for a short period of time before moving to Algona, Washington in 1967. It was at Algona Elementary School that Rick met Cris Cruickshank when they were in grade five together. The family moved back to California and Rick was actively involved in the family business, caring for horses and renting animals to studios for movies. (Fun fact: Rick taught Lou Diamond Phillips to ride a horse.) In 1978, Rick and his father returned to Washington State where Rick and Cris reconnected. They spent a lot of time dancing, camping, attending concerts, and traveling--activities they enjoyed before and after they married (in 1983) as well as with their son, Thomas (born in 1984) Cuddy V.
Rick lead an exciting life and actively pursued his interests in hunting, fishing, target practice (he was a firearms enthusiast and had extensive knowledge about ballistics and reloading), spelunking, music, motorcycle riding (aka 'wipe outs'), travel, camping, and animals. He considered himself a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy... enjoying any form of roast 'beast.'
Rick had a work life that encompassed varied skills. When he and his father moved back to Washington in 1978, he worked as a journeyman roofer as well as for his dad's roofing company. (Historical Note: During that time, he worked on reroofing the capitol building in Olympia and when Thomas was a toddler, Rick worked on the U.S. Air Force's 'Snoopy' airplane hangars on an island in the Aleutian Chain.) In 1989 Rick began working for the Auburn School District (in Washington State) as a custodian, a job he stayed with until his retirement in November 2023.
Four significant journeys took place after Rick retired. He traveled to Colorado with his brother, Vincent, to see their brother, Ronny in December 2023. In the late spring of 2024, the two brothers started out on a trip to California, but got waylaid in Sparks, Nevada, where they blew up Cris' van, which they had borrowed for the trip. Rick's longtime friend, Bill McDonough, drove from Oregon to Sparks to rescue them and get them safely home. It was not long after this trip that they finally managed to get to California to visit their brother, Michael; Rick's close friend, Bill; old school buddies; numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews; and people Rick loved to call family. The final trip the two brothers took was a return to Juneau, Alaska, to visit Vincent's birthplace and one of Rick's childhood homes. It was upon his return from this trip that a seizure, caused by what was diagnosed as an aggressive brain tumor (glioblastoma), landed Rick in the hospital. From there he returned home, briefly, then was in the hospital and rehab before being wonderfully cared for at Olympic Adult Family Home & Hospice Care in Auburn, Washington, where he died 45 minutes before his 68th birthday.
Rick did not want a traditional funeral so, when weather is good, "one hell'uva party" (Rick's words) will be held somewhere Rick would have wanted to be... a campground, park, beach...
The family has requested no visitors and no flowers or plants, please. Rick was a generous person who cared deeply about animals, the planet, and people. If someone would like to honor him, the family suggests a donation in Rick's name to an organization or cause that supports one of these. Rick's immediate family hopes other family members, friends, and acquaintances will leave their own memories to help keep Rick alive.