Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Charles Conrad Rickers II, 86, died April 10. Charles was born at home Oct. 1, 1936 on Rickers Hill on Poorhouse Road near the town of Kenbridge.

He graduated from Kenbridge High School and attended Randolph Macon College. After a brief stint on the Army baseball team, Charles was drafted by the Pittsburg Pirates as a pitcher. Instead he took a position with Norfolk and Western Railroad, because at the time the pay was better. Soon thereafter, he was promoted to engineer and served in that position with Norfolk Southern for 32 years. He also led a successful parallel career as a car salesman, literally selling many thousands of automobiles to Southside Virginians and beyond for over 50 years.

When he was 26, he married Roberta Coldiron of Burkeville and they were married for 48 years with three children- Rosanna (Jeff) of Warwick, Rhode Island, Charles Conrad III (Alex) of Richmond and Christian (Lori) of Richmond. His grandchildren are Dominic Fucile of Waquoit, Massachusetts, Lillian Fucile of VCU, Charlie and Anna Rickers of Richmond, and Jack and Kate Rickers of Richmond.

Charles Rickers was also very active in his community. He was twice elected to the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors and served two years as Chairman. He served on the Piedmont Regional Jail Board, Crossroads Community Services Board, Piedmont Planning Commission and Virginia Association of Counties. Governor Doug Wilder appointed him to the influential State Board for Community Colleges. Charles was proud to secure funding for new additions and upgrades to both the Keysville and Alberta campuses of SVCC. He was also very proud to lead the effort to locate a new state prison in Lunenburg in the early 1990’s, creating hundreds of jobs in a county who at the time was grappling with a 19% unemployment rate. He was president of the Lunenburg Chamber of Commerce for many years. Charles was longtime chairman of the Lunenburg County Democratic Committee. He had a very colorful personality and voiced his opinion frequently. He always rooted for the underdog writing “hundreds” of letters- to-the- editor to local newspapers and the Richmond Times Dispatch, often being named “Correspondent of the Day.” The world will be duller with his passing.

Charles was a lifelong member and currently the longest serving member of the Kenbridge United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends 2 p.m., Sunday, April 16, at the Rickers home on 110 N Pine Street, in Kenbridge. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers please consider donations to the Southside SPCA, C/O Ray Elliott, 797 Starlight Lane, Kenbridge, VA 23944.

Clarke Funeral Home, Kenbridge, in charge of arrangements.