Rowland Ricketts

Rowland Ricketts, Jr. passed away peacefully on April 16 at 84 years of age in Moorestown, NJ. Rowland was born on November 18, 1939, in Philadelphia, PA to Dr. Rowland Ricketts and Jean Napier Ricketts. He grew up in Merchantville with his parents, 2 sisters, and extended family. After attending St. Peter’s Choir School in Philadelphia and Moorestown Friends School, he received his BA and MA in History from Trinity College in Hartford, CT and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

Rowland had a long career in the life insurance industry, working first at Connecticut Mutual, then National Life of Vermont, and finally General American in St. Louis, MO, where he retired as Senior Vice President of Individual Operations in 1995. He loved his work community so in retirement he continued to consult for various insurance companies in the US and Great Britain. In 2017, he was inducted into the Association of Home Office Underwriters’ Hall of Fame for his work in founding the Fellows of the Academy of Life Underwriting.
He was a life-long member of the Episcopal Church starting at Grace Church, Merchantville as a child. In Connecticut he and his wife led the youth group at St. Peter's, Hebron and made life-long friends with several families there. He attended Christ Church Montpelier, VT and Church of the Good Shepherd in St. Louis, MO where he was active in the choir and returned to Grace Church later in life.

Rowland loved playing the piano and genealogy. His children fondly recall waking on Saturday mornings to the sound of his fingers on the keys, filling their home with happy music. Whenever he visited a new city for work, he would call all the Ricketts in the local phonebook to see if any were related, and he travelled to England, Wales, Scotland, Slovakia, and Argentina to research the family history, connecting to distant family members who have now become close.

Rowland dedicated countless hours to his fight against water in their home in Merchantville. Every time it rained, he could be seen hauling hoses out to the street to pump out their driveway so the basement wouldn’t flood. His children believe that these hours of passionate labor followed by days of passionate ranting kept him full of life for years! His grandchildren referred to him lovingly as The Curmudgeon and Grumpalupigus as he found great pleasure in complaining about everyone and everything, and he did so in a way that kept us all laughing and entertained.
Rowland is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Mary-Lynn (nee Kevolic), sister Jean Ricketts, daughter Rachel Adams and her husband Lee of Cherry Hill, NJ; son Rowland Ricketts, III and daughter-in-law Chinami Ricketts of Bloomington, IN; and five grandchildren, Emily, Max, Anen, Ewan and Bren. Rowland was preceded in death by his sister Mary Ricketts.

Please join the family for a memorial service 11am, Saturday, May 25th, 2024, at Grace Episcopal Church, 7 East Maple Avenue, Merchantville. Relatives and friends may visit with the family from 10 am until time of service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Grace Episcopal Church.

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