Ruth Marguerite Bricker passed from this world on December 25, 2018 after losing her brave battle with cancer.
Ruth was born Ruth Crawford in Sterling Illinois. She grew up on a farm with her step-father and brother and sisters where she learned her work ethic and love of family. As an adult Ruth ran a day care center in Sterling while she raised her three young children. In 1982 Ruth and the kids moved to California where she returned to college to complete her degree. After a while she accepted a position with the California Department of Corrections. Ruth worked as a Correctional Officer and Sergeant, a Parole Agent, Parole Supervisor, and Parole Manager. She served the Department for 20 years before her retirement. During her career Ruth received numerous awards and accolades for her outstanding service. In 1986 Ruth met and married Dave Bricker and began a love story for the ages. Never apart, Ruth and Dave we’re married for 33 amazing years.
Ruth was dedicated to the community of Manteca. She served on the board of directors for Valley CAPS and the United Way. She was one of the founding members of the Manteca Police Chief’s Foundation. She served as the street marshall for the Manteca Street Fair for many years and worked with service organizations like Sunrise Kiwanis, the Memorial Day Event, Manteca CVB and many others.
Ruth’s greatest joy has always been her family. She was the rock that we all hung onto. The family vacations, tea parties, ice cream eating challenges, trips to the beach and so much more brought everyone together and reminded us of the joy that can only be found in the ones you love most. Her smile could light up a room. Her motto was “Always try to be the best part of their day.” Her kindness, grace, courage, and love are the standard we will always struggle to live up to. She was amazing. While we cannot understand why God has taken her from us, we can certainly understand why he would want her with him in heaven.
Ruth is survived by her husband Dave, daughters and sons-in-laws Kelly and Kevin Kayser and Shawn and Denis Bird, son and daughter-in-law Tom and Kristy Loos, grand sons Connor Kayser, Kolton Loos, and Kayden Loos, Kaleb Francque, grand daughter Lily Bird as well as brother, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews. We are all devastated by her loss but thank God we had her in our lives.
A celebration of Ruth’s life will be held at PL Fry and Sons Mortuary, at
10:00 a.m. on January 10, 2019 to be followed by a reception at Chez Shari, 350 N. Union Rd., Manteca. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Manteca Police Chief’s Foundation or Community Hospice.
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Saturday, January 5, 2019
