Bio of Reid Ricks

Spouse: Laura Jane Packham. Children: Nathan 23 - Just married to Jackie Magers of Puyallup, WA and attending BYU in Provo. Eli 21 - Just back from his mission to Munich, Germany. Jesse 19 - Just finished 1 year at BYU Provo. Preparing for his mission. Aaron 16 - Nearly done with his Junior year in high School. Hannah 12 - The smartest, best looking girl I know. Isaac 9 - Finishing Third Grade. A dead ringer for Harry Potter. My wife Laura is the most talented person I know. I'm still trying to figure out why she married me. She is serving as a Church Service Missionary at the local Bishop's Storehouse and as an early morning seminary teacher besides completing a plethora of sewing related projects.

Nathan is a wonderfully talented musician and plays trumpet. He served a mission to the Tacoma, WA area and coincidentally his wife is from the last ward he served in although they met at BYU after his mission. He is studying to be History teacher.

Eli is a multi-talented musician playing Piano, Trombone, French Horn, Guitar. He really applied himself to learning German on his mission. He has a desire to study Psychology at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and has a thing for red heads.

Jesse is a computer whiz. He has completed his first year at BYU after graduating number 5 in his High School Graduating Class in 2002. He plans to work on a degree in computer animation. He is a babe magnet. What I mean is little children love him to death because he is very entertaining. He is working this summer to get ready for a mission. He hopes to go to a Spanish-speaking mission after completing a year of accelerated Spanish at BYU.

Aaron is also a computer whiz and is completing the Cisco Networking Certification Program in his High School. He is an excellent student and plays organ. He is taking French so adds a new dimension to the language mix at home. He is a very good friend and has a genuine love for people. He'll be a great missionary.

Hannah is the only girl in a testosterone dominated household. She has developed her own coping skills which include being sharp as a tack and not afraid to take the initiative in any situation. She is sporting braces and is on track to break many hearts. She is self-motivated and is mastering the piano and flute. She loves animals (including her brothers) and is destined for great things in her life.

Isaac is enjoying third Grade. He plays piano but really prefers Nintendo. He is the kid with the most friends in third grade and is completely without guile. He is probably smarter than anybody but is too humble to let on. He is a pure joy to have as our youngest.

Callings: Since my mission I have served in Primary, Bishoprics, Scouting (5 times in Varsity Scouts), Stake Financial Clerk, Ward Clerk(s), Melchizedek Priesthood Group Leader in Korea, High Priest Group Leader, Executive Secretary, Temple Worker, Ward Mission Leader, and currently serving as the Bishop of the Colorado Springs Third Ward. My ambition is to one day serve in the nursery.

Education: Graduated Ricks College 1976, Associates. US Army Clinical Specialist Course 1978 (LPN Licensure in Texas). Graduated University Texas El Paso, 1983, BBA Accounting. Graduated University Texas El Paso, 1985, BS Computer Science. Graduated University Nebraska Lincoln, 1989, MBA

Career: I was in the Army four years learning and working in the Medical career field. Was able to put myself through school for two degrees then joined the US Air Force as a Communications-Computer Systems Officer. I retired from the Air Force in 1996 and have worked for Kaman Sciences, ITT, and currently Oracle Corporation as a Support Engineer. I deal with customers worldwide and enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes from helping them solve troublesome problems.

Hobbies: Racquetball, walking, biking, weight lifting. Reading History, languages (German, Spanish, a little Korean, some English). Family History, Church History. Anything military related. World politics. Missionary work. FAMILY.

Comps: Todd Hunter Ashton, Henry Lee Robinson, Octavio Gomez, Jerry Murtishaw, Dean David Briggs, Bruce Robert Hough, David Taggert, Joseph Bradbury, Robert Burdette, Tim Bryan, Miguel Gamez, Richard Johnson, Raymond Racz. I am probably forgetting some.

Areas served: El Progresso, Honduras, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, La Fesitranh, Honduras, La Chorrera, Panama, Panama City, Panama, La Chorrera, Panama, La Turrrialba, Costa Rica, Managua, Nicaragua, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Dichos: Cada cabeza es su propio mundo. En tierra de los ciegos el tuerto es rey.

Mission memories: I have heard very little from my mission converts over the years but was pleasantly surprised to read the Ensign article in 1996 about Costa Rica and to discover that Luis Chaverri and his wife Julietta were not only active but stalwarts in building the church in Costa Rica. My mission has set the course of my life. I can never express enough gratitude to all my companions and the Lord for those humble, sweet people in Central America. Sister Petronila Urbina was our landlady in El Progresso, Honduras. She fed us and did our laundry and went door to door to try and find people for us to teach. How could we ever forget such people?