Gerald B Ricks

Jerry Ricks was a life-long dreamer, entrepreneur and free spirit who carved his own path and vigorously pursued his goals until the day he passed away from malaria complications in Africa’s Ivory Coast just two weeks after his eighty-fourth birthday.
Jerry, the second of eleven children, spent his childhood on his family’s farm in Benson, Utah, where he honed his around-the-clock work ethic and entrepreneurial drive. After serving an LDS mission in Austria—where he met his first wife—he returned to the states and launched head-first into his sixty-year independent sales and business career.
Jerry lived his life by a simple motto: You never know what you can accomplish as long as you keep on going… as soon as you quit, you have your answer. It was this operating philosophy that propelled him and his wife and business partner, Debbie, to the top of the prepaid telecom industry in the late nineties with their prepaid phone card company, JDS. And it was this same motto that kept him going when the going got tough.
While Jerry will be remembered for his passion, his grit, his determination and his unwavering belief in people, his biggest legacy is the family he leaves behind: His wife and soulmate of 40 years, Debbie, their four children: Jonathan, Tanya, Marina, Karina, his five children from his first marriage: Connie, Ingrid, Erika, Jared, Daniel, his fourteen grandchildren: Theoden, Jessica, Benjamin, Audrey, Sydney, Hannah, Caitlin, Dax, Ryker, Kaeto, Jasmine, Lucille, Jeremiah, Hazel and his two great grandchildren: Braxton and Penelope. He is also survived by five brothers: Dallas, Michael, Tim, Nathan and Jeddie, and two sisters: Jolene and Jean. He is preceded in death by his parents, Joel and Hazel Ricks, his sisters, Virginia and Patricia, and his brother, Kay.
The viewing will be held Thursday, September 28th from 6pm to 8pm at Memorial Redwood Mortuary & Cemetery located at 6500 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Utah. The burial will be held at the same location Friday, September 29th at approximately 3:45pm. The funeral will be held at 2pm on Friday, September 29th at 4980 W 3285 S, West Valley, Utah with a viewing from 1pm to 1:45pm, concluding with a family prayer.
Service Information
Viewing September 28, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Memorial Redwood Mortuary





Viewing September 29, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints





Funeral Service
September 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints