Ricky was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon on December 07, 1951, along with his twin brother Rodney.   He enjoyed his first years on a farm in Payette, Idaho and then moved with his family to the state of Washington, where they settled in Issaquah, Washington.  He graduated from Issaquah High School in 1970, and attended the University of Washington for one year.  He then attended Bellevue Community College for 2 years, graduating with a degree in Biomedical Photography.   After graduation, he worked at Boeing for about 2 years, and then went to work at Alpha Cine, a motion picture film processing company in Seattle.  He worked at Alpha Cine for over 40 years, before retiring.  It was an Alpha Cine that Ricky met the love of his life, Jan Stark.  They were married on April 30, 1983.   They were inseparable until Jan's death on December 25, 2006.  Ricky was an active member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Kent, Washington.  He enjoyed playing his trumpet and bass at many occasions for the church.   He was also in a band with his brother, Rodney, for over 40 years.  He especially enjoyed volunteering for Neighbor to Neighbor program sponsored by his church, working every week to help feed the unhoused and underprivileged.

He passed away peacefully on June 18, 2024 at the Aymin Senior Center, in Auburn, Washington.  He survived by his brother and wife, Rodney and Sara Shillinger, his niece Rachel and Amber Shillinger, his great niece Hensley Shillinger, and his sister in law, Becky Brunkhorst.  A funeral service for Ricky will be on Friday, June 28th, at 11:00 am, and open to all who would like to attend.   Ricky would prefer that any remembrances made in his honor, be donations to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Kent, Washington.