Marty Rickard, 88, of Pella, passed away Apr. 5, 2026. Memorial service will be at 3 p.m., Friday, Apr. 10, at Third Church Auditorium, East 13th Street, Pella. The family invites friends to join them for a visitation and coffee time following the memorial service. Memorials may be given to Hospice of Pella.
Marty, son of Ralph and Mary Jane (Ellett) Rickard, was born in Grinnell on Dec. 26, 1937. Marty was the second of five children and was raised in Grinnell and later Gilbert. He graduated from Gilbert in 1955 and later attended college at William Penn, Iowa State, and Southern Mississippi.
In 1959, he married Janice Newenhouse. They had three children: Rebecca, Chip, and Amy. Soon after, he served in the U.S. Army. Later they moved to Charles City where he began his career in journalism. He worked for the Charles City Press, Mason City Globe Gazette, and Davenport Times Democrat. In 1967, they moved to New Sharon, where they owned half-interest in the New Sharon Star. Later, they sold that and purchased the local Dairy Creme. After running the Dairy Creme for seven years, Marty and Janice started a long and successful 20-year career in the photography business, which led to many awards, publications, and speaking engagements. Even though he was successful in many ventures, his heart was always in writing. Throughout his life, he wrote poetry, short stories, and novels. He was an avid skier, traveling around the world chasing powder. He developed his love of fishing from his father and carried that through his entire life. Even though he would occasionally fall in, it never stopped him from making frequent fishing trips to the pond. Marty spent the last 15 years in Pella where he was proud of his family. Nothing gave him more joy than supporting his grandchildren and attending their activities.
Marty is survived by his family: Janice Rickard of Pella; Becky (Dave) Campbell of Grimes, Chip (Rebecca Gierhart-Rickard) Rickard of Cincinnati, OH, and Amy (Danny) Steenhoek of Pella; and his siblings Nancy Hose and Mike (Nancy) Rickard.
Marty was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Roberta (Dick) Verwers and Carol (Jerry) Skjordal.
