Dan Clayton Ricks

Dan Clayton Ricks Born February 13, 1947. Ft. Worth, TX. Died July 3, 2026. Del Valle, TX Dan was happiest when he was hiking and wandering. He tried to arrange his life so he could enjoy just walking and enjoying nature. He did a variety of jobs in his life, but he most enjoyed those that put him out in nature, from collecting native seeds and restoring landscapes with native plants, to searching for endangered Golden Cheeked Warblers, to monitoring raptors. Teaching was another theme in Dan's life. His father, Delmo Egvert Ricks was a teacher who also enjoyed traveling. Dan and his father and mother, Healon Leona, traveled to national parks in almost every state. After Dan's father died when Dan was a teenager his mother worked at Texas Wesleyan college. Dan's sister, Carolyn, thirteen years older than Dan became certified as a teacher and instilled a love of reading into Dan. Dan also became a certified teacher after graduating from Polytechnic High School in 1965 and Texas Wesleyan College in 1969 in Ft. Worth. Texas. Dan married Deborah Moore and they had a son Chris, born October 8, 1968 in Ft. Worth, Texas. Dan and Deborah divorced when Chris was 3 years old. Through the years Chris involved Dan in his life milestones, his marriage to Eileen October 29, 1988, birth of their son, Rory, October 30, 1999. Dan was proud to see grandson Rory graduate from Dallas Academy High School in 2018. Dan taught high school English in Del Rio, Texas and Livingston, Texas. He then was lured to Austin, Texas's music and laid-back lifestyle. He and several friends rented a house they called Rancho Deluxe. After working various jobs including house painter, stage hand, sandwich shop worker, he met some people from England who got him a job building theater sets. After traveling to England for that job he got to travel around Europe. When he came back to Austin I met him at Wild Basin on a full moon walk. After getting together we had many adventures. We got to work on an environmental survey job at Fort Huachuca, a beautiful landscape they call "sky islands" in Arizona. We hiked in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, another sky island. We backpacked in Glacier National Park. We spent many summers horse packing in wilderness areas in Northern New Mexico with my sister, Margaret, who wrangled her horses to carry our packs. We got married after seven years together on January 20, 1996. In the year 2000 we finished our straw bale house we built with help from professional builders and friends. We have had a contented happy life most of the time. Sorry this account of Dan's life has been rambling on, but his life was wandering and rambling. He was rambling on our land and may have fallen and succumbed to the heat when he died. Dan was buried at Eloise Natural Burial Park surrounded by friends and music. Grateful Dead music was played, songs were sung, a beautiful rendition of Danny Boy was played on the cello by our friend Katy. As the Grateful Dead song and the shirt he was wearing when he died says, "What a long strange trip it's been." Dan is survived by his son Chris Moore and his wife Eileen Moore and their son Rory Moore, his niece Cheryl Taylor, her husband Scott Taylor and their children Stefanie and Chris Taylor, his nephew Forest (Frank) Aven and his wife Patty Aven and daughter Morgan, and sister-in-law Margaret Hermann her daughter Emily Robbins, her husband Josh Robbins and daughter Ava and brother-in law Mike Hermann and me, his wife Marcia Hermann.

Dan Clayton Ricks

February 13, 1947 - July 3, 2026