Saturday, May 15, 2021
I met Rick about 35 years ago when I moved onto "the circle". Rick would ride his bike around the neighborhood and he stopped by to say hello. After only a few minutes, we found out we had more than a few things in common. A love of cars, racing and all things mechanical. It wasn't until I retired I started to hang around: the shop. There, I was introduced to real friends like John Hay, Chuck Zemola and John Hoffman. The shop was a place to socialize, watch Sanford and Son and learn about the finest points of bodywork and metal restoration. Rick was NOT a body man! He was an artist. I'm not just saying that, he was. He could do things to metal that were shear magic. To take a fender or another piece of bodywork that was for the most part, unrecognizable and make it factory fresh was amazing. Rick and I were both racers. Rick raced motorcycles and stock cars. My drugs of choice are sports cars and road racing. Rick put my race car back together more than once. After a particularly nasty crash at Watkins Glen, Rick looked at the car and shook his head. Rick and his late nephew David pulled the frame and pulled the frame as much as they could until it looked like a Mustang again. I'm not bragging, but after Rick and David worked the car, I set a lap records for my class at Lime Rock Park and New Jersey Motorsports Park. I couldn't have done it without their skill and knowledge. Rick was also my crew chief for a race weekend in Jersey. He was not only my crew chief he was also my coach. He told me where I was doing well and where I sucked. And yes, I shaved time off my laps because of his intuition and ability to see things I couldn't. Thanks Rick, for being a good neighbor, a great friend and someone you could lean on. Pam, my wife, will forever be grateful to Rick for restoring her late mother's Waring blender. That's right, a Waring blender. And you thought Rick only worked on cars and bikes.! Rick, you will not be forgotten.
To the family: Rick is travelling on a road to an undiscovered country whose bourne no travelers return. He is forever safe now. He cannot be hurt. You need not worry about him. He is pain free. He is at peace.
Godspeed, Rick
Joe and Pam Staurovsky
