Is this true..Ricky Couch very ill??

[Tom Kren]

I was on the other board and saw this post

I just got this from Kenny "KDog" Shores, in addition to Ricky needing our Prayers, Kenny's younger brother passed away so Kenny & his family can use your Prayers also!!

"I regret to have to inform you that Ricky Couch is gravely ill and is not expected to survive. Ricky has been in the hospital in intensive care

for 6 days suffering from a perforation in his digestive tract and kidney failure.

He had a stomach virus a couple of weeks ago. As he was recovering from that when he developed severe abdominal pain which the doctor treated

as a muscle pull that happened as a result of the stomach virus. When the pain only continued to get worse Karen took him to the emergency room.

They admitted him and found his kidneys had started to shut down because of severe dehydration, he had fluid in his abdomen and an infection. They drained almost 5 liters of fluid from his abdomen. They also started

him on anti-biotics and dialysis.

After showing slight improvement through the weekend he took a turn for the worse Sunday night. His kidneys have not responded to treated and the perforation has not healed. The infection has gotten worse and the fluid is

building up inside of him affecting the function of his heart and lungs.

Ricky has elected not to have surgery because the chances are great that he would have a heart attack or stroke during surgery. And if he did

survive surgery they would have to leave his chest open to drain and he would be and

a breathing machine for an unknown amount of time.

I wanted you guys to know what was going on. I really wanted to call you but I don't think I could get through that right now. And I would

leave something out.

Please pray for Ricky and Karen.

I will let you know any further developments"

Regards,

Tod Heintzelman

[mikemodeler]

Never met the man but always admired his creativity in the pages of the model magazines. I will keep his family in my prayers and hope that he makes a miraculous recovery.

Thank you for letting us know about Ricky.

[ratrodder]

Yes, regretfully speaking, this is true. Kennys brother, 34, passed away in his sleep leaving a wife and 4 children behind. Also, K-Dog passed the info about Ricky on to me and he is in a very grave condition. Myself and K-dog have been friends and live in same area and have been modeling together for years and years. We have both known Ricky for over 20 years. He is a real modeling friend. We all go to the same model shows in our area. Keep praying for a miracle! ratrodder

[Lyle Willits]

This is a terrible shock. I've known Ricky for years. He is one of the niceset people you could ever meet.

[Zoom Zoom]

Sadly Ricky passed away earlier today :cry: . More information as it comes. Today has been an awful day for the modeling community, first Al Superczinski, and now Ricky Couch. If my schedule allows I'm going to try to get back up to Greenville for his funeral, even though I just got back from there yesterday afternoon.

[white00gt]

My condolences to the family and friends of Ricky Couch, I am new to this forum so unfortunately I don't know any of his work but regardless from the way those who do know him speak of him he will be missed not only for his contributions to the modeling community but as a friend .....

R.I.P Mr. Couch

[Tom Kren]

Got to meet Ricky a couple time in Toledo Great guy and great modeler! Will be missed My condolences to his family.

[Nick F40]

Haven't seen his work but my condolences are with his family and friends.

R.I.P. man! :cry:

[Steve H.]

A very sad day for the model community. Ricky will be missed. I've had the pleasure of meeting him twice, and he was always such an enthusiastic character to talk to. Ricky reveled in the hobby, both in his work and his appreciation of others!

R.I.P.

[bjscustommodels]

Rip in Peace Ricky Long Live the MAMA C

[simonr]

R.I.P. Ricky, I had the chance to met him and he was trully a great modeler and a best friend. We will miss him.

Simón

[Gregg]

I am at a loss for words

Ricky was always such a great guy, a real true friend, and someone I enjoyed looking forward to seeing at shows.

[Kit Karson]

There once was a man from Greenville

He created art with inspiration from Freedomville

The results were always exciting and full of detail

He will be missed and not forgotten in Modelville...

There are boxes too many live, work and stay in

But Ricky, you always thought and built outside of your box

And, you always said you loved my work and encouraged me

I'll miss you, my friend and your inspiration to our hobby

I always felt the desire to better my skills to catch up with you

My models all pale in comparison to your artful creations

Know that you will be one of my All American Idols

[ratrodder]

To all who have posted, WELL SAID! A true legend in the modeling world. He will be missed greatly ! He has been a friend and modeling buddy to me and all of us in the Carolinas for 20 + years. We will be thinking and praying for Karen and the whole family. God Speed! doug

[Gray Smith]

man I'm truly sorry to hear about this. I've never met Ricky, but i've been a fan of his models since I was a kid. His style and imagination were truly unique, and will be missed greatly. I was looking forward to meeting him finally at some of the local contests in my new area, but I guess thats not won't happen now. My prayers go out to his family and to his friends to help with thier loss.

[Lyle Willits]

PHOTO BY TIM KOLANKIEWICZ

I met Ricky at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in August, 1993, at a large model car event. He was displaying an absolutely incredible replica of Scotty Cannon's promod car. I was just blown away by the detail. I found him to tell him what a fantastic model that was and I found that this large imposing figure of a man was quite shy, gentle, and almost child-like. The huge smile remained on his face (as in the photo above) the entire time we talked. For the next 13 years, every time I saw Ricky at a show, that smile was always there. You can't think about Ricky without picturing that smile. It's hard to believe it was only 4 months ago that we had a great time, once again, at our "normal" rowdy dinner after the Toledo NNL.

The greatest thing I've ever found in this hobby are the people who become your friends. The worst thing I've found is that, one by one, they leave. I guess as long as Ricky remains in our memories, he isn't really gone. Rest in peace, big man.