Frederick "Rick" Sheldon Larabee

On Saturday, September 21, 2024, our beloved father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend Frederick (Rick) Sheldon Larabee of Austin, Texas earned his angel wings and departed this earth.

Rick was born on November 5, 1934, in Yakima, Washington, to the late Clyde and Evelyn (Gerlach) Larabee. Rick led an extraordinary life. He spent early years in Alaska in Inuit villages, where his parents were school teachers. After graduating from high school in Centralia, Washington, in 1953, where he served as Student Body President, Rick attended Washington State College where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. In 1955, Rick enlisted in the US Air Force as Airman Basic, attended Aviation Cadet School in 1956 where he earned his pilot’s wings, and served his country honorably until his retirement in 1978 as a Lt. Colonel. Amongst his military duties, Rick served as Instructor Pilot, Test Pilot, Check Pilot, Fighter Pilot, Flight Safety Project Officer, Chief of Safety Operations, Crash Site Investigator, Squadron Operations Officer, Wing Air Operations Officer, and Flight Safety Policies and Program Director. Rick earned his BS Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Culver Stockton College in 1975. After active duty, Rick continued his flying career, serving as Director of Operations for Martinaire, Inc.; International Flight Operations Manager and Captain DA-20 for Euro Jet Corporation; Captain B737 for AirSul Airlines; General Manager, Flight Engineer, and International Operations for Kittyhawk; and then Flight Engineer on B727 flying cargo until his retirement in 2006. Never one to sit still and loving to engage with people, Rick then worked as a part time clerk for the Kroger Fuel Center until 2020. During his life, Rick traveled the world, lived at 46 different addresses, flew 55 different airplanes, landed at 496 airports, and logged over 21,000 flight hours. He was a member of Daedalians.

Rick displayed a tenacity of spirit, overcoming many obstacles. After contracting polio as a teenager, Rick willed himself to walk again and repeated the lost school year. After his plane crashed in Vietnam, Rick suffered third-degree burns and spent six weeks in the hospital. He later returned to Vietnam to search for his military comrades, POWs and MIAs. Later in life, he fought a courageous battle against cancer and COPD. Rick was never one to complain, always one to embrace life, and embrace life he did.

He loved the dogs of his youth: Terry, Kusko, and Major. A self-taught musician and avid music lover and collector, Rick played several instruments, including piano, saxophone, and guitar which he played in a rock ‘n roll band, for family and friends, and at church suppers. He loved action movies, even ones with a twist that made him cry, telling jokes, card games, memory games, a spirited competitive board game with his family, all sports and watching the Dallas Cowboys with his son. He even played a stint of semi-pro basketball. He embraced technology, stock trading, slot machines and gambling. He enjoyed chateaubriand, crab legs, most anything sweet, especially German chocolate cake, and made the best Mickey Mouse pancakes on a Saturday morning. He loved family gatherings to celebrate his birthdays, tried so hard to make it to 90. God bless you, Daddy. Most of all, Rick was a dear friend to so many, a friend you could sit and chat and laugh with, a friend on whom you could depend.

Rick was married to the former Barbara Jean Rodgers of Plain Dealing, Louisiana; Mary Ruth Wright of Sherman, Texas; and Margo Louise Daniel of Houston, Texas, who preceded him in death.

Rick will be dearly missed by his children: daughter Tracey Sherman and her husband David of New Braunfels, Texas; daughter Jeana Shaw and her husband Ben of Perkinston, Mississippi; son Rick Larabee II and his wife Angie of Austin, Texas; grandchildren Francene, Ryan, Shelley, and Ray; and great-grandchildren Katey, Ayden, Addisyn, Aliyah, Ellie, Waylen, and Abel.

Visitation will be held Thursday, September 26, 2024, from 5-8 p.m. at Cook-Walden Funeral Home at 6100 North Lamar in Austin, with services Friday, September 27, 2024, from 9-10 a.m. Burial will follow with military honors, then a final blessing given by his son in law, Ben Shaw, at 1:30 p.m. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers are Rick Larabee, David Sherman, Ben Shaw, David Lear, Randy Neff, and Angie Larabee.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the American Cancer Society, the COPD Foundation, or a charity of choice.