Arthur "Artie" Rickun

Arthur "Artie" Rickun, Passed away on November 26th, 2023 at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin, surrounded by the love of his life, Lynda, and their family. His almost two-year-long fight with glioblastoma was nothing less than inspiring and odd-defying, though not a surprise to his friends or family, for all who knew Artie knew of his strength. A member of the exclusive 17-inch bicep club at the Milwaukee Jewish Community Center, Artie also possessed great mental strength throughout his life, evidenced by such feats as eliminating all sugary foods and desserts from his diet nearly 18 years ago, learning to swim at age 50, committing to a life of sobriety in solidarity with his son, and learning Russian just for fun. Artie was also an active meeting leader at the Friendship House, where he both showed and garnered strength by being of service to others. He probably wouldn't want you to read this because Artie was a humble and quiet guy who didn't like the limelight or the attention. Artie was an anti-establishment, counterculture, recovering rebel who wore blue jeans as his standard daily uniform. He never learned to tie a tie but was willing to wear one to his children's and grandchildren's events, provided someone else tied it for him. Artie lived life on his terms, having been self-employed since the age of seventeen. His career spanned six decades in the buy-sell business with wares such as Native American and Inuit art, antiques & collectibles, vintage toys, sports memorabilia, and musical instruments. Artie would often go on buying "calls" or sell at antique and collectible shows with his sons in tow. All three of his boys became experts in the "art of buying and selling," giving Artie great pride and joy. He found fulfillment from partnering with his son, Ben, in recent business ventures. For most of his career, Artie's business hours were 10 am-2 pm, leaving him ample time to punch the heavy bag at the JCC, lift weights with friends far junior than he, and attend his sons' many sporting events or musical performances (aka, "gigs"). There was time for wrestling with his three boys while they were growing, to whom he never ever lost a match. Artie would soon become a loving and engaging grandpa who didn't mind playing "fashion show" on the red carpet in the living room, going on nature walks, reading and telling stories, and singing the grandkids to sleep. Artie was never far from a guitar, which he had played since he was young. His boys grew up with him singing them to sleep with folk songs by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Dave von Ronk, John Prine, and many others. All three of his sons learned to play guitar, and family get-togethers and holidays often turned into all-out jam sessions. Artie would also become known as Arturo in the town of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he enjoyed shopping for ceramics that he and Lynda sold back home at festivals such as Bastille Days and the Wisconsin State Fair. Artie became a spiritual and faithful man over the past decade, spending time studying with rabbis and wrapping tefillin. If you were lucky (and maybe not even Jewish), you were on Artie's "Good Shabbos" text list - something he did every Friday morning one at a time, independently, without assistance, even when his tumor-related aphasia prevented him from saying the words. Upon diagnosis, Artie went full force into treatment, choosing the harder but more effective methods at each step. He rarely complained and remained positive even after setbacks. In his typical fashion, when he decided to stop treatment in December of 2022, he went home and lived ten months longer than the doctors predicted, spending time with his many friends and loving family at his home of 35 years. Artie's legacy lives on through those he touched during his lifetime, especially his wife Lynda; their children Noah (Marina), Benjamin (Katie), and Josh; their grandchildren, Zoe, Jordan, Marlow, and Jack, Artie's three big sisters, Marcie Rickun, Lainey (the late Mark) Rutberg, and Lolly Rickun, sister-in-law Jennifer Neville, brother-in-law Tim (the late Patricia) Foti, and nieces and nephews Jason Foti, Adrienne (Bruce) Bebow, Allison (Elliot Aronow) Rutberg, Andrew Rutberg, Megan (Dan) Woolf, and Jonathan Neville. Artie chose to be buried alongside his parents, Milton and Florene Rickun, and his younger brother, Timmy, with whom he has been waiting to reunite since 1961. Funeral services 1 PM Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at The Chapel, 3601 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood. Interment at Mound Zion Cemetery, 14510 W. North Ave., Brookfield, WI. Memorials to https://give.abta.org/team/544908 Following burial the family will see friends at Shully's A.T.S., 146 Green Bay Road, Thiensville, WI 53092, from 3:30-6:30 PM. To join virtually: When: Nov 29, 2023 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Artie Rickun Funeral Service Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88654548703?pwd=bjZ3Z0ZmVnFMSjNQemZGNThsbjFVdz09 Passcode: Artie Or One tap mobile : +19292056099,,88654548703#,,,,*136060# US (New York) +13017158592,,88654548703#,,,,*136060# US (Washington DC) Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 305 224 1968 US +1 309 205 3325 US +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 931 3860 US +1 507 473 4847 US +1 564 217 2000 US +1 669 444 9171 US +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 689 278 1000 US +1 719 359 4580 US +1 253 205 0468 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 360 209 5623 US +1 386 347 5053 US Webinar ID: 886 5454 8703 Passcode: 136060 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdovsFevH

Arthur "Artie" Rickun

February 25, 1952 - November 26, 2023