Welcome to the Memorial Page for Richard O. Cunningham. I am sure that everyone knows that this is Mary, Ricky's Fiancee... I manage his Profile and appreciate all the wonderful & loving comments that are left for him. Ricky was a great man and he will be dearly missed. I now, more than ever, am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and Ricky fulfilled his purpose on this earth so he was called home. I know that I too will be reunited with him one day & it puts my heart at ease knowing that Ricky was so happy that I shared his dream with him. I hated bikes and I begged and pleaded with him not to get one. But of course, as we all know, Ricky was hardheaded. After getting his bike I accepted the fact that he had one & was alright with it but I told him I would never get on it with him nor anyone else. No matter what I said though, deep down Ricky knew that eventually he would get me on that bike with him. The day that I finally gave in & rode with him was the day of his death, Saturday, March 18th, 2006. We made the rounds stopping by his Aunt Loretta's house & his Mother's house so that he could show them his new "toy". We rode around for a little bit & then we went home. Ricky called his riding buddy E and wanted to go cruising before he had to bring the bike back to the shop. E told Ricky to meet him at the 7/11 down the street from our house at about 6:15pm. At about 6:10 Ricky and I said our goodbyes; we hugged & kissed and he was off. After getting to the gas station, Ricky realized that it was gonna be kind of chilly out so he called me to bring him a sweater. After dropping the sweater off to him, he said that he would call me when he was on his way to drop off the bike so that I could pick him up from the shop. I spoke with Ricky at 8:02pm and he told me to leave Tampa in about 20 minutes & head to the WalMart in New Tampa to meet him & from there I would follow him to the shop to drop off the bike..... That was the very last time I spoke with Ricky. Instead of waiting the 20 minutes I just headed out to New Tampa. I knew that he was on the bike & he would've gotten there before me & then he would've been waiting on me. I got to the WalMart at about 8:20 & after waiting there for about 15 more minutes I started to get worried. I knew he should've already been there by now so I started calling him to see where he was but he didn't answer. I walked outside to look and see if either of the bikes were out front but they weren't. After I walked back inside, I tried calling E's phone but he didn't answer either. After leaving a message for E to call me, I got a phone call from Ivin, a long time family friend of mine & also 1 of Ricky's co-workers. Ivin was working that evening in the St. Pete / Clearwater area & he was in heavy traffic due to a fatal accident involving a motorcyclist. He asked if I had heard from Ricky yet & of course my response was no. Ivin proceeded to tell me that there had been reports of an accident on the Causeway involving a Motorcycle & not to panic but to try & get a hold of Ricky & he would also do the same. Ivin knew that Ricky had planned on taking a joyride through Clearwater earlier in the evening & just wanted to make sure that he wasn't the cyclist involved in the accident. I of course got worried and was calling everywhere/everyone to try and get a hold of Ricky but had no luck. I called Ricky's phone over & over, got the voicemail, hung up, and started calling E again. After the 2nd or 3rd time calling, E finally answered his phone. I asked him where they were & what was going on but I knew by the tone in his voice that there was something wrong. I started to panic & demanded that he put Ricky on the phone. He just kept saying that he couldn't... I kept asking him where Ricky was & why he couldn't just give him the phone so I could talk to him... E said that Ricky was right in front of him but he couldn't put him on the phone. I kept screaming at him that I needed to talk to Ricky & I kept saying what? Do you not understand that this man is my life... put him on the fucking phone!!!! E sounded as if he were in a daze & just kept saying, He's right here in front of me but I can't put him on the phone... I kept asking why until he finally said "the guy just pulled out in front of us... he just turned right in front of us... he didn't have time to do anything, he didn't even see it coming." At that moment I knew.... my heart dropped & I lost it.... I found out about the accident maybe 15-20 minutes after it happened & my world was shattered... it literally started crumbling around me, I couldn't get to him when he needed me the most. All I kept saying was that he's lying under a sheet on the pavement & I can't get to him... the time when he needed me the most I couldn't do anything to help him... The hardest thing I would ever have to do just slapped me in the face without warning... all I wanted to do was die; I just wanted them to bury me with him.... Everything inside of me hurt, it felt like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest.... What am I supposed to do now? How am I gonna get through this? How the hell am I supposed to function without him? I knew I would be able too but I didn't want to be without him... I kept going over everything in my head & I kept telling myself that this isn't real... this isn't happening; he's gonna come home; he's gonna walk through our front door any second smilin with a goofy ass grin on his face.... How is one supposed to ever get over something like this? Little things killed me.... the day after the accident seeing our dog sit at the front door & wait for his daddy to come walking in & cocking his head to the side every time someone would walk in & know that daddy still hasn't come home yet.... Everything was going in slow motion... When the following Monday after the accident came, E met me at the Funeral Home to let me know that I was the last thing on Ricky's mind when he passed. He said Ricky told him I made his dream come true by sharing the only thing with him that I swore I would never do... ride the bike with him. He said that Ricky was lying there & kept saying over and over I Love her; I Love her; tell her I Love her.... I miss this man more than words can say; I will always have a part of him just like he will always have the biggest piece of me. I NOW KNOW WHAT THE REAL DEFINITION OF A FIRST TRUE LOVE IS AND IT IS ALL BECAUSE OF RICKY. ♥♥With this being said, take chances in life because you never truly know how absolutely perfect something can turn out to be♥♥ Although his life was short, Ricky savored many things. Those who knew Ricky up close and personal knew that he was a genuinely caring person who would always help out a friend in need without expecting anything in return. I had the pleasure of watching him grow from a boy into a man the 3 1/2 years we were together, and WOW what a change it was.... Ricky was a wild child when we met in 2002 but turned out to be someone that I was privileged to say I was going to spend the rest of my life with. We were in the process of getting ready to start our life together as Mr. & Mrs. Richard O. Cunningham, but that dream was cut short. Those of you who had the pleasure of knowing Ricky & being a part of his life are truly blessed. Even though he's gone, his memory will live on forever so please leave your comments and show Ricky some love too.
♥ Te Amo Siempre Papi ♥
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