Our beautiful mother, Barbara Royal passed away on February 8th, 2020 in Lynnwood, Washington at the age of 87. Barbara was born on June 29, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Barbara was raised early on by her beloved grandparents, Nathan and Elizabeth Ricks, and later in her childhood by her mother, Luella Ricks and loving stepfather Ferdinand Jorgensen. At the age of 16, Barbara moved to Washington DC with her dear uncle Carl, and his wife Ruthann who had taken her under their wing. She was always very proud of the fact that she was the youngest person to have ever worked in the US patent office. She returned to Salt Lake City and married her first love Nick Royal in 1950, who she was married to for 67 years until his death in 2017. Together they raised three children, Paul, Nikki, and Ellen. Barbara married into a Greek family, and though not Greek herself, learned how to cook and bake delicious Greek meals and desserts, learned about Greek heritage, and embraced and became quite devout in the Greek Orthodox faith. Barbara and Nick were known for their 'nomadic' natures, and lived in many different places in the country, including various places in Utah, as well as New Jersey, California, and Washington state. They enjoyed experiencing different parts of the country, and especially enjoyed overseas trips to Greece and England. Barbara was known for her organizational skills and careful logic at work and could always be counted on for a job well done. She held jobs mostly doing clerical/ office work and retired from the federal government as a customer services supervisor at the GSA in 1994.
Barbara became very interested in her family 's background in the early 2000's and began the process of researching her family history. She compiled an amazing collection of photographs, stories and her own recollections that uncovered a rich legacy telling a fascinating story of the Ricks family. It's an incredible gift to her children and grandchildren and future generations.
Funeral service will be held at St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, 9201 S 1300 E, Sandy, UT, 10:00 am, Tuesday, February 18, 2020. A night viewing will take place at Tate Mortuary, 110 S Main St., in Tooele on Monday, February 17, 2020, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Interment will be in the Tooele City Cemetery.
May her memory be eternal.