Richmond (Rich) Williston Rucker, died on September 12, 2021 of complications stemming from Parkinson’s disease and a recent stroke. He was 83. He is survived by Melissa (Meli), his wife of sixty years, by his brother Thomas Joseph Rucker, and preceded in death by his brother William Wigmore Rucker. He is survived by his daughter Anna Rucker Teague (Dave) of Winston-Salem, his sons Charles Richmond Alexander (Alex) Rucker (Sara) of Winston-Salem and Jonathan (Jon) Nettles Rabb Rucker (Karen) of Boulder, Colorado, his grandchildren Sarah Clark Starnes (Kenny) of Winston-Salem, Melissa Clark Taylor (Michael) of Charlotte, John Devlin Clark, III of Washington, DC, Andrew Neal Teague of Winston-Salem, Brooke Regan Rucker and Miles Richmond Rucker of Boulder, CO, and Charles Richmond Alexander Rucker II of Winston-Salem, and his beloved great-granddaughters Nell Catherine Starnes and Mae Clark Starnes of Winston-Salem. Born in Winston-Salem in 1938, Rich was a two sport letterman at RJ Reynolds High School. He then attended Davidson College where he played baseball, was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and was an ROTC Lieutenant. Rich was one of the first students from Davidson to study abroad, attending both the Sorbonne in Paris (France) and the University of Geneva (Switzerland). In 1958, while a student in Geneva, he went snow skiing for the first time. This event would prove to be most profound in his life. Upon returning to, and graduating from Davidson in 1960, he joined the US Army. Though stationed in Germany at the time, he traveled back to Asheboro to marry the love of his life, Meli Rabb. Their December wedding was capped by a quick return to Germany, where tensions were rising during the Cold War. On the night of August 13, 1961, as construction began on the Berlin Wall, he led his troops on a clandestine operation into East Germany, defending a bridge that crossed into West Germany. The consequences were high, but all ended well. He continued to rise through the officer ranks and became a Captain, a member of the Airborne, and an Army Ranger. He was awarded top honors in his Ranger school class and became an Army Ranger Instructor, steeling future Rangers. Rich left the Army in 1964 and enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1967. He then moved his young family to Winter Park, FL where his real estate law skills at McGuire, Voorhees, and Wells helped to lay the foundations for what would become Walt Disney World. After nearly four years in Florida, his North Carolina roots prevailed, with a return to Winston-Salem. Concurrently, Sugar Mountain had recently opened near Boone. At this time, everything he’d hoped for came together – family, career, skiing, and his newfound Centenary United Methodist Church. He became a partner at Hutchins, Tyndall, Doughton, and Moore where he found his greatest professional satisfaction being a mediator. During these years, he joined the National Ski Patrol at Sugar Mountain, where from 1978-1980, he was the Volunteer Ski Patrol director. It was there he received the honors of Patroller of the Year and the National Ski Patrol Purple Merit Star for saving an injured person’s life. After retiring from the practice of law in 1997, he spent several winters as a Professional Ski Patroller at Sugar. Then, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado called him west to Steamboat Springs, where he continued to enjoy serving as a patroller. His love of skiing became well known in Steamboat, where even after retiring from the ski patrol, he skied most days of the week. For nearly a decade, he would chase the snow to ski in Argentina during North America’s summer. In “retirement,” there were years where he skied 200 days or more. By the end of his life, he’d skied in ten countries and more than 120 resorts. His hobbies were always pursued with a dedication to self-betterment. He constantly aimed to be in top physical condition. At various times, he was an avid tennis player, a frequent windsurfer, and even a weightlifter. He kept his mind sharp by studying languages with discipline and dedication. Through continuous studies, he became proficient in speaking French, German, and Portuguese, but was particularly fluent in Spanish. For the last three decades of his life, he would only read books in foreign languages. He was driven in unique ways. This led Rich to lead a life with a positive flair. He was incredibly bright but humble, had a deep moral compass, and lived with integrity, decorum, and civility. Reflecting on his experiences with the many cultures he encountered across the globe, he said on more than one occasion: “there are good people everywhere.” Above all, he loved his family. According to his own memoirs, “The only real thing of value which I leave is my family, all of whom are wonderful people. If I am considered to have helped raise them, then I consider this by far my greatest achievement in life.” One of his favorite pastimes was cranking the Rolling Stones as he drove down the road – you could hear him far away and you’d see him singing along, keeping the beat on his steering wheel as he drove by. In closing, the Buena Vista neighborhood will be a little quieter now that Richmond has passed. Rich in life. Rich in love. Rich in family. Rich in friends. Rich in travel. Rich in faith. Rich in peace. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Centenary United Methodist Church or St. Jude Children’s Hospital. A memorial service will be held at Centenary United Methodist Church, in Winston-Salem on Wednesday, September 15 at 2:00pm. Condolences may be made online at www.salemfh.com.