My Friend Rick "The Stick" Mireles

As promised on Facebook here is the eulogy delivered at my best friend's memorial service.  It's in all caps because it was written as a speech script and I have old eyes, the bigger the letters the better.  I hope you enjoy and it gives you a little insight into the life of a man who touched so many lives, hundreds in person and thousands on the radio in San Antonio, Austin and the Rio Grande Valley.  He was the best both on and off the air, has a wonderful family and lots of people who love him.  I was amazed at the outpouring at his memorial service.  There wasn't a seat in the house.

 

EVER SINCE I WAS ASKED TO SPEAK ABOUT RICK’S LIFE ONE THING HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH MY HEAD.

WHAT STORIES COULD I TELL BOTH IN FRONT OF RICK’S MOM AND A PRIEST?

RICK AND I ACTUALLY FIRST MET ON THE TELEPHONE. I WAS MANAGING EDITOR AT KRNN RADIO AND HE WAS DOING AFTERNOON TRAFFIC FOR US WHILE HE WAS WORKING FOR TRAFFIC CENTRAL. IT WASN’T A PLEASANT MEETING AND FOR THE LONGEST TIME I THINK RICK WAS SCARED OF ME. YOU SEE HE MISSED A TRAFFIC REPORT AND I CALLED HIM TO TELL HIM THAT I WASN’T REAL HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

HE LEFT TRAFFIC CENTRAL TO COME TO POWER 93 AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME I BECAME THE NEWS DIRECTOR AT KONO AND POWER 93. IT TOOK A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE WE ACTUALLY SAW EACH OTHER IN PERSON SINCE HE WORKED NIGHTS AND I WORKED MORNINGS. EVEN THOUGH WE WERE NOW ON THE SAME TEAM…HE WAS STILL SCARED OF ME. HE THOUGHT I WAS A VERY SERIOUS NEWS PERSON NOT TO BE MESSED WITH.

HE SOON FOUND OUT THAT WASN’T THE CASE AT ALL, THAT WE EVEN HAD THE SAME KIND OF SENSE OF HUMOR, AND OUR FRIENDSHIP BEGAN.

WE DID EVERYTHING TOGETHER BACK IN THOSE DAYS…THOSE ARE THE STORIES WE'RE SKIPPING BECAUSE OF THE MOM, PRIEST THING.

IF YOU ONLY HEARD RICK WHEN HE WAS IN THE MORNINGS THEN YOU MISSED WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER THE REAL RICK THE STICK. HIS POWER 93 NIGHT SHOW HAD A BIGGER PERCENTAGE OF THE AUDIENCE THAN ANY SHOW BEFORE OR SINCE….SOME HOURS HE REACHED OVER 50 PERCENT OF THE RADIOS TURNED ON IN SAN ANTONIO.

SO WHY DID PEOPLE LOVE HIS SHOW? WELL IT WAS DIFFERENT, AND HE WAS DIFFERENT. HE INTERACTED WITH HIS LISTENERS AND WHEN HE DID REMOTES AND THOSE LISTENERS SHOWED UP IN DROVES TO SEE HIM HE TREATED ALL OF THEM LIKE HIS BEST FRIEND. HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST APPROACHABLE PEOPLE I’VE EVER SEEN. EVERYONE WAS HIS BUDDY AND HE WAS EVERYONE’S BUDDY. IT WAS PRETTY AMAZING TO SEE.

SOON WE WERE BOTH GONE FROM POWER 93, I WENT TO AUSTIN AND HE WENT TO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FOR A WHILE, THEN BACK TO SAN ANTONIO AND IN 1999 ENDED UP IN AUSTIN WITH ME. THAT’S WHEN HE MET EVA AND THAT’S WHEN MONDAY NIGHT WRESTLING NIGHTS STARTED. ONE OF US WOULD PICK UP SPICY FRIED CHICKEN AND WATCH WRESTLING. AT THE TIME RICK HAD ONE OF TWO PRETTY FAST CARS, A TRANS AM AND A WHITE CORVETTE. NOW IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS RICK MAY HAVE LOVED DRIVING FAST, NOT SURE, BUT WHEN HE HAD THOSE CARS HE LOVED TO DRIVE FAST BUT DIDN’T WANT TO DO IT HIMSELF. HE KNEW THAT I DIDN’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT SO USUALLY AFTER EVERYONE WAS ASLEEP IN THE HOUSE….IE EVA…HE WOULD SAY, HEY DUDE…YOU WANT TO GO DRIVING FOR A WHILE? THAT WAS SUPER SECRET CODE FOR I DON’T WANT TO DRIVE MY CAR FAST BUT I KNOW YOU WILL SO LET’S TAKE IT OUT AND YOU DRIVE REALLY FAST AND I HOLD ON LIKE I‘M ON A ROLLER COASTER. SO WE DID. MOST OF THE TIME WE WOULD BOTH COME HOME WITH A HEADACHE FROM IT BUT HE SEEMED TO LOVE DOING IT…OR ELSE HE WOULDN’T HAVE KEPT ASKING ME TO DO IT.

　

OVER THE YEARS HE WAS TRULY THERE FOR ME THROUGH ALL OF MY GOOD TIMES AND BAD. HE GAVE LOTS OF ADVICE…SOME OF IT WAS EVEN GOOD ADVICE. HE WAS SOMEONE I ALWAYS KNEW I COULD TURN TO AND SOMEONE I KNEW I COULD TELL ANYTHING TO. THAT’S WHAT BEST FRIENDS ARE FOR. THE SAME OF COURSE WAS TRUE FOR HIM. HE KNEW THAT HE COULD CALL ME ANYTIME AND I WOULD TELL HIM WHAT I THOUGHT, WHICH WASN’T ALWAYS WHAT HE WANTED TO HEAR, BUT I THINK HE APPRECIATED THE FACT THAT WE COULD JUST OPEN UP AND BE STRAIGHT WITH EACH OTHER AND KNOW THAT WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER WE WOULD STILL BE FRIENDS.

　

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