Charles Raymond Rickards

Charles Raymond "Chuck" Rickards, 88, of Winchester and Nantucket, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on February 15, 2026 after a brief illness. Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Chuck graduated from P.S. DuPont High School in 1955, the University of Delaware in 1959, and Temple Medical School in Philadelphia, PA, in 1963. Chuck married his wife, Susan, in 1962 in Lancaster, PA and subsequently began his medical training with an internship at Wilmington Medical Center in Delaware. Soon after, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1964, serving in Rock Island, Illinois; San Antonio, TX; and ultimately in Vietnam as a Captain in the US Medical Corps. Upon returning home, he pursued a residency at Temple University and St. Christopher’s Hospital, then established a private medical practice in 1969, which he continued until his retirement in 2004. Chuck held staff privileges as Chief of the Department of Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology at St. Francis Hospital, Wilmington, DE. He also served as Director of the Department of Ophthalmology at Riverside Hospital, consulted at Jefferson Medical College and Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and was Senior Attending Physician in Ophthalmology at the Medical Center of Delaware. Board certified in 1972, he was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Ophthalmic Club of Philadelphia, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Medical Association, and the Delaware Ophthalmology Society. Chuck was active at Christ Church Christiana Hundred and belonged to several organizations, including Greenville Country Club, University and Whist Club, Rotary Club of Wilmington, Kappa Alpha, Ducks Unlimited, Sankaty Head Golf Club, and Quidnet-Squam Association. Chuck always had an eye on the beach and family. As a child, he spent summers in Stone Harbor, NJ and later met Susan during a memorable day in Rehoboth, Delaware. They bonded over a shared love for the shore and established a lifelong passion for seaside living. After a visit to Cape Cod led them to discover Nantucket, they purchased a home in Quidnet, which they enjoyed for the next fifty years. Chuck and Susan also became "snowbirds," spending winters in Duck Key, Florida for 20 years, where he enjoyed fishing, weekly fish fries, hosting grandchildren, and the endless search for the slightly larger boat. Chuck cherished spending time with his family, always valuing the traditions that will continue to live on. Home was the setting for late family dinners, endless fishing and boating discussions, and invaluable lessons in poker, bridge, gin rummy, and solitaire. To others, he was the consummate fisherman, boater, and sailor; the neighborhood’s trusted “doc” for triage; and Commodore of several Sesachacha Yacht Club races. His legacy lives on through his children and grandchildren, who carry forward his love of family, the water, and wisdom that ice cream “fills in the cracks”. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Susan Snyder Rickards; two brothers, Philip Rickards and Robert Rickards (married to Della Rickards); three children: Tuck (married to Kelly Rickards), David Rickards (married to Rosanna Rickards), and Annie Rickards Poskitt (married to David Cooke); seven grandchildren (Andrew Rickards, Katie Rickards, Matt Rickards (married to Liv Rickards), Gabriella Rickards, Alex Rickards, Jay Poskitt and Colby Poskitt) and two step grandchildren (Acadia Cooke and Tucker Cooke). A memorial service will be held on March 7th at 12:00 pm at Christ Church in Wilmington, DE. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ Church Christiana Hundred, Wilmington, DE 19807. Arrangements by The Groff’s Family Funeral & Cremation Services Inc.