Beneva Pearl Rickley

Buneva “Bunnie” Pearl Rickley, age 75, passed away peacefully at her home in St. Ignace, Michigan, surrounded by her family on August 10, 2022. She was born to Charles and Annamae (nee Lee) Sayles in St. Ignace on January 3, 1947.

During her childhood, Bunnie enjoyed hunting and fishing with her dad, as well as spending time in Hessel with her Aunt Barb and Uncle George “Bub” Lee. Bunnie was a graduate of LaSalle High School and married her high school sweetheart and love of her life Robert “Bob” Rickley Sr. on March 22, 1966. Together, they lovingly shared seven children. Bunnie worked in the long-term care unit at Mackinac Straits Hospital until her first child was born, when she then dedicated herself to being a devoted stay at home mom. After briefly living in Staples, Minnesota, for 2 years, Bob and Bunnie returned to St. Ignace to complete their family. Bunnie faced multiple hardships when Bob passed away unexpectedly at the age of 40. Following Bob’s death, Bunnie’s mother passed, her home perished in a fire and her oldest son was lost in a commercial fishing accident. Through these trials, Bunnie was able to hold her remaining family together and provided her children with a love and stability that overshadowed the difficulties she faced to provide as a grieving, single mother. While raising her children, Bunnie welcomed many children of local families into her home during the day while their parents worked. Bunnie returned to work as a direct care provider, where she tenderly cared for the residents of Pleasant View until her retirement in 2012. Her home always had visitors for coffee and she invited many to sit at her dinner table. Bunnie was always resilient, humble, gracious, forgiving, and faithful in her spiritual beliefs. Following her diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia, Bunnie spent the rest of her years being expertly cared for by both her daughters, in her daughter Kathy’s home, until her passing.

Throughout her life, Bunnie had many interests and hobbies and spent her time listening to Country/Western music, gardening, feeding the ducks in her pond, cooking for her children’s friends and sports teams, providing large picnics for the neighborhood, and hosting the Rickley family tradition of Ghost Feast for many years. She loved taking care of others, Loretta Lynn, spending summers with her lifelong friend Grace Smith (nee Sheber), and animals, especially coon hounds and her poodle, Taz. She once began a grassroots effort to keep the St. Ignace Road rock quarry public by collecting over 1,000 signatures to prevent the Forest Service from selling the land. Her greatest pride was attending her children’s many sporting events, cheering them on from the crowd.

Bunnie is survived by her daughters, Kathy (Cory) Peterson of St. Ignace, Jolene Rickley of St. Ignace; sons, Donald (Marcia) Rickley of Clarksville, Tennessee, John (Lauren) Rickley of St. Ignace, Mike (Reva) Rickley of Kincheloe, Michigan, Bill (Sarah) Rickley of St. Charles, Michigan; sister, Alice (Frank) Switlicki of Port Huron, Michigan; seventeen grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; many beloved sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Bunnie was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, son Robert “Bobby” Rickley Jr.; parents, Charlie and Annamae; brothers, Bob and Chet Sayles; sister, Charlotte Kinney; and granddaughter, Jaycee Pearl.

Services will be held on Friday, August 19th, 2022 at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church in St. Ignace. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM with a funeral mass immediately following at 1:00 PM.

Burial will be at Bishop Baraga Cemetery (Wequayoc), where Bunnie will be laid to rest beside her husband and son, following the funeral service.