With a full moon overhead on July 27, Rick Goldsby made his final lap and took the checkered flag for a life well-lived with his wife, Jean, by his side. He was surrounded by the love of his family.
His race began January 16, 1938 when he was born in Missoula to Milton and Loretta Goldsby. He was the fourth of five children. He attended Willard Grade School and Missoula County High School. During these years he made several friendships that tasted a lifetime.
In 1957 under a full moon in Pattee Canyon he met the love of his life, Jean Nelson. On October 3, 1959 they were married in Missoula. Together they welcomed two children into the world, Vicky and Rick Jr.
Rick had a passion for cars from the 1920s to the 1960s. He took great pleasure in figuring out to mix and match pieces and parts to create unique cars with speed. He was meticulous in his work. A close friend recently commented that Rick was his hero because he first saw him with a "Goldsby Original" and he was hooked for life. Even in recent years, it was not unusual for some hot rod enthusiast to call and ask Rick for advice on solving a mechanical problem. He usually had an answer and if he didn't he'd work on figuring out a solution.
This love of building cars led to many years of building stock cars. During his stock car years he could generally be found in the garage working one of the cars to make sure it was ready for race day. His cars frequently finished in the front of the pack.
When the time came to move on from stock car racing he developed other hobbies, fishing, camping, photography and rose gardening. On Sundays, he could still be found watching NASCAR.
Dogs had a special place in Rick's heart. He adopted some and some adopted him. A walk around the neighborhood often included dog treats in his pockets for his dog friends.
As a teenager, Rick began working on road construction. That grew into a life-long career as heavy equipment operator. He worked on building many roads, bridges and building in Western Montana. One of his favorite jobs was working on the Goat Lick Bridge in Glacier Park in the early 1980s.
Rick was a man of strong convictions. You always knew where he stood and where you stood. Even as his health declined he stayed abreast of what was happening in the world and was quick to share his view. Underneath his sometimes gruff personality was a man with a quick wit and loved a good joke. This was evident right until his final days.
Rick had a quiet yet strong belief and relationship with the Lord. In recent months as became more homebound, Rick made sure he attended church service at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Rick is survived by his wife, Jean, daughter Vicky (Bert) Mahon, son Rick (Janice) Goldsby, granddaughters Cindy (Preston) Person, Quina Goldsby, Holly Mahon, and great-children Marshall, Annalise and Mason Person.
Services will be held at First Christian Church August 4, Saturday at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to First Christian Church, 2701 South Russell Street, Missoula, MT 59801 or East Missoula Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 8696, Missoula, MT 59807.
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