Eric William “Rick” Yocum, 77, came hard out of turn four, went high against the wall and took his final checkered flag on Aug 24, 2023, passing away at Shelby Hospital. Rick was born Aug. 31, 1945, in Wheeling, W. Va., to the late Raymond Edward and Barbara Ann (Barto) Yocum. He grew up in the Ohio River town of Brilliant and had lived in Lexington, Ohio, for nearly 50 years.
Rick was a former reporter and area editor with the Defiance, Ohio, Crescent-News, joining the staff in 1967. He held a variety of positions at the paper over the next seven years. He moved to the Mansfield area in 1974 to become the communications manager with the United Telephone Company of Ohio. He spent more than 30 years with the company, retiring in 2005 as the general manager of government relations, which he always claimed was a glorified title for a lobbyist. Following his time with the phone company, he established his own lobbying business for the telecommunications industry. He also represented Lake Erie shoreline landowners in a battle with the State of Ohio over property boundaries. He finished his working career as president of the Ohio Public Expenditures Council. Rick was a lifelong fan of any kind of racing – slot cars, dirt track, NASCAR, Indy car. As a newspaper reporter, he covered many races and met many drivers. He was the author of the non-fiction book, Echoes of Valley Thunder, the story of Debo Park Motor Speedway in Rayland, Ohio, and the drivers who raced there. Rick spent many Saturday nights at the dirt track during his youth and teenage years. Over the years, he amassed a huge collection of racing books and memorabilia. In later years, he built a 1937 Chevy race car and painted it with a distinctive No. 777, identical to the car raced at Debo by one of his boyhood idols, Jack Steffen. He also owned several race cars over the years and raced at such tracks as Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Watkins Glen International, Virginia International Raceway, Roebling Road Raceway and Daytona International Speedway. Rick and his wife Paula once appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. When the show was taped in New York, Carson held a contest for viewers to name the NBC Commissary, which Carson was always poking fun at on the show. Rick submitted, “Cramps Tomb,” which Carson selected as the winner from the thousands of entries. Rick was involved in his community in a variety of ways, and coached youth baseball in Lexington. He was a proud graduate of Brilliant Memorial High School, where he was the senior class president, a letterman in track, and was three times named the best trumpet player in Jefferson County. A talented musician, Rick was the lead guitar player for the famous rock band, Little Orville and the Roadrunners. He remained active in the school alumni association and was a charter member of the Brilliant Blue Devils Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. He studied journalism at Ohio State University and later earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Ashland University. Rick loved animals and would be upset if we failed to include two of his favorite dogs – Pita and Roosevelt.
Along with his parents, Rick was preceded in death by two brothers, Ronald Yocum and Lionel Yocum, and a son-in-law, Bernie Anders. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Paula (Eberts) Yocum and three children: Raymond Yocum of Centerburg, Erica Anders of Ontario, and Christopher (Christine) Yocum of Bellville. Five grandchildren – RJ and Cooper Yocum, Spencer and Sammie Basham, and Mackenzi (Mikey) Ziegman. One great grandson, Malcolm Ziegman. Rick spent 27 years supporting and loving his grandchildren. Rain or shine, he attended track meets, soccer matches, baseball games, softball games and cheerleading competitions. He was either taking photos on the field or at home to capture the memories of his grandchildren. The results were often proudly posted to Facebook or on his Iphone to show off to friends.
A celebration of Rick’s life will be held September 9th at The Wishmaker House, 116 Main St. Bellville, Ohio from 4-6 PM.
Snyder Funeral Homes is honored to serve the Yocum family and encourage you to share a memory at SnyderFuneralHomes.com
Funeral Home: Snyder Funeral Home Lexington Avenue Chapel
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