Ricky Raymond Zabel Obituary (1955

Ricky "Rick" Raymond Zabel was taken from this life on August 30, 2022. Rick was born November 28, 1965 in Boise, ID to Ronnie and Roma Zabel. As a child his family ran a small dairy operation where Rick learned the value of hard work and obtained an appreciation and love for animals. Rick attended local schools and graduated from Kuna High School where he was active in FFA, cross country, football and loved driving his Jeep...fast. After high school, Rick served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Honolulu, Hawaii and before he left on his mission he told his dad he would not be returning to the family dairy as he was done milking. During his mission the dairy farm was replaced with a registered Hereford operation which was what Rick had always wanted to be doing. Rick married Cari Michelle Hanks on July 22, 1988 and they subsequently welcomed four children Alicia, Lindsey, Dustin and the surprise late-comer Preston, who although unexpected, finally made the family complete. He was also blessed to have known his 7 grandchildren whom he loved and teased, and who loved him in return. While he held a number of jobs and occupations throughout his life, Rick truly was at his core a cattleman. Outside of his family, the cattle were truly the love of Rick's life and Rick found a way to combine the two. He turned most major cattle activities into an opportunity to spend time with family. From branding to hauling hay to attending shows and sales he was always ready to get the family together and "go work the cows". Rick had a deep love of his family and other people and was always anxious to know how others were doing and to make sure that they were ok. He served in various roles in his church and community. Although he was recently diagnosed with severe liver cancer, he was able to enjoy his health and was recently feeling better and looking forward to spending time with his family. His light and influence will be missed, however his family is confident he is in a better place and free from the pain and challenges that his recent health problems had been creating for him. Rick is survived by his wife Cari Michelle Zabel (Kuna, ID); daughters Alicia (Jason) Andrus (Shelley, ID) and Lindsey (Chad) Mecham (Firth, ID); sons Dustin (Logan, UT) and Preston (Kuna, ID); his parents Ron and Roma Zabel (Kuna, ID); siblings Ronda Branch (Kuna, ID), Ronald Zabel (Parma, ID), and Robin Roberts (Kuna, ID). Rick was preceded in death by his older brother and his brothers family, Robert (Deana) and Jason Zabel.