Patrick H. Ricke, 73, Stratford, died on Monday, February 21, 2022. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at Sauter / Rembs Funeral Home, Stratford, where a visitation will be from 12:00 pm until service time. Rev. Scott Miller will officiate. Burial will be in Hope Lutheran Church Cemetery, Town of Frankfort, Marathon County. Patrick was born on March 17, 1948 in LeMars, Iowa, to Omar and Leola (Konz) Ricke. The story goes that his mom wanted to name him David, but the nuns at the hospital insisted that a baby born on St. Patrick's Day should be named Patrick. He grew up on a farm near Granville, Iowa and graduated from Spalding High School. Pat served in Company A, 2nd Battalion Mechanized 133rd Infantry, Iowa Army National Guard and was called up to active duty in 1969. In 1971, he married Mary Galles from Remsen, Iowa. Together they had 3 children and farmed in Primghar and Granville. They later divorced. In the early 2000s, Pat moved to Stratford where he farmed and worked at a local dairy. It was at the dairy where he got the nickname "Blinker" for using his turn signal while feeding cattle. Pat will be remembered for his boisterous laugh, his hard work, his love for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the Fourth of July parties he threw at his farm. He is survived by his children, Matt (Sara) Ricke of Royal, Iowa, Mike Ricke of Sioux City, Iowa, Maria Ricke (Alec Young) of Belle Plaine, MN, five grandchildren, and his fiancée, Cheryl Leffel. He is also survived by sisters Mary Jane (Lyle) Frederes, Ruth Ricke, Bonnie Ricke, and Shirley Ricke. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Dick Ricke.