Obituary of Charles Ed Ricciardi

Charles “Ed” Ricciardi of Troy passed away peacefully at home on October 6 after a brief illness. He was born in Plymouth, Indiana on November 18, 1949. He met his wife, Jo Beichler, in Bloomington Indiana and they were married in 1973. He is also survived by three sisters, Sally Ricciardi, Mary Ricciardi and Lucinda Miller. All his life Ed loved taking things apart and fixing them, making them work and making them better. He started early on this road, taking apart his sister’s tricycle, though he didn’t know how to put it back together. Later, he could fix anything and everything, from tools to clocks to electronic gizmos. These talents took him through an early career repairing appliances and tvs, and through a long career in electronics, where he evolved from technician to assistant engineer to product development and design. Ed applied these same abilities at home, where he built a bedroom suite with his sister Sally at the age of thirteen, and later spent time working on his home in Massachusetts. After moving to Maine with his wife Jo, he enjoyed immensely the gradual renovation of their farmhouse and barn, and tackling all the tasks of country living. Living in Maine gave Ed time to finally pursue his lifelong interest in photography and for the last five years, he spent the summers showing his work at weekend art fairs around the state. He loved talking with people who came to see his work and especially enjoyed the kids who stopped in his booth. He loved to see people’s eyes light up when they saw what he saw; he wanted to convey his vision of the beauty found in detail and structure and light. He was thrilled when that happened. Ed’s love of travel and word play was reflected in the name of his photography business, ‘Here and Away.’ He and Jo traveled in Maine, across country, and often to France. His latest photographic adventures included Italy, Ireland and Spain, with a few Canadian and US road trips thrown in. Ed was unendingly generous to family and friends with his time, his talents and his love. He loved dogs, music, good food and wine, outrageous puns and living in Maine. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Indiana. Memories and condolences may be offered to the family at www.ripostafh.com. Arrangements are under the care of Riposta Funeral Home Belfast, Me.