Irene Ricker

Irene Marie Ricker of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed away in her home on December 18, 2025, at the age of 97, just days after her birthday celebration at the Manzano Del Sol independent living apartments. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, artist and friend to many, Irene lived a life marked by faith, caring for her family and others, and artistic creativity and expression.

Born Irene Marie Betzer in Hot Springs (now known as Truth or Consequences), New Mexico on December 15, 1928, she was the only child of Thurston McKinley and Wilhelmina Betzer. After attending grade school in Hot Springs, the family moved to Albuquerque in 1939. Irene received a scholarship in art which led to her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of New Mexico in 1950. She worked in commercial art, specifically for the advertising department of American Furniture. She married Chester J. Ricker in 1950, and they had three sons. She became a widow in 1998 and continued working in the fine arts until retiring to Manzano Del Sol in 2010.

As time became available while her sons were growing, Irene loved painting southwestern landscapes, originally in oil until transitioning to realistic watercolor in 1970. She joined with other women artists in the Albuquerque area to share methods and show her work. She is listed in Who's Who in American Art and American Artists of Renown.

She loved crochet and knitting, playing bridge with friends, doing jigsaw puzzles, and writing letters to family and friends. She loved co-planning and joining extended family reunions on both sides of the family. In her later years, she was proficient using word processors, working with early versions of personal computer graphics programs, and navigating her Apple iPad and iPhone.

She is survived by her three sons, Fred, Karl and Bill, her daughter-in-law Jenny, her grand children Kelsey (and her husband Larry) and Collin, and her great-grandchildren Logan and Lakyn.

She will be interned with her late husband, Chester, at his grave site at the Santa Fe Veterans Cemetery.

A memorial service will be held January 16, 2026, for Irene at the Manzano del Sol chapel beginning at 9:30am, followed by a small reception, and then for those making the drive to Santa Fe, a grave-side service at the Veterans Cemetery at 2:30 pm.