Derek Marcos Cleveland

EARLY SPRING APRIL 12TH 1964, THE WORLD WOULD MAKE WAY FOR DEREK MARCOS CLEVELAND, BKA "RICKEY". ON THIS DAY..., SHERRON CLEVLAND WOULD PRESENT A BUNDLE OF JOY TO VERNON CLEVELAND THAT WAS OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE, AND IT MANIFESTS ITSELF WITH GRACK THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. THE SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR WITH THE HEART OF A LION RICKEY AMPLIFIED STRENGTH AND FIERCE PROTECTION WHEN IT CAME TO HIS FAMILY AND THOSE OF WHOM HE LOVED. RICKEY LOVED THE GRID IRON, MUCH LIKE HIS LIFES MANTRA, HE PLAYED DEFENSIVE LINEMAN DURING HIS DAYS AT AMOUMARTER COLLINS HIGH SCHOOL, THEN TAKING IT TO THE COLLIGIATE LEVEL AT SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY OF BATON ROUGE LA. RICKEY WOULD LATER BECOME A NAVEL OFFICER WHERE HE TRAVELED THE WORLD AND MASTERED THE SKILL OF BOILER TECHNICIAN, HE WOULD EVENTUALLY MAKE BOILER TECH HIS CAREER, HOWEVER IN 1990, WHILE ON THE JOB, HE WAS SEVERLY BURNED WHEN THE A LARGE BOILER MALFUNCTIONED AND EMPLODED TRAGICALLY SCOLDING OVER 70% OF HIS BODY. RICKEY WOULD LATER RECOUNT THAT HIS JOURNEY OF RECOVERY WAS PLAGUED WITH PAIN AND UNCERTAINTY, HOWEVER BEING THE FIGHTER HE IS, AND WITH THE COVERING OF HIS SAVIOR AND THE SUPPORT OF HIS FAMILY AND DEAREST FRIENDS, HE WAS COMMITED TO HIS ROLE AS A HARD WORKING FAMILY MAN AND WHEN HE ATTAINED ENOUGH STRENGTH IN HIS BODY TO DO SO, HE SAUGHT OUT AND MASTERED IN OTHER CARRERS SUCH AS LONG HAUL TRUCKING, CARPENTRY AND EVEN A LITTLE WELDING. PICTURE THIS, AS RICKEY IS SEATED ON A STOOL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE, MICROPHONE IN HAND THE SPOTLIGHT ON HIM AS HE DONNS THAT LARGE SMILE OF HIS GLEEMING.... BECAUSE IN HIS HEART, HIS DREAM WAS ABOUT TO BE FULFILLED, HE WAS ABOUT TO DO ONE OF THE THINGS HE ENJOYED THE MOST! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... THE BEST FAMILY COMEDIAN OF ALL TIME! DEREK " RICKEY" CLEVELAND.......! RICKEY ABSOLUTELY LOVED TELLING JOKES, AND HE WASN'T SHY ABOUT SHARING WITH HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS HIS PASSION FOR ONE DAY BECOMING A FAMOUS COMEDIAN. LATER AFTER THE SHOW.., YA'LL CAN MAKE YOUR WAY WITH YOUR EMPTY STOMACHS TO " BUNKY'S BAR-B-QUE JOINT!, DEREK TOOK THE GRILL SERIOUSLY, WITNESSING HIM AT THE SMOKE PIT WAS VERY EXCITING TO SEE AND DON'T FORGET HIS SPECIAL " POKE SAUCE"! THE NUMBER ONE PLEASURE FOR RICKEY WAS BEING AROUND AND ENJOYING FELLOWSHIP WITH HIS FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS. RICKY HAD A TREMENDOUS LOVE OF FAMILY AND THE JOY OF LAUGHTER FROM CHILDREN WAS GOLDEN FOR HIM, AFTER ALL IT WAS A NATURAL THING, BECAUSE GROWING UP IN A BLENDED FAMILY WAS A COMMON THEME. RICKEY WAS TAUGHT FROM EARLY ON THAT A STRONG VILLAGE WAS INTRICATE, BY HIS GRANDPARENTS AND HIS PARENTS, ESPECAILLY WHEN THE UNION OF HIS MOTHER SHERRON AND HIS " DADDY" WILBUR WRIGHT WAS FORMED. THE TWO OF THEM TAUGHT RICKEY AND HIS SIBLINGS THAT NO MEASURE OF BLOOD WAS GREATER THAN LOVE. DEREK DREAMED OF HAVING HIS VERY OWN FAMILY, AND THAT DREAM WOULD COME TRUE THE DAY HE MET CHIQUITA JACKSON AND MADE HER HIS WIFE. TOGETHER THEY WOULD RAISE A TEAM OF FIVE BOYS ALAN JACKSON, DUSTIN(JENNIFER)JACKSON, BLAKE JACKSON, DEREK JACKSON JR. (MADELYN) AND ZELIG JACKSON CLEVELAND. HE WOULD LATER BE BLESSED WITH A LITTLE PRINCESS ARIAL BROWN. BUT THIS CLAN WAS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL RICKY WAS BLESSED TO HAVE 6 BOYS AND 2 DAUGHTERS IN ALL, WHEN HE WAS GRACED WITH DRAKE BENJAMIN AND CELESTE BENJAMIN OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA! HE OFTEN BRAGGED ABOUT HOW MUCH HE LOVED THEM SO MUCH! RICKY OFTEN SMILED PROUDLY WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT HIS BEST BUDDY JEFF, JEFF WAS LIKE A BROTHER AND MENTOR TO HIM. THE TWO OF THEM HONORED CHRIST WORSHIPED TOGETHER AND HAD A STRONG BOND AS MEN OF GOD. RICKY HAD A VERY BIG FAMILY, AND HE HAD A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM! SHERRON CLEVELAND MOTHER, WILBUR WRIGHT (DAD) UNCLE JERROLD CHILDRESS, BROTHERS VERNON CLEVELAND JR, JAMES BRANDON CLEVELAND AND JERROLD (VIOLA) CLEVELAND WHO PROCEEDED HIM IN THIS JOURNEY, BROTHER ANTHONY CLEVELAND, SISTER LYNETTE (GARRY)MCNEAL WEATHERSBY, BROTHER DONALD (PALMETTA) CLEVELAND, BROTHER EDWARD(TERRY) BURNETTE, SISTER DEBORAH (ALONZO) MOORE, SISTERS MARSHA MOORE AND VERONICA DUKE. RICKEY LOVES AND ADORES HIS GRANDCHILDREN THEY ARE DEFEINATELY A REFLECTION OF HIM. RICKEY SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH A HOST OF NIECES, NEPHEWS AND COUSINS! THERE IS A SPECIALNESS THAT SOME WOMEN POSSES THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE APPRECIATED. MOTHER SHERRON WAS SPECIAL IN THIS WAY, A WOMAN OF ACCEPTANCE AND GRACE ALWAYS OPEN ARMS AND NURTURING. RICKEY LIKENED THIS TO VIOLA JACKSON CLEVELAND HIS SISTER IN LOVE. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING HOW SPECIAL SHE WAS TO HIM.

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Derek Marcos Cleveland

April 12, 1964 - August 10, 2025