Ricky Lee Schuetze, 57, of Crete, passed away Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at his home.   Memorial Mass will be 10:30am on Saturday, July 19 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point.  Burial will be at St. Michael’s Cemetery with lunch following at the GACC Cafeteria.  Visitation will be Friday, July 18 from 5:00pm to 7:30pm with a Vigil Service at 7:30pm at Stokely Funeral Home in West Point.  Memorials may be made to the family for future designation.  Arrangements by Stokely Funeral Home.

Ricky was born December 3, 1967 in West Point, Nebraska to Leroy and Diane (Kratke) Schuetze. While in high school, Ricky enjoyed sports, especially wrestling.  After graduating from West Point Public School, he worked in the packing plant industry.  In 2001 he became a government meat inspector pursuing a career at Smithfield’s in Crete, NE where he was highly regarded for the amazing job he did.

Ricky loved spending time outdoors camping, hunting, fishing, and mushroom hunting. He had a “green thumb” and enjoyed gardening. Spending time with family was always important to Ricky.  He was eager to teach his nieces how to plant a garden and shoot a gun at clay pigeons.  He had a sharp eye when hunting, especially for deer and pheasants.  Ricky enjoyed cooking and sharing his abilities as a chef.  Homemade spaghetti sauce and chili were his specialties and he was always eager to put something on the barbeque grill or in the smoker.  Jim Carrey was Ricky’s favorite actor and the source of much of his humor.  The family remembers he did a perfect impersonation of Carrey mimicking those famous words, “alrighty then” from a movie.

His faith was an important part of his daily life, faithfully praying his devotions every morning.  Ricky was a very selfless man, generous and kind to others, quick with a joke, he enjoyed making others laugh and smile.  Frequent trips were made to his sister’s home to spend time with his nieces, playing Monopoly and teaching them how to dance. Uncle Ricky was the highlight of their days.  He enjoyed spending time with his sister, taking her to Yellowstone National Park one year on a vacation, a memory she will never forget.  His father, Leroy, made an incredible impact on his life and was his best friend.  Ricky never missed one baptism, confirmation, graduation, wedding or first communion for his nieces and nephew.

Survivors include sister, Victoria Voss of Beemer; nieces, Shailey, Tiffany, Brittany, Kailey and Emiley Voss and great-niece, Renlee Krutilek, all of Tekamah; brother and sister-in-law, Randy (Connie) Schuetze of Fremont; niece, Amber and Allen Sampsell of Colorado Springs, CO; nephew Jordan Schuetze of Lincoln.

He’s proceeded in death by infant niece, Alaina Diane Voss; his parents, Leroy (Diane) Schuetze