Robert (Bob) William Riker passed away on April 4, 2024, 2 days after his 77th birthday and 41st wedding anniversary. Bob was born on April 2nd , 1947, in Utica NY to Howard (Bud) Riker of Utica and Irene Snelgrove of Blackwood Wales.
His parents predecease him. Bob was the oldest of 3 boys. His brothers Michael Patrick of Pahrump NV, passed in 2021 and David Charles (Robbin) of Sauquoit NY. survives him. Bob’s mother was a WWII bride. Bob was very proud of his Welsh heritage and enjoyed doing ancestry research. He is pre deceased by Uncle’s Glyn Snelgrove (Mona) Aunt Ivy Snelgrove, Uncle Ken Snelgrove (Gwyneth survives Bob). He is survived by cousins John Snelgrove, Maureen Snelgrove Boucher (Ken) and Carl Snelgorve and his wife all in Wales. Maureen has 2 daughters Lucy and Katie and their 4 children.
Bob attended Notre Dame High School in Utica and received scholarships to attend Cornell Univ. graduating in 1969 with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He put his broad biology degree to good use working in the fields of Biochemistry, Entomology, Plant Breeding (28 yrs.), Marine Biology as a Fisheries Observer in Alaska on fishing boats, tissue culture, developing systems to mass produce Taxol from yew trees used in treatment of breast cancer and ending his career back at Plant Breeding at Cornell. He was very proud to have contributed to helping humanity. Bob was never at a loss of things to do. He loved travel making it to England and Wales a few times as well as cruising through the Panama Canal, riding trains and driving across the US and numerous trips especially to Key West Fl. He loved to watch sports of all sorts but particularly the Yankees, Giants or Bills, and Cornell Lacrosse and Hockey where he has had the same season tickets seats since 1972 and will tell you all about Ken Dryden winning the NCAA championship in 1967. He also loved gardening and landscaping. Bob also was an artist and enjoyed being a part of the Old Forge Mountain Plein Air Painters. He read 80-100 books a year since retiring and loved listening to old rock and roll and Jimmy Buffett. But most of all he loved raising his surviving son Dylan Ericson Riker with his surviving wife Laraine (Ramie) Ericson. Teaching him everything he could and loved watching him play Hockey and Lacrosse. Bob will be deeply missed. Besides those mentioned above he is survived by his nephew David (DJ) and his nieces Tiffany, Heather, Wendy, Carrie, and Kimberly along with their 10 combined children.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to Doctors without Borders. doctorswithoutborders.org or (888) 392 -0392
Funeral Services will be held on April 16, at 1pm in Bangs Funeral Home, 209 W. Green Street, Ithaca. The family will receive friends and family from noon before the service. Burial to follow in Calvary Cemetery.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert W. Riker, please visit our flower store.