Ricky Gene Houlk

Ricky Gene Houlk, 61, a long-time resident of Benton, TN passed away on July 1, 2021, after a brave 2-year battle with a rare form of cancer.

He’s survived by his wife, Jen Perdew-Houlk, mother, Shirley Dalton Houlk, sister Lisa Kaylor (husband Tom), nephew Mark Allmon (wife Sharon), great-nephew Jacoby Allmon, and dozens of cousins and other relatives.
His paternal grandparents were Charles C. and Martha Loftis Houlk. And maternal grandparents were Thomas and Mary Patterson Dalton.

Everyone loved Rick. You could hear his laugh across the room and see his body shake from head to toe. With a quick wit, his humor was infectious.
Although he had no children of his own, Rick was known as the “Kid Whisperer”. If a baby or child was fussy, fighting sleep, or just bored, he would have them calm in seconds. The kids all looked for “Uncle Rick” first.
He loved Polk County and developed an intimate knowledge of the area including the natural resources.
His love of the outdoors started when he was a child and he explored the woods, animal tracks, nature, and birds. A member of several bird groups, he volunteered at the state parks.
A carpenter and DIYer, he and his wife Jen were restoring a 120-year-old farmhouse.
The funeral will be at Companion Funeral Home at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 4th.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to:
• The Foundation for Thymic Cancer Research at Thymic.org
• Friends of the Smokies at FriendsOfTheSmokies.org