11/02/2025
Ricky the Raccoon, age approximately 4, passed away on Friday, October 31, 3025 after he was murdered in an act of jealousy and retribution .
Ricky entered Ahmad D’Shanti’s life as a lost, trembling kit donated into Ahmad’s service by a gracious family. From the moment Ahmad picked him up, Ricky became more than a raccoon—he became family. He was known for his habit of staring directly into security cameras in the dead of night, opening snack cabinets no one knew he could reach, and riding shotgun in both the Suburban and the Escalade with the gravitas of a king returning from exile.
He loved crawling into places he did not belong, screaming at four in the morning with no known provocation, and stealing food with the boldness of a man who had already accepted his fate. He had a particular fondness for french fries, spilled cereal, and anything left in a vehicle cupholder for more than seven minutes. He waged an ongoing territorial war with Tiny, the loaf-shaped nearly hairless dog belonging to Freda Piles, a feud that will be studied by future generations of mammal historians.
Ricky feared nothing, except brooms and the sound of aluminum foil being unrolled.
He leaves behind his adoptive father Ahmad, and his human-brother Sufjan, who once said, “He’s not a pet, he’s a roommate with opinions.” He also leaves several partially opened cereal boxes, a half-finished stash of grape stems, and a legacy of overturned recycling bins.
He is preceded in death by a rotisserie chicken, a roll of toilet paper, and multiple campaign yard signs that suffered unprovoked destruction under his watchful paw.
A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 4 at 3:00 in the chapel of Ahmad D’Shanti Funeral Home with Rev. Jeb Stuart Estrada and Rev. Leroy Pecan officiating. A private graveside service will follow at the D’Shanti residence. The family will receive friends from 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Monday, November 3.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Raccoon Rights Legal Defense Fund (RRLD).
Arrangements are entrusted to Ahmad D’Shanti Funeral Home, where our family will treat your family like family.
