Mac Linscott Ricketts was born on Christmas day in 1930, and died February 12 ^th at the Grayson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Independence, VA. His 91 years were filled with mostly good health and fortune. He was preceded in death by Janis, his childhood sweetheart and life companion.

Surviving are his three children Scott Jackson-Ricketts and his wife Debby of Independence, Martin Ricketts of Draper, VA, Lynn Waldron and her husband Karl Busch of Meadowview, VA. Also surviving are granddaughter, Justine Jackson-Ricketts and her husband Kevin Wade along with their child, Lily of Independence, and Damien Jackson-Ricketts and his partner Jessica Cheng of Portland, Oregon.

Mac and Janis met in St. Petersburg, Florida while attending high school, and married after graduation. Mac's ambitions were steeped in higher learning, which first led him into the ministry. As the family grew from two to five, he preached at two churches in Florida while Janis held important roles in church music through singing in the choir to playing organ and piano. They were a team.

In 1960 Mac accepted a preaching role in Lovington Illinois, where he also began his PhD work between weekends at University of Chicago. This was a busy life, leaving Janis to hold down the fort. After four or five years, he was moved to another church in Cisco, Illinois while continuing his schooling. It was at the University of Chicago that he met the man who would change his life, Mircea Eliade. After securing his PhD he also took on a teaching job at a local college while seeking full employment as a professor. He was drifting away from the ministry.

In the fall of 1965 the family moved to Durham, NC where Mac began his professorship at Duke University. Then, in 1972, the family (except for Scott) moved to Louisburg, NC, and another teaching position. After 20 years Mac retired so he and Janis resettled in Independence to be closer to the grandchildren.

All through these years, Mac became the focused translator of Eliade's voluminous work. They became friends, and trusted colleagues, visiting one another when possible. Eliade was Romanian, which is the language Mac learned, and in the lengthy process, Mac traveled to Romania twice, one time to receive a distinguished award.

Though Eliade is not a household word or particularly well known outside of scholarly pursuits, there remains a strong interest in his life in comparative religion circles. Mac enjoyed the attention of such enthusiasts, even to the extent that as his life drew to a close, he remained in constant communication with several younger scholars, one traveling from Romania to the nursing home for an extended visit. Five weeks prior to Mac's death, he was still translating and working every day.

Mac was a gentle man, who aside from the intellectual passions stated above, was an avid gardener, and a huge Bob Dylan fan. He even took Janis to one concert which was enough for her. His children and grandchildren meant everything to him as he paid close attention to all the details of their lives. When Lily, his great granddaughter, was born in April of last year, he was smitten. Towards the end, she was what cheered him up the most.

Contributions in Mac's memory for the Independence Farmers Market can be sent to:

PO Box 373

Independence, VA 24348