Rick Ferrara

RICK “PAPA BEAR” FERRARA, age 67; beloved husband of Wendy (nee Neal); loving father of Nicole Hazen (Michael) and Ricky Ferrara (Courtney), his children with former spouse Phylis Ferrara (nee Farinacci); dearest grandfather of Charlie, John, Teddy, Sam and Anna; son of the late Louis Ferrara and Cecilia Carraway (nee Ferrara, and Belak); dear brother of Nancy Hamilton (Jon) and Linda Deubel (Eddie); son-in-law of Bill and Marge Neal; brother-in-law of Bill Neal (Phyllis) and Kathy Kuhar (Bill); dearest uncle of Rachelle, Robert, Ryan (Ana), Jamie, Joshua (Mattie), Sasha, Devin, Travis, Ryan, Jason (Stephanie); godfather of Sean Haberman; great-uncle, cousin, and dear friend to many, including Max, his loyal dog. USMC Veteran. Service with both the Richmond Heights Police Department and Cleveland Police Department. Rick was a proud founding member of the Cleveland Police S.W.A.T. Team and a self-employed businessman for many years.  He will be greatly missed.  His love and passion for life, family, country, friendship, cooking, and the Cleveland Browns and Indians will forever be cherished by all who knew him.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to The Littlest Heroes, 32000 Aurora Road, Solon, OH 44139. www.thelittlestheroes.org. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 1007 Superior Avenue, Cleveland at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 9th, followed by a Procession and burial at 12:30pm at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Seville, Ohio. A reception to celebrate Rick’s life will follow at 2 p.m. at Luca Italian Cuisine, 2100 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland.