Fredric (Ric) Patton Postle
Born April 8, 1947, in Evanston, Illinois, Ric’s earlier years were spent in Palatine, a suburb of Chicago. The family then moved to Inverness, surrounded by beautiful farmland located between Barrington and Palatine where he attended Palatine Township High School. After graduating high school, he attended Northwestern University from 1965-1969 in Evanston, where he received a BA in Political Science. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
From 1969-1971, Ric served in the United States Navy and attained the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. During his time in the Navy, he served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a navigator on a destroyer. After being honorably discharged, Ric returned to Barrington and decided to further his education and was accepted at Harvard University.
From 1972 until 1974, he attended Harvard Business School with an emphasis on Corporate Finance and received an MBA. He later received an MA from Golden State University.
After graduating from Harvard, he worked in corporate finance for Eli Lilly, Coca-Cola and Sutro Investments before finding out that entrepreneurial endeavors provided greater satisfaction in his life. In 1986, Ric ran an investment advisory firm and since 2009 he has been a financial advisor with LPL Financial.
After 18 years of marriage and living in Berkeley, Ric divorced in 1998 and moved to Tiburon. He always said that he was so thankful to be living in such beautiful surroundings and sharing them with his life partner, Joanne Norman, for the past 21 years.
Ric served on the Belvedere Tiburon Library Agency board 2011-2019. He was Vice Chair in 2015 and Chair in 2016. He was on the Belvedere Tiburon Library Foundation board in 2010 and 2011 and the Peninsula Library Foundation Board in 2002 and 2004. Ric also helped with the Belvedere Tiburon Library’s capital campaign. In 2018, he received an award from the town of Tiburon stating “Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Belvedere Tiburon Library Agency and the Belvedere Tiburon Library Foundation Board do hereby express their sincere appreciation to Fredric P. Postle for his continuous and passionate efforts on behalf of the Library over many years, for his commitment to all that is right and good, and for his diligent efforts to insure the financial stability of the Library.”
Ric was a member of the Rotary Club of Tiburon Sunset and president 2004-2005. During his time with Rotary, he was Membership Chair, served on the Rotary Sunset Foundation Board and was Speaker Chair for four years. Ric was active in Public Relations and always ready to lend a hand with community service projects, and always volunteered to help with the Rotary Stock Exchange, their annual fundraiser. Club Treasurer Bob Hendry states, “Ric was very passionate about Rotary and its good deeds. He was active in club activities including board activities, membership recruitment and project activities. We joined Rotary at about the same time, just over 20 years ago, and have been good friends. His positive spirit and sense of humor have brightened our lives. Our club is better because of him., and he will be truly missed.”
Ric was a member of the Tiburon Peninsula Chamber of Commerce for many years and every year volunteered to help with the setup for the chamber’s annual Tiburon Wine Festival.
Ric cherished his friendships and he will be missed by many. His friend Preston Petty says, “What I appreciated most about Ric was his keen intellect and his sense of humor. He was always a gentleman and he carried himself with class.” Jay and Melody Key said, “Ric made the most of his relatively short time on earth. Forever curious, he could have been a winning contestant on ‘Jeopardy’ or the best trivia teammate EVER! We admired his dedication to keep his skills toned by practicing on his piano daily. As a friend, Ric was fiercely loyal with a dry sense of humor. We will toast his memory with a bit of bubbly, and his favorite slice of carrot cake.”
Bill McNicholas remembers how Ric enjoyed showing up for military events in his Navy uniform, which he was pleased to show still fit. Ric was very proud to have served in the Navy and they shared many sea stories together. Bill loved him as a friend and fellow officer.
Barry Bartlet, a fraternity brother from Northwestern remembers how Ric was the only person he knew who kept a dictionary by his bedside so he could learn a new word everyday, and how he and Ric could spend an hour conversing on the phone discussing the mechanics of a golf swing.
Long time friends from New York, Jeannette Hektoen and Neill Slaughter said, “We loved Ric for his wit and wisdom, as well as his zest for life. Being curious and well-read made Ric a most interesting individual who was something like a renaissance man and one who could speak with some knowledge on any number of topics.”
Ric’s love for travel followed him his entire life. After his divorce, he was fortunate to spend numerous vacations with his sister Cynthia traveling around France and enjoying quaint villages, delicious food and fantastic wine. He always felt he was so fortunate to meet the love of his life, Joanne, who also had a passion for traveling. They were able to travel the world together creating beautiful memories. They especially enjoyed cruises but also enjoyed spending time in their favorite countries Italy, France and Switzerland. One of their favorite times to travel was during Christmas and New Year’s. They traveled to Antarctica during the holidays, enjoyed the Christmas markets in Vienna, and docked next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris on New Year’s Eve. While at home, they enjoyed dining out in nice restaurants, but also enjoyed being home and having a home-cooked meal in front of the fireplace as they watched the sunset and enjoyed a glass of fine wine.
Ric’s other passions included going to The Olympic Club and playing or practicing on a weekly basis, enjoying social activities at the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, where he was a member for many years, and for years experiencing great wine at lunch and dinner with members of the Golden Gate Wine Society. In his spare time, Ric enjoyed piano improvisation and made it a point to practice playing the piano on a daily basis. He enjoyed skiing for many years with his Northwestern fraternity brothers in Aspen and in his spare time he had a passion for reading American history and enjoying film.
Ric Postle passed away October 21, 2023, at the age of 76. He was preceded in death by his mother, Doanne Young Postle, and his father, Merton Postle.
Ric is survived by his life partner of 21 years, Joanne Norman; his sister, Cynthia French Postle Cederroth; and her children, Terra and Max Cederroth.
A Celebration of Life will be planned.
In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to send donations in Ric’s name to the Rotary Club of Tiburon Sunset.
Make checks payable to Tiburon Sunset Rotary Foundation and send to Bob Hendry, PO Box 236, Tiburon, CA 94920-0236.