Motorcyclist killed was Marine veteran

Richard Keith Housand, 28, died Saturday in crash on Westside

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The parents of a 28-year-old motorcyclist killed in a crash Saturday night on the Westside said they want to remember their son for the honorable man he was.

Richard Keith Housand, known as "Ricky," was a Marine veteran and experienced rider.

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The crash that killed him happened at the intersection of Plymouth Street and Cassat Avenue on Saturday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said Housand was traveling north on Cassat Avenue when an SUV heading south turned in front of his motorcycle.

Housand was struck by the SUV. CPR was performed on Housand, but he died at the scene. 

Housand's parents and sister said they've been doing all they can to get things organized, going through his storage unit trying to find things they want to hold on to for sentimental value.

Hundreds of pictures fill the Housand family home. Ricky Housand was his parents' pride and joy.

He graduated from Ed White High School, made Eagle Scout with Troop 169, joined the Marine Corps for four years and was part of American Legion Post 137 in Jacksonville.

His father, Rodney Housand, can't understand why Ricky's life was cut so short.

"The Marine Corps, everything he did, the thousands of thousands of miles he drove as a trucker. Things you could think he could possibly die in, he didn't die," Rodney Housand said. "He died actually doing something he loved doing and because of carelessness."

Ricky's mother Tessie Housand laid her significant other to rest Saturday after he died of liver cancer. She said her son was very supportive and got her through his death. Just a few hours after that funeral -- that very same day -- Ricky was involved in an accident that took his life.
 
"After going through all those months of seeing somebody suffering, go through and try to live from cancer, and then him having such a short life -- and to be taken away from me at the time I really need him, I think has affected me the most," Tessie Housand said.
 
Ricky's sister, Cassandra Housand, said he absolutely loved riding his bike and wouldn't let anyone ride with him without a helmet.

"If he didn't have the helmet on, he wasn't on the motorcycle. He was always very paranoid and safe about driving," Cassandra Housand said.

"It's just like a nightmare, and I just want to wake up," Tessie Housand said.
 
Ricky Housand's funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Hardage-Giddens Town & Country Funeral Home on Normandy Boulevard. He will be buried at the Florida National Cemetery.

American Legion Post 137 will lead the procession to the cemetery. The Legionnaires have invited anyone who rides a motorcycle who wishes to ride in Ricky's honor to follow along with the procession.