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The family of Curtiss Richard Ally uploaded a photo
Thursday, August 31, 2017
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Ryan Lonnett posted a condolence
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Rick was a special guy and friend of mine and the Reston Little League community. I was always happy to see Rick in the stands when I'd walk up to a field to check on some of my former players. We had great little conversations about life / baseball. I know that he wanted to contribute more than his situation allowed but he had such a fantastic attitude about everything. I felt calm around him and suspect that I'm not alone in feeling that way. He'll be missed by many.
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The Kindred Family posted a condolence
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Thinking of you and your family during this difficult time and sending our deep sympathy. With each new day may God (Ps.147:3) give you the help needed to cope. Rick touched the lives of others and will be sadly missed but always remembered.
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Blake Pearce posted a condolence
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
We are very sorry for your loss. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Rick in New York when Harry and I were traveling with our class. A great guy and lots of fun to see brothers doing things together Blake Pearce Valdosta, GA
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Melody Miller posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
I don't know anyone who didn't come to love Rick Ally after they got to know him. HIs fellow Kennedy staffers and friends discovered that he was a tower of integrity, fiercely loyal, and did a great job as a personal aide to the Senator, or when working as an advance man. As the Senator's personal aide, he came to know him well and never betrayed the Senator's trust. In all my years working for the Senator, I believe he was the only member of the staff that the Senator ever invited to stay at his DC home and live there for a time. It helped them both eliminate commuting time and worked out well. He was dependable, could anticipate what the Senator would want, and also valuable as a sounding board. Rick was a quiet man at first meeting, but once you became friends you discovered his great depth, political awareness, and outrage against injustice. He was also wonderfully warm and encouraging to all his friends, and welcoming to new staff. We discovered he loved baseball, and especially the TCU sports teams as a very loyal alum. He was one of the very best players on the Kennedy staff "Boston Ted Sox" softball team. He played hard and he played to win!
Not much got past Rick. He had an ability to assess a situation and find the truth. It there was a problem, he would often come up with the solution. He didn't just go the extra mile - - he went the extra ten miles. He was as loyal as they come. Even when so ill himself, and in the middle of a life and death battle, he came to the funerals, and other significant events in the lives of his friends. It's why we will be there for him. He was absolutely heroic in his battle against the cancer that attacked him. He so loved his wife Mary, and his children, that he was determined not to leave them too soon. He wanted to see his children grow up and get to know them as people, as well as have them know and have special memories of him. So he fought his cancer to a draw for way longer than his doctors ever thought possible. His absolutely incredible "Iron Will" humbled us all. We were, and always will be, in awe of his incredible strength, endurance, and caring heart. Even when he was so very ill, he reached out to others going through tough times to buck them up. He did that for me when my husband died. We, who got those calls, were touched deeper than words can express. I never heard him curse his burden or feel sorry for himself. He never wallowed in self pity. He marched onward standing tall and still exulting in life, and in the joy of his wonderful family. Rick Ally was a truly good and decent man who became a towering example to us all. I was proud he considered me a friend. I couldn't have wished for one better. I have no doubt he is getting a roaring, big Irish welcome and hug from the great man he served so well..."Oh ahh Rick, come over here and meet my brothers..."
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Ed Slavin posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
The world lost a very special man last night. In 2007, my buddy Rick Ally was diagnosed with ACC, a rare and very aggressive form of cancer that impacts about 600 people each year. He was given a 5% chance of survival.
I've never known anyone with the courage and fight that Rick possessed. He defied the odds for more than 8 long years and taught me so much about perseverance, authenticity, perspective, compassion, and faith. Despite the tremendous battle he faced each and every day, his faith was rock steady. I'm so grateful for his influence and inspiration.
When Rick left TCU, he went to work for Senator Ted Kennedy. Rick was Senator Kennedy's Personal assistant for 12 years. Our politics could not have been more different - or so I thought until we discussed our differences. While we differed on some policies, we were passionate about many of the same things. He showed me that our differences were actually relatively small when taken in perspective. Rick fiercely believed in inclusion, as opposed to exclusion. He showed me how much we need that now, more than ever.
Rest in peace, my Horned Frog brother. You were one of a kind. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Mary and their children.
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Rob Crimi posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
My family moved from Bridgewater East NJ to West Virginia in the mid 70's for my father's job. In the late 70's I had the opportunity to return to Bridgewater and play baseball for the high school. All I heard from my friends was that I had to beat Rick Ally and I knew my days were numbered. The best man won and I took the bus back to WV. Little did I know how much better of a man he was.
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Lisa Young posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
Rick Ally was unflappable. That is the word that comes up when I think of him. I had the privilege of working with him, as did so many schedulers and personal assistants (or "323A girls," as I think of them) for long hours that were always lightened by his calm, slightly sardonic, presence. Despite the constant estrogen-fueled, panicked calls of "Rick. Rick! RICK!!!" echoing down the Russell halls or being yelled into the telephone, as we tried to get a message to EMK or a last minute item into the Bag, he always responded with calm, patience, humor, and only the slightest hint of exasperation at our barely suppressed hysteria. Rick Ally. Unflappable.
For those of you knew Rick during that period, when every day was long yet filled with camaraderie; when lunches were consumed on the go yet the drinks went til dawn at the Hawk and Dove; when the timing of the "Bag" went down to the second, yet the wait til the final quorum call seemed to take forever, you know that he was a constant presence in the Senator's life, and a much-needed one in ours. Who else could have looked askance at you with so much suppressed humor, to knock the self-important stuffing out of you? And would remind you that you were actually making history, never mind your moaning that your skin looked pasty with sun-deprivation as you worked 12-hour days?
He loved history and brought us back into the framework that our work was important, for those of us that briefed the Senator, to those of us that cursed the copying machine. That the work was serious, but not ourselves. That in service there is humility and grace.
I cannot say goodbye to Rick because I don't feel he's gone. For Mary, Jackson and Melissa, the void will seem unfillable. And it is unfillable. Because Rick is unique and irreplaceable. But I hope his lessons of humility, grace and service will continue to expand into the ether, becoming greater than any of us. Because that is Love. And that is Rick.
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Edward Markey posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
Edward Markey purchased flowers (The FTD Treasured Memories Standing Spray - Standard)
Mary, Jackson & Melissa, Sending you our deepest sympathy. Rick was a fantastic person and deeply valued colleague. Wishing you comfort, strength and peace, Ed and Susan Markey
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william cheatham posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
william cheatham purchased flowers (The FTD Exquisite Tribute Standing Spray - Standard)
Condolences from your Dear Friends at the Freedom Center. Our prays and thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
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Kristen Knepper posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
I'm fairly certain that Rick saw me as the kid sister he never wanted. But like all big brothers, he was present and protective. When I told him I wanted to learn to lift, and began asking like a bouncing cartoon character that he take me to the gym with him, he instead gave me his Cindy Crawford workout video. Why he had a Cindy Crawford workout video, I will never know, but he told me to follow the video and then he would take me to the gym. He was right — I learned to lift for the first time (thank you, Raku and Cindy Crawford), and religiously did that video for years. He intuitively understood my comfort level.
The man had the patience of a saint and simply allowed all of us — including the Senator — to make our own mistakes. About a day or two before the now infamous "Sammy Souser/Mike McGwire" debacle, Rick was relaying how the Senator had mistakenly mispronounced the names of the 1998 home runner race contenders. "Did you correct him?" I asked. Rick kind of rolled his eyes and gave me that brief, sideways stare. A couple day later, after the Senator's mispronunciations made national news, I asked, "Don't you wish you'd corrected him?" Classic Rick, he did not. He would advise, if asked. He would hold space, when you needed his presence. But intervene? Not his style.
Later that year when I had a surgery that did not go as smoothly as it could have, Rick brought a heating pad to aid in my recovery. He didn't simply drop it off with my roommates, but rather came inside, sat by my bed, rubbed my forehead, attempting to sooth and comfort me so I could sleep. It wasn't something he did uniquely for me, but was a demonstration of the time, presence, and genuine care he consistently exhibited for each and every friend he knew. Rick had a gift that is rare in this life, and was especially rare in politics: he understood both the art of listening and the art of allowing. He will be missed, he will be remembered, and above all else, he will remain very loved.
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Jo Breen Graff posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
Dearest Mary, until I can find the words to write a story about how Rick touched my life, I just wanted to express my heartfelt sympathy to you and the kids. You've all endured so very much. No matter how difficult, we all must remember that Rick is finally at peace. He is no longer suffering. And I bet he's finally getting a chance to meet the Senator's brothers, as well as reunite with EMK, his beloved friend. In Rick's own words, "Keep the faith!". Sending love and prayers to you all.❤
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Rob Crimi posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
I know I haven't seen Rick since we were kids, but these last few years of being in contact with him have meant the world to me. Our recent phone conversations have touched my heart. Seeing the outpouring of love and respect by everyone who knew him shows what a great man he was. I will always be honored to call him my friend. And I hope some day I will touch a fraction of the people he has touched in his lifetime. Sending prayers for the family. God Bless.
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Julia Figuera-Wade posted a condolence
Friday, February 26, 2016
Sorry for your loss, my prayers are with you and your loved ones. My condolonces Julia Figuera-Wade DHS
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