In Memoriam: Rick Jobus, Feb. 6, 1958-June 19, 2022

Courtesy of Rick Jobus

It is with deep sadness that we inform the ALS News Today community of the passing of our friend and treasured columnist, Rick Jobus, on June 19, 2022. Rick published the first installment of his column, “Notes From the ALS Front,” on May 9, 2018. Since then, he’s written more than 140 columns, combining his robust prose with insightful perspectives on living with ALS.

Rick spent the latter part of his life in Southwest Florida, but he always referred to greater Chicagoland as his home. Diagnosed with ALS in 2007, just a few days before turning 49, he devoted his remaining years to advocacy and awareness. He wrote regularly about his faith, his loving wife and family, and the importance of leaning on others in the face of adversity. Though he never shied away from describing the harsh realities of his condition, he loved to incorporate humor and messages of hope on a regular basis.

One of the defining features of Rick’s writing was his ability to draw connections between music and life with ALS. With his encyclopedic knowledge of classic rock and folk, Rick evoked and analyzed the lyrics of Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and countless other artists. In late 2021, his pastor tried to get his congregation to suggest songs that would be impossible for Rick to use for his column. Unfettered, the master wordsmith related a song by Iron Butterfly to his musings on ALS drug development.

This man was one of a kind, and he will be sorely missed. Rick, thank you for your selfless dedication to the ALS community and for leaving us with your words of wisdom. We’ll be playing some classic records in your honor.

You can read all of Rick’s past columns here.