When the life of Patty Loveless ended in June 2011, her husband Ricky began his life as a conductor, turning a complicated set of daily challenges into a symphony for him and his children, twins Madison and Dylan.
Patty lost her battle with colon cancer after a three-year struggle. Ricky, a Lexington firefighter, now shoulders the burden of maintaining strong family ties and rituals that were so important to Patty — along with struggling to juggle his responsibilities as a father and his work schedule, with the help of family and friends.
Ricky works 24-hour shifts every third day at the Lexington Fire Department. So, a key player in his orchestra is his sister, Vickie Calder.
Vickie works a full-time job and has two of her three children still at home, but remains dedicated to Ricky, providing care for the twins and making sure they get where they need to be.
When Ricky solos, he must deftly switch from the role of father to that of mother, including fixing his daughter Madison’s hair in the morning. Madison loves cheerleading. Dylan competes on his school’s academic team. Ricky is teaching both how to raise sheep.
In between, he cleans house, does laundry and makes sure he gets the twins’ schedule down pat. It takes a lot of energy, something the kids have plenty of but which Ricky can lose quickly.
Despite the Loveless family’s hectic life, they never forget Patty.
“We talk about Mom all the time,” says Ricky.
He never wants the twins to forget life with their mother. The family often shares stories about Patty, and she even left a piece of herself for the family — a book in which she recorded her voice.
Despite the household’s symphony of energy and love, a somber note of loneliness fills the house after the twins go to sleep. Ricky recovers from the day by watching television.
“It’s really different,” Ricky says. “If I’ve ever watched TV it’s been on the couch cuddling with a woman.”
