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Ricardo "Kiko" or "Ricky" Ralat Jr. "passed unexpectedly on Christmas morning from cancer," his wife's coworker Elijah Pokrop wrote on a GoFundMe campaign he launched to give Kiko a "proper burial in such unexpected times."
The 39-year-old had been fighting stage four metastatic cancers of the colon, lymph nodes, and lungs since 2018, according to a previous GoFundMe his wife launched when he was newly diagnosed.
He bravely underwent aggressive treatments, and at times there were moments the family thought he was cancer-free, only to have another scan show more spots, his wife Ivette "Lola" Diaz Ralat explained in the original fund's updates.
During one of the times of perceived remission, the couple welcomed a fifth child (a sixth, including his stepdaughter).
Kiko was a Coatesville native and a class of 2002 graduate of Reading High School, his obituary and classmate's profile stated.
He enjoyed supporting his favorite sports teams, the NFL's Patriots and the NBA's Bulls, as his social media profiles showed.
He died at home, his obituary stated.
He is survived by his parents Ricardo Ralat Sr. and Miriam Rivera; wife Ivette "Lola" Diaz Ralat; five children and a stepdaughter; siblings, Sharylea, Angel Ralat, and Veronica Ralat, as detailed in his obituary.
The funeral is scheduled privately for Dec. 29, 2023, according to the GoFundMe campaign page. Click here to donate.
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