When Robert Rickel returned home from World War II, the housing boom was on and he and his two brothers wanted to be part of it.

The son of a heating contractor, Mr. Rickel, like his brothers Alvin and Mort, went into the same profession but decided to take their business model in a different direction – one that allowed homeowners to roll up their sleeves and make their own repairs.

And with the 1953 opening of Rickel Brothers in Union Township, the largest full-scale do-it-yourself home improvement center was born.

The youngest of the three brothers, Mr. Rickel died at his home in Boca Raton, Fla., on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 90.

“My father's passion was helping people. He started his business in order to provide people with the tools to save money around the house by ‘doing it yourself,’" said Karen Cohen. “This passion, however, went beyond his business – it permeated his entire life. He was a remarkable man who had an incredible ability to connect with each and every person he met.”

“He had so many great accomplishments but always felt that his greatest legacy was his family who loved him dearly," his daughter added.

Before Rickel’s, there were local hardware stores, but there was no central location for contractors or homeowners to get a full range of supplies for a construction project, said Arnie Cohen, Mr. Rickel’s son-in-law..

What differentiated Rickel’s from its competitors at the time – Pergament and Channel Lumber – was the size of the stores (Rickel’s was bigger and offered a larger variety) and the instruction that its employees could give customers for their projects, Arnie Cohen said.

"Rickel helped lead the way for today's industry giants Home Depot and Lowes," said Mr. Rickel's son, Ken.

And Mr. Rickel was instrumental in developing the retail giant’s famous jingle,”Rickel helps you do it better ... do it better with Rickel" that was popular in radio, television and media advertising for many years, the family said.

At its peak, Rickel's had more than 100 stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The brothers sold the chain in 1969 to Supermarkets General Corp. Mr. Cohen said his father-in-law stayed on with the company, specializing in marketing, store layout and advertising for a decade before retiring. In 1994, Rickel's, which was on the decline, merged with Channel. The last store closed four years later.



Born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Newark, Mr. Rickel graduated Weequahic High School where he played football.

After graduation at age 18, he served with the Eighth Air Force and was stationed in London. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross after completing 25 missions over Germany, his family said.

After raising their family in Hillside, Mr. Rickel and his wife, Evelyn, moved to Warren before retiring to Boca Raton.

He was a founding and long-time member of Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains.

In addition to his wife of 65 years, Evelyn; daughter Karen and her husband Arnie Cohen; son, Kenneth and his wife Nancy Davis and grandchildren Jordan, Noel and Dina Cohen; Isabella and Mariella Rickel; and Brandon, Alexander and Jason Davis; great-grandchildren Jake and Emelia Cohen and Elle Davis. Mr. Rickel is also survived by a sister, Miriam Aptekar.



Donations in Mr. Rickel's memory can be made to Race to Erase MS, 1875 Century Park East, Suite 980, Los Angeles, CA., 90067.

FOLLOW THE STAR-LEDGER: TWITTER • FACEBOOK • GOOGLE+

MORE UNION COUNTY NEWS