Herbert W. Rickards Jr., printer for Inquirer

Herbert W. Rickards Jr., 97, of North Cape May, a former printer for TV Guide and The Inquirer, died Thursday, April 10, at his home.

A graduate of West Philadelphia High School, Mr. Rickards studied mechanical engineering at Drexel University and worked at a Delaware River refinery of Sinclair Oil before World War II.

For the Army Air Corps, he worked as a B-17 bomber mechanic at bases in England and returned to work for Sinclair, stepdaughter Diane Hamilton said.

Among Mr. Rickards' belongings, she said, "I found a certificate that said he completed two years of correspondence school" about petroleum refining.

During Walter H. Annenberg's ownership of The Inquirer and TV Guide, Mr. Rickards at times worked as a rotogravure printer for the magazine and the newspaper's Sunday comics, Hamilton said.

A 1979 identification card, she said, stated that he held lifetime membership in the International Printing and Graphic Communications Union.

A 1996 certificate honored him as a 50-year member of the American Legion. He was a member of the Villas Fishing Club.

Besides his stepdaughter, Mr. Rickards is survived by stepson John Devennie, a sister, and two grandsons. His wife, Anne Robinson Devennie Rickards, died in 2004.

A visitation was set from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, at the Evoy Funeral Home, 3218 Bayshore Rd., North Cape May, before an 11 a.m. funeral service there, with interment in Cape May County Veterans' Cemetery.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.evoyfuneralhome.com.