Richard "Ricky" Vega's reason for opting to stand with one hand on a pickup truck for a possible days-long stretch was simple.

"To win!" Vega wrote in his contestant profile for the 2005 Hands on a Hardbody contest.

The 24-year-old Tyler resident killed himself early Thursday at the beginning of the third day of Patterson Nissan's popular truck giveaway contest. He walked away from the contest after almost 48 hours and just before an official 15 minute break.

He's survived by his wife, Chalala Gutierrez, 26, and two children, ages 5 and 7.

Family members remembered Vega on Thursday as a kind, hard-working man who promised to win the truck for his wife.

Vega worked in Tyler loading FedEx packages onto delivery trucks. He also operated a burner for Ranger Metals and Tubing in Longview as a second job. He had worked for FedEx since March 2004, and he joined the Ranger Metals staff eight months ago.

"He was as good an employee as I've had in 21 years of business," said Dick McGaughy, owner of Ranger Metals. "He was quiet and reserved, easy to get along with. Never had a problem with him."

McGaughy said he was shocked at the news of Vega's death.

"Like everybody else, (I am thinking) 'Why?'" McGaughy said. "I don't know. Maybe some more of the story will come out."

In November, Vega spent eight days in Smith County jail after getting seven traffic tickets, including failure to maintain financial responsibility, failure to register a vehicle, allowing an unauthorized person to drive a vehicle, an expired vehicle inspection, speeding and running a stoplight.

He spent six weeks in the Smith County jail from December 2003 to February 2004 after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault/family violence for kicking and hitting his wife in August 2003.

Dubi Gutierrez, Vega's father-in-law, said Vega had some problems, but he was a good man. The two men had worked together in the past, reupholstering furniture.

"I was proud of him," Gutierrez said.

Dru Laborde, program director for KYKX radio and a media contestant, had been standing near Vega before Vega walked away.

"I don't know what made him do this, but he was incredibly nice to me," Laborde said.

— Staff writers Patrina A. Bostic and Jim Hardin contributed to this report.