John D. Rickett was born in Bakersfield, CA on Aug. 23, 1951, to Ruth L. Watts and Vernon F. Ricketts. His family moved frequently while he was growing up, mostly between Arizona and Oklahoma. He attended Mesa Public Schools and periodically schools in Oklahoma. John left high school after the football season of his junior year to work full-time to help support his mother. He was able to get a position in a cabinet shop and learned woodworking. He made custom display cases, curio cabinets, bookcases, and other custom items. He always loved working with wood, but the dust in the commercial shop did not agree with him. John grew up on farms and ranches and was experienced in that line of work. He was hired at Apacheland Movie Ranch as a full-time ranch hand and a stuntman. There he worked on Western movies and was able to meet several celebrities. As a Western stuntman, he also picked up work in movies at Old Tucson. He worked at Pinnacle Peak Patio doing skits and running the gift shop in the early days of the restaurant. To supplement his income, he learned to drive a truck and would haul citrus from the groves in the Mesa area during the harvest season. John enlisted in the Army in 1970 and received an honorable discharge. John moved frequently as a young man, living in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arizona. In 1977, John moved to Globe, Arizona. This is where he met his wife, Lou Ann Foerster. They were married in 1979 and lived in Globe for a couple of years before moving to the Valley. Lou Ann had family living in Globe and so they frequently visited the area. John retired from Costco in 2015 and wanted to move back to the Globe area. Lou Ann was still working full-time and was not ready to move back to the small town. Finally in Nov. of 2022, they sold their home in Glendale and made the move back to Globe. John was a charter member of the Tri-City Jaycees, a member of the Globe-Miami Vigilantes, and recently joined the Elks. John coached youth baseball and later helped Lou Ann when she began coaching basketball. John loved drag racing. He and his friends had “projects” getting older cars fixed up and would drag race at Speedworld in the Wittman area.
John passed away peacefully on May 30, 2024, at home with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law by his side. John had been fighting kidney failure and his cancer had returned after 10 years. John was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Sharon Rickett, and brother Vernon Ray Rickett. He is survived by his wife, Lou Ann Rickett, son John D Rickett III (Rusty) and his wife, Kimberly Rickett, grandson Alex Rickett, and granddaughter JoLeigh Rickett. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Karen Reblin (Dane) and brother-in-law, Todd Foerster, a niece and two nephews. A memorial service for John will be held on June 22, 2024 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 15018 N. 39th Ave., Phoenix, AZ at 12 p.m. followed by a luncheon and a video tribute to John. Special thanks to Tempe Mortuary and THEMA Hospice of Globe.
