John Paul Rademacher

John Paul Rademacher's life spanned fields across Arizona and Colorado, countless trout streams and lakes and the lives of many family and friends. He died at his home on June 19.

Paul was born on July 27, 1933, in Longmont, Colo. He was the oldest child of Clem and Loretta Rademacher and he began a career in farming nearly as soon as he could walk. He was 12 when the family moved to the Deer Valley ranch near Phoenix and later to the Arrowhead ranch near what is now Metro Center mall in Phoenix. He lived next door to Kay Leach, his future wife of 57 years.

Paul graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1951 and joined the U.S. Army, serving in Korea and returned to Arizona in 1956. He began an agricultural management career in 1957 when he was asked by a consortium of lettuce growers to oversee the first crop of lettuce ever grown in the Willcox area. At the time, he was 22 years old.

Paul also managed lettuce operations in Aguila before taking over management of the 5,500-acre Bruce Church Inc. ranch in the North Gila Valley near Yuma in 1973. In 1984, he moved to Salinas, Calif., as production manager for Bruce Church's companywide fresh vegetable operations. He returned to Yuma in 1988 as manager for Royal Packing Co.

Paul retired in 1998. Since then his schedule has been busy as he traveled the country with Kay in their motor home, teaching grandchildren to fish, watching home runs and soccer games, attending graduations and celebrating all the rewards of a full and happy life. He was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Yuma.

Paul is survived by his wife Kay, his brother Richard and his wife Robert of Prescott Valley, and his sister Shirley and her husband Norman Daniel of Bakersfield, Calif. Also among his survivors are son Richard and his wife Terisa of Yuma, daughter Kathy and her husband Steve Shafer of Flagstaff, daughter Diane and her husband Tom Axline of Temecula, Calif., daughter Karen and her husband Andrew Leavitt of Dahlonega, Ga., and son Kevin and his wife Cheryl of Henderson, Nev.

Some of his greatest treasurers were 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Clem and Loretta and his sister Mary Beth.

Paul is missed.

Please sign the guestbook at www.yumasun.com/obituaries.

John Paul Rademacher(1933-2010)

John Paul Rademacher, 76, of Yuma, died June 19, 2010, in Yuma.

He was born July 27, 1933, in Longmont, Colo., was a vegetable grower and a veteran of the U.S. Army.

A viewing will be 6 to 9 p.m. today at Johnson Mortuary Chapel. Mass will be 9 a.m. Wednesday at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Desert Lawn.

Published in The Yuma Sun from June 22 to July 22, 2010

Arrangements under the direction of Johnson Mortuary & Desert Lawn Memorial Park, Yuma, AZ.