John F. Rickerd

John Rickerd, age 100, of Woodstock passed away at home on September 29, 2026. John was born on November 30, 1925 in Waterville, Ohio to Verna (Mahaffey) and Willard Rickerd. He was raised and educated in Toledo, Ohio. John served in the Marine Corps during WWII, serving as a medic at the battle of Iwo Jima. Upon his return from service, he attended Bowling Green State University. Together with a college buddy he co-founded the Delta Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta national fraternity. He met Elaine Baddaker at a fraternity-sorority party. They married in 1950. He moved to Waukegan where they raised their family. He was a loving husband and father.

He retired from North Shore Gas and Utility after 38 years of service as Director of Customer Division. He devoted many years to civic service including as Board Member of the Victory Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Waukegan Schools Foundation, the Waukegan YMCA, United Way of Lake County and the Waukegan Unit School Board. He served as president of that school board for 6 years. John served as Waukegan’s Third Ward alderman for 13 years, serving a term as Finance Chairman. He enjoyed walking through the neighborhood, listening to individual needs throughout his tenure. He prepared a monthly newsletter to keep the people of his ward informed.

He was the recipient of the Golden Deeds Award from the Exchange Club of Waukegan (1987) and the Community Builders Award from the Masonic Lodge in Waukegan (1987).

Along with his wife Elaine, he staffed the soup kitchen at St. Bartholomew Church in Waukegan and the food pantry in Crystal Lake. His religion and faith were very important to him. He served as an usher at Immaculate Conception Church in Waukegan for many years. He joined Resurrection Catholic Church in Woodstock after moving to Woodstock in 2003.

He enjoyed golf, travel and fishing. He particularly enjoyed time spent with his family at their cabin in Spooner, Wisconsin, enjoying sunset cruises on Spooner Lake. He took every opportunity to teach his children and grandchildren how to catch huge northern pike. He traveled extensively with Elaine, to Australia, New Zealand, China, the Greek Isles, Turkey, Scandinavian capitols, Alaska and Hawaii. John and Elaine were avid Cub fans. They rarely missed a game.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine, his parents and three sisters. He is survived by his five children; Patricia (Guy) Inman, Laurie Rickerd, Mark (Cheryl) Rickerd, Carol Pilger and Amy (John) Brunner. Also, nine grandchildren; Kristen, Matthew, Alyssa, Ben, William, Jack, Myles, Brooke and Trevor. Six great-grandchildren; Brynna, Ava, Livia, Everett, Ivy and Haven.

A Mass of Christian Burial for John will be held on Tuesday, October 6th at 11:00 am, at Resurrection Catholic Church, (2918 Country Club Road, Woodstock, IL 60098) with interment to follow at Ascension Catholic Cemetery in Libertyville, IL. A visitation will be held at the Marsh Funeral Home (305 N. Cemetery Road, Gurnee, IL) on Monday, October 5th from 4-7:00 pm and on Tuesday at the church from 10:00 A.M. until the time of Mass.

Special thanks to friends and neighbors at Bull Valley Greens for their love and support. His daughter, Laurie, made it possible for him to spend his final years at home. Her dedication has been remarkable.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to: The Veterans Network Committee of Northern Illinois (the organization that does the Honor Flight for our veterans) address for donations is 2519 Freedom Dr. McHenry, IL 60050. https://veteransnetworkcommittee.org

Yellow River Protection Conservancy-preserving Dad's favorite spot, beautiful Spooner Lake.(www.yellowriverprotectionconservancy.org).