John Edward Henricks II will be forever remembered as a fun-loving and adventurous soul, who valued his family above everything. He was quick to laugh, slow to anger, and always willing to lend a hand or a listening ear. John was suddenly and prematurely taken from those he loved on July 6, 2024, at the age of 40, near his home in Eatonville, Washington. 

John was born in Salem, Oregon, the second-born child of Ed and Connie Henricks. His complicated birth gave his parents the first of many alarms they would become accustomed to during his youth. He spent most of his childhood at his family’s lakeside home in North Albany, Oregon, where he enjoyed exploring the lake, fishing, playing with his neighborhood friends and being with his family at Rockaway Beach. 

John attended Santiam Christian School from fourth grade through his senior year. His love of firearms and hunting was sparked by annual family hunting trips to Seneca, Oregon, and strengthened by regular hunting trips with friends. John would often go waterfowl hunting on the way to school, then bring his bagged birds to school for cleaning in the science labs, much to the amusement of his teachers. John lettered in soccer and track and field at Santiam Christian and is fondly remembered as a kind and dependable teammate. 

John commenced paid employment alongside his older brother, CJ, at the tender age of ten, hoeing weeds for a local farmer. By the age of fourteen, he had graduated to driving large farm equipment during harvest. During this time, he experienced one of the most terrible experiences of his life when he was run over by a tractor he was trying to start. He suffered extensive burns and skin loss as the wheel spun on top of him before CJ came to his aid. 

John attended Oregon State University (OSU) in the nearby town of Corvallis from 2002 to 2006, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Wood Science Technology. During this time, he served as president of the OSU Rifle Team and vice-president of the OSU Forest Products Society. John mostly supported himself through college by working at local sawmills during summer and on nightshift during the school year. He spent all other available time hunting, fishing, scuba diving, and pushing his limits on motorbikes or jet skis with his friends and brothers. He honed his firearms proficiency by firing thousands of rounds with the OSU Rifle Club and competed successfully in various disciplines. His expertise operating and repairing firearms was well-known and remained a passion and credit to him throughout his life. Upon graduating college in 2006, John began work with Interfor Pacific as planer mill supervisor at the Gilchrist, Oregon facility. 

John met his future wife, Roslyn Telford, an Australian forestry student, at OSU in 2006. John was never afraid to go all-in when he knew what he wanted. In 2007 he proposed on top of Australia’s highest peak with a beautiful custom ring he had diligently saved for. John moved to Australia soon after, and he and Roslyn were married in her hometown of Mount Gambier, South Australia, surrounded by family and friends. In Australia, John worked as a planer mill supervisor for Green Triangle Forest Products. For their honeymoon, John and Roslyn embarked on an extended camping road trip along the east coast of Australia to far north Queensland where John enjoyed scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. 

In 2009, John and Roslyn returned to the USA to pursue work opportunities and spend time with John's beloved mother, Connie, who was losing her fight with cancer. They moved to the Cowlitz Valley area of Washington, where John was employed for nine years by Hampton Lumber as the Randle facility planer mill manager. He was a valued management team member who was well-liked and respected by all he worked with. He liked to keep people on their toes, so one summer he built a ramp adjacent to a pond at the house he was renting, managing to convince many of his friends and older co-workers to jump a children's bike off it into the water. 

In 2012, John and Roslyn purchased their first home in Morton, Washington, for $58,000. Here John put in many hours of hard labor to build sweat equity and prepare the home for their first child, Henry, born in 2013. In 2015, after a problematic pregnancy, John and Roslyn welcomed their second child, Georgina, to their Morton home. 

In 2014, a guest speaker at church offered John a ride in a small plane and reignited his closeted dreams of aviation. John purchased his first airplane at the age of 30 and began pursuing his private pilot's license out of a small airfield in nearby Eatonville. One particular property at the airport always intrigued John. When he heard the elderly owner had passed away, in true John style, he walked immediately over to the people clearing out the home to become friends and express his interest in buying it. After a complicated sale, he was indeed successful in the purchase, largely due to the relationship he had built with the sellers. 

Living on the airfield in Eatonville was a dream come true for John. Now it was easy to share his aviation passion with his family and grow his skills under the guidance of some wonderful local aviation mentors. He spent countless hours improving the dilapidated home and hangars on his new property. As one of the few active flyers on the airfield at the time, he soon became the airport manager, a voluntary position appointed by the Town of Eatonville, and the go-to person for local aviation matters. 

In 2017, John and Roslyn welcomed their third child, Theodore, to the family. John was a devoted father, but also one starting to be worn thin by the demands of life with a young family and long hours of sawmill work. John was keenly aware that his influence as a father stemmed not from lectures, but from the life he lived. He wanted a life worthy of his children's admiration and “to live his life willing, not wishing.” 

Consequently, in 2018, after careful planning but still with significant risk, he left his secure career to pursue a dream of aviation. John began studying Airframe and Powerplant Maintenance at Clover Park Technical College in 2018, obtained his private pilot license, and simultaneously pursued joining the Washington Army National Guard. Not usually the studious type, now John approached his studies and ASVAB preparation with renewed focus and determination. Knowing superior physical fitness would be critical for success, John began regular three-mile runs around town, stopping at parks and intersections to do 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. 

John aced his entrance tests and was sworn into the Army as a Specialist 15T Blackhawk Maintainer by his younger brother and Air Force Captain, Edward. John departed for Basic Combat Training (BCT) at Fort Jackson, Georgia, on his 35th birthday, the cut off age for enlistment. The Army immersed John in a diversity of cultures and challenges, and while gaining technical expertise was his goal joining, his great capacity for human connection enriched his experience immeasurably. His age and personality made him a natural leader at BCT, despite his efforts to blend in. He excelled in Advanced Initial Training at Fort Eustis, Virginia, working hard to outcompete his younger classmates academically and physically, earning his goal of Distinguished Honor Graduate. 

Upon returning home, John integrated into D Company, 1-168th GSAB with the National Guard as a 15T. He also continued his studies at Clover Park until the program's temporary closure in 2020 due to the pandemic. John viewed the pandemic as a wonderful opportunity to spend more time working on projects at home in the presence of family and friends. He was never one to follow the news or dwell on uncontrollable events, believing it was counterproductive to his generally optimistic outlook on life and people. 

In 2021, John deployed with D Company 1-168th GSAB Task Force Raptor to Kuwait in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. While John was not pleased about being away from his family and home for an extended period, he was determined to fulfill his duty as a soldier. A skilled storyteller, John aimed to make this deployment a memorable tale. To prepare for his absence John audio recorded numerous stories recounting his hunting, fishing and scuba diving escapades for his children to enjoy at bedtime. 

During the eleven-month deployment John was also attached to the 1st Cavalry Division 1-227th Task Force Attack and the 82nd Airborne Division Task Force Wolf Pack, earning combat patches from both units in Syria and Iraq. John was a man who got things done, an eager recruit for any interesting assignment. John deeply respected the Army's history and traditions, so was proud of his service with these prestigious divisions. He also successfully completed the challenging 18-mile Norwegian Foot March (ruck march) in the oppressive desert heat of Kuwait. 

In 2022, John was honored to be selected for Air Assault School at the Warrior Training Center in Fort Moore, Georgia. He successfully graduated after weeks of demanding physical and mental challenges, including rappelling from a Blackhawk hovering at 100 feet. John was promoted to crew chief with C Company, 1-140th AVN "Cougars," and then to Sergeant, considering it the best part-time job in the world. He thrived on the excitement and challenge of being a crew chief, enjoyed the connections with his team, but especially valued the ability to return home to his family each night. 

In 2023, John obtained his Airframe and Powerplant License and opened his aircraft maintenance business from his home base. He quickly gained a reputation for being a professional and diligent mechanic. Owning multiple aircraft, he regularly shared his aviation passion with friends and acquaintances, taking many people flying during his nine years in Eatonville. John’s hangar became a gathering place, there was always something new and interesting to see being fixed or worked on if you stopped by. John was now able to be generous with his time, being a friend who could lend a hand or share a beer. 

John’s children recall him as being loving, fun and compassionate. He had strong recollections of what it was like to be a child himself, and never tried to trivialize the concerns they brought to him. He valued being home when his children returned from school, often taking the time out to meet them in his John Deere gator. John regularly rode bikes around town with his family and he encouraged them to spend time together in the hangar working on their own projects. As his children grew, he included them in his adventures, always preferring to take someone with him over doing anything alone. A recent highlight was a hike-in bear hunting trip with Henry to the Tatoosh mountain range. 

As a husband, John was devoted and unwavering in his commitment to love and honor his wife. His tremendous ability to love gave everything else in his life meaning. In a 2019 questionnaire where John was asked how he would like to be remembered; his own words say it best:

“Husband. Lover of life and wife. Father. Faithful to the morals and ethics of life, grounded on God’s word. Most importantly, someone my kids desire to be like.” 

John is survived by his wife, Roslyn, and their children: Henry, Georgina and Theodore, as well as his father, John Edward “Ed” Henricks, and his three siblings: Christopher Henricks, Edward Henricks II, and Victoria Curiel. He was preceded in death by his mother, Constance “Connie Henricks. 

A Military Memorial Service will be held at 4:00pm on Friday September 6th at the Eatonville Order of the Eagles ballfield, located at 100 Weyerhaeuser Rd in Eatonville. Following the service, around 5:30pm, there will be food available at the Eagles. At 6:30pm family and friends are invited to gather at the Henricks residence for a celebration in John’s memory. Flowers or food items to assist with the celebration can be sent to Trinity Aviation Academy at 580 Airport Road East, Eatonville.