Jack Edward Rickert Jr.

Jack Rickert Jr. (born Daniel Joseph McNutt), 66, a long-time resident of Wylie, Texas, passed away on 11/27/2022 after a courageous battle with glioblastoma under the care of Anchor of Hope Hospice at Oxford Glen Memory Care in Sachse, Texas.

Jack was born February 14, 1956, in Crosby, North Dakota, with his given name of Daniel Joseph McNutt. He was predeceased by his father, Leon Charles McNutt, and his mother, Ethel Gertrude McNutt (Murrell).  After his parent’s divorce in 1965, his mom married Jack Rickert of Sydney, Ohio, and moved to Port Huron, Michigan.

Following his graduation from Port Huron Northern High School, Michigan, he served in the Navy from 1974 to 1980. For most of his service, he served as an electronics technician on board the USS Mount Whitney. When it came to electronics and gadgets, he loved everything about them. This naturally led to a long career in computer sciences, where he retired from Collins Aerospace.

At the age of 21, he changed his name to Jack Edward Rickert Jr. (known as “JR” by his family) to honor his stepfather and continue his family name.  While living in Virginia, he married Heather Hawley and had two sons, Brian and Wesley.  On March 27^th of, 2004, he married Janet Roznovsky, with whom he had a daughter, Ruth. They moved to Wylie soon after.

Music was Jack’s passion, especially acapella-style singing and belting out low bass notes. Having perfect pitch, he played multiple instruments throughout his life. He loved playing the organ on the ship for all the different services in the Navy and was proud to have taken his high school musical on the road. Jack was a cantor for 7:30 Mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church for over 17 years and even filled in on the organ when needed.

Jack spent more than a decade as a volunteer EMT in Virginia as part of the Loudoun County Rescue Squad. He was extremely proud of his work and his teammates in the squad, they were like family to him.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Janet, and three children- Brian, Wesley, and Ruth. He also has a granddaughter, Bonnie. His remaining family includes Jack Rickert Sr., siblings Sheri (Dave) Churches, Tom (Mary) McNutt, Scott (Chris) McNutt, Sue (Scott Murray) Rickert, as do numerous nephews and nieces.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, Dec 8, 2022 at the Charles W. Smith Funeral Home in Sachse, from 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral mass service will be held on Friday December 9, 2022 at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony’s parish, Wylie, Texas.  A private burial will be held at The DFW National Cemetery on Monday Dec 12, 2022.

• In lieu of flowers, the family requests that remembrance gifts be directed toward the Society of St. Vincent de Paul https://my-site-109617-105631.square.site/