John Wickham Obituary

Wickham
John Foster Wickham
September 5, 1942
November 26, 2023

John Foster Wickham, 81, of Woodland Park, Colorado, was called Home on Sunday night, November 26th. He was born in Flagler, Colorado, on September 5th, 1942, to Bill and Lorris (Sloan) Wickham. John's grandparents had homesteaded there in eastern Colorado a generation before he was born. As a boy, John delivered newspapers and worked part-time for his dad in the hardware store. After graduating from high school, he went to electronics school in Denver, where he lived and worked for a few years. He was drafted into the Army and spent part of 1965-'66 in Vietnam. Those two years in the service had a huge impact on John, lasting a lifetime. He would often stop a veteran and strike up a conversation about time served, and he always thanked them for their service.
When John got out of the Army, he worked at a sawmill in Kremmling, Colorado, where his older brother and wife were teaching. John then moved to Greeley and worked in construction for a while. That is where he met his future wife, Sandi, who was studying at UNC to be a teacher. After discovering they had similar backgrounds, they were soon married at her birthplace, in Holyoke, Colorado, another small farming community.
John and Sandi made their home in Greeley, Colorado, where John was hired as the Assistant Bookstore Manager at the UNC bookstore. Sandi, after graduating, taught four years in nearby Windsor, Colorado. Their sons, Jay and Greg, were born in 1974 and 1975. John moved the family to Colorado Springs when he became the manager of the bookstore at Colorado College. Family interests included camping and activities with the Gold Prospectors' Club. After a period of time, he was hired at Crissey-Fowler Lumber and then eventually decided to start his own handyman business, called Wickham's Workbench. His sons later expanded the business and now have crews who work for them, building houses and remodeling homes in Colorado Springs.
John and Sandi decided to retire in Woodland Park in 2005. They bought a small cabin, and the whole family built a nice addition in 2008, including a big workshop for John. He was able to spend more time pursuing the hobbies he had started earlier ~ making jewelry; collecting stamps, coins and records; and hand-crafting many wood projects. He and Sandi were married almost 54 years.
John is survived by his wife, Sandi, and their sons, Jay (Melissa) and Greg (Jeanne). They have a grandson, Malachai (Lindsey) and a great-grandson, Liam. They also have a granddaughter, Maddie, who is attending UCCS. Other relatives include his older brother, Orris, and three nephews, Clay, Brent and Ted (Julie), plus his brother, Sam's children ~ Robert (Leah) and Samantha (Mitch), as well as many other extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Sam.
John will always be remembered for his "down-home" sense of humor and his love for family and friends. In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to Tunnel to Towers, helping veteran families after the death of their loved one.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Woodland Park Community Church at 800 Valley View Drive on Saturday, December 9th, at 1:00. A reception will be held after the service and is open to all friends and family members.