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Obituary
Gary died May 16, 2017, after long battle with cancer. After high school, Gary enlisted in the Marine Corps and was assigned to 1st Recon Battalion in Vietnam where he received severe injuries when his helicopter came under fire. After the service, Gary received his Associates Degree from North Idaho J.C. before his rookie year at Redmond where he jumped through the 1975 season. He then went on to Fairbanks and jumped the 1976-77 seasons. Gary continued his education earning his Bachelors from Eastern Washington University in 1976 and his Masters from the University of Hawaii in 1986 He enjoyed a wide range of jobs in his lifetime, including logging, and commercial fishing. Gary worked as a City Planner for the Native community of McGrath, Alaska and Tribal/City Administrator for the Native communities of Stebbins and Nikolai, Alaska, eventually working with Indian Health Services in Anchorage, Alaska. He spent time in Washington D.C. serving as a management assistant for the House Committee of Interior and Inular Affairs before starting his own management consulting company.
Identifier
Ricketts_Gary_Redmond_1972
Publication Date
May 2017
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: Ricketts, Gary (Redmond 1972)" (2017). Smokejumper Obituaries. 639.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/639
