Letta Jo Case
Letta Jo Case
Letta Jo Case, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and dedicated advocate for animals, passed away on Feb. 15, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz., at the age of 88.
Jo was born on May 29, 1935, in Shawnee, Okla., to her parents, Joe Smoykeifer and Lava Smith Maggert, and half-sister, Beverly Smoykiefer. On Feb. 15, 1958, Jo married her husband Doug at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Their journey together led them to various places including Taipei, Taiwan; Washington, D.C., area; New Fairfield, Conn.; and landed in Jackson, Wyo., where they raised their son, Jeff, before retiring to Tucson, Ariz., and Star Valley Ranch, Wyo.
Jo’s life was marked by her devotion to her family, her faith, and her love for animals. She was a passionate advocate for animals, having owned many dogs and horses throughout her lifetime. A devout Christian, Jo found solace and strength in her faith and dedicated her time to volunteering at the Golden Goose Thrift Shop, as well as many other organizations, where she generously gave back to her community.
Jo is survived by her husband Doug of 66 years, her son Jeff (Melissa), and granddaughters Karenna and Kaitlin. The family is grateful for the love, support, and condolences during this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations to the Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah, in honor of Jo’s passion for animals.
Memorial arrangements are still being made, and updates will be provided at a later time.
Condolences can be sent to everloved.com/life-of/letta-case.
Joan Keller Tibbets
Joan Keller Tibbets
Joan Keller Tibbets, born on March 6, 1934, in Upper Darby, Penn., peacefully passed away on Jan. 22, 2024, at her SaddleBrooke, Arizona, home. She was the beloved second daughter of Sabina Anne and Frank Joseph Keller. She is preceded in death by sister Nancy Lewe. Her fondest childhood memories were family trips to the Jersey Shore and the Pocono Mountains, experiences that shaped her lifelong love of nature and adventure.
She graduated from Merion Mercy Academy in 1951 and earned a degree in political science from Trinity University in 1955. Joan’s love for music led her to sing in choirs throughout her life, including the Oratorio Choir in Santa Barbara and The Sonoran Singers in SaddleBrooke. She was an avid reader and animal lover, and found solace in her faith, with Saint Francis as her guiding light.
Travel was her passion, exploring more than 150 cities on six continents and forming deep friendships, including her companion, Horrie Gelder of Melbourne, Australia.
Joan is survived by her three children, Paul, his wife Tracy, and their boys Cole and Parker; Brian, his wife Hiromi, and grandchildren Alecia, Christian, Sonia and Brendan; and Lisa and her husband Denis.
Dave Dicklich
Dave Dicklich
Dave Dicklich, 79, passed away on Jan. 31, 2024. Born on March 29, 1944, he was the third son born to Mike and Colleen Dicklich in Washington, D.C. The family soon moved to Chisholm, Minn., where Dave grew up. He moved west to attend college in San Diego, where he graduated with a major in mathematics and also studied computer programming. This landed him his first job out of college on the USNS Wheeling, a missile range instrumentation ship used in the development of the Poseidon missile. Dave then worked for several technology companies, including National Semiconductor, Ball Corporation, and Charter Data Products.
Dave had a keen interest in cosmology, science, mathematics, and electronics, which eventually led him to found an electronics firm where he worked along with his wife Linda for 33 years until his retirement in 2016. Dave enjoyed business travel to Asia and Europe, meeting people from other cultures, and making new friends.
Dave is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Linda Moraga, who was by his side when he departed. He is also survived by his older brothers Mike and Gary (Judy), brother-in-law Tom Moraga, sister-in-law Joyce Moraga, and eight nieces.
Dave was adventurous. He enjoyed traveling the country in an RV. He liked scuba diving, flying airplanes, fishing, hiking, music, photography, shooting pool, and playing poker. He once rode his bicycle from San Francisco to Miami, and he particularly loved golf and was a 3 handicap for many years.
Dave was a lifelong animal lover and adopted numerous stray cats and dogs over the years. Though he was a short-time resident of SaddleBrooke, he loved watching the parade of animals in his backyard.
Dave was a good friend, a wonderful family member, and a kind and loving husband. We will dearly miss him.
Marvin Wycoff
Marvin Wycoff
Marvin Wycoff, 83, passed away on Feb. 12, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. Marvin was born in Ogden, Utah, to Pauline and Harold Wycoff. He spent his childhood in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada.
Marvin graduated from Elko High School in 1958. He graduated from University of Nevada (Reno). He was an accountant, including 23 years with the University of Nevada System in Reno and Elko.
As a teenager, Marvin won a state competition for his futuristic car design for Ford Motor Company. Marvin was a Cookie Judge at the Nevada State Fair for several years. He had many interests, including photography, watercolor painting, and cultivating award-winning roses in Reno.
He and Jan were married in 2000 and moved to Tucson. Retirement offered an opportunity to enjoy music, travel, read, and golf. He was a devoted baseball fan (Dodgers) and football fan (49ers). For many years he had an annual baseball trip with son Phil and later with Phil’s sons as well to a different ballpark each summer. He was proud of daughter Polly and her career as a special education teacher, and son Phil and his career as a pilot. In Marvin’s sunset years, he described family time as “pure joy.”
Survivors include his wife, Jan; children Polly Schebetta (Dave) and Philip Wycoff (Kiya); grandchildren Breanna, Mikaela, Ryan, Chance, Brock, and Sienna; stepdaughter Melissa Miles (Deena Hoffman); and brother, Ralph (Jodi).
There will be a family memorial service in Tucson.