John Wickham, Iii

John Adams Wickham, III passed away at 18:45 on July 26th  2022 at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado following a laborious battle with Parkinson’s Disease and depression stemming from combat service.  Barbara, his wife of 30 years, was by John’s side when he took his final breath immediately following Our Lady of the Pine’s Deacon George Linehan’s reciting of “The Lord’s Prayer.”

John is survived by his wife retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Barbara Wickham, his twin sons’ Blake Skyler Wickham and Shane Skyler Wickham, Seniors at Conifer High School; his parents General John and Ann Wickham, brother Matthew Wickham, sister Lindsley Harner, and sister-in-law Susan Jacobsen.  There’s a special group of  friends he considered family:  Colonel Bill Kelly, Colonel John Hughes, Erwin and Linda Oskam. John absolutely loved the mountains of Colorado, after moving to Evergreen 29 years ago. He named his castle “Little Sappada,” reminiscent of their honeymoon in the Italian Dolomite village of Sappada.

John was an accomplished musician and composer under his trade name “Jonathan Skyler” reflecting his original instrumental music of the Old West for a New Age. His music was published and licensed in international markets for independent films and documentaries such as the Navajo Code Talkers on PBS. He donated proceeds to the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder. His love of the Old West and  Native American symbolism is reflected in his music, “Fireside Tales,” “Trail of Tears,” and “Raindancer.” He reflectly fondly on his teen years playing in many rock bands “Lace” and “Girls Love Us” with his brother Matthew, an accomplished drummer. His guitar idol remained Jimmie Hendrick, both lefties who played the guitar right-handed. John even opened for the band “Journey” in the late 1970s.

He taught Blake and Shane to play the harmonica and ukulele for talent shows and encouraged them to compose their own music for National Arts Reflections competitions. Blake and Shane picked up the fiddle to accompany Jonathan’s guitar.  Blake’s “Skipping Rocks” is a whimsical song about fun with his Dad, and Shane’s “Hummingbird Summer” reflects his Dad’s love of wildlife. Jonathan Skyler’s beautiful compositions with titles such as “Eternal Spring” and “Frontier Wedding” rose above his health struggles.

John and Barbara recently won the gold medal for their National Veterans Creative Arts Festival video “Dancing with Cranes.” John composed music to sync with Barbara’s nature photography of the migration of sandhill cranes in Monte Vista. John wrote for Serenity Magazine about his harrowing winter experiences with a mountain lion tracking him. He was a columnist for Indian Country Today, writing radical pieces such as “Is Sacagawea the Politically Correct Coin.” He was featured in The Canyon Courier in 1998 for his Native American advocacy to remove derogatory place names such as Squaw Pass and Mount Evans before this topic became mainstream.

John was also an accomplished attorney following  West Point U.S. Military Academy, Wake Forest, and George Mason Law School. He practiced civil rights law for 32 years in the U.S. Federal Court on behalf of military service members who were harmed by the service, whether kicked out illegally, discriminated against, harassed, death by friendly fire.  John became a zealous advocate for the “little guy” because he understood what it meant to be harmed by a big institution. He was a disabled veteran due to his combat service as an Infantry Officer on Korea’s DMZ.  When he won restitution for his clients, it also became a personal win for John!

John loved volunteering at his sons’ West Jefferson Elementary School as a “Watch Dog Dad,” teaching kids about Native American history,  sharing his experiences with wolves and bobcats, and participating in carnival fund-raisers. He patiently taught Blake and Shane how to ski at Leadville’s Ski Cooper; encouraged their love for hiking in the backcountry, and identifying animal prints, wildflowers, plants, and trees.  He sparked their love of baseball and. helped them design and build their own “Man Cave” state-of-the art tree house.

Blake and Shane will take their Dad’s best qualities and incorporate them into their own lives. Thus, John’s legacy of creativity, love of nature, and advocacy will continue!

Memorial/Reception: Friday, August 26th 1100.

Horan and McConaty Funeral Home

3101 South Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood, CO  80227.

Military Honors: 1400.

Fort Logan National Cemetery

4400 West Kenyon Avenue, Denver, CO  80236.

In keeping with his selfless service, John was a donor with Donor Alliance. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to this wonderful organization performing miracles everyday by saving lives.

Donor Alliance:

200 Spruce Street Suite 200

Denver, CO 80230

(303) 329-4747

In Honor of John A. Wickham, III.

Please share your memories of John and condolences with his family by signing the tribute wall.