John Jacob Eckhardt

John Jacob Eckhardt died peacefully on June 15, at his daughter’s home in Davis, Calif., with three of his children by his side. He was born in Ritzville, on Sept. 13, 1929, to Jake and Anna Eckhardt.

He grew up on a farm outside of Ritzville and he spoke fondly of chasing roosters, playing with dogs and milking cows. Later, the family moved into town and he graduated from Ritzville High School in 1948. After graduating, he worked at his father’s machine shop before joining the Air Force. While stationed in England, he met his first wife, Marge, and they were blessed with two children, Angie and Julie. They divorced in 1959.

He later met and married Ruthie Webb in 1964, who like him, was a Ritzville native. They enjoyed telling the story of how they met at a dance in Spokane and had gone around the dance floor twice before realizing they already knew each other. They welcomed three children, Briana, John, and Jamie to their home in Harrington. Sadly, the couple’s time together was too short, as she passed away in 1982 from breast cancer.

In 1960, he embarked on what would become his life’s work when he moved to Harrington and opened his own metal working and repair shop, originally called A and D Welding, which he later renamed Eckhardt Fabricating. He was said to be a master welder and machinist and many of his tractor cabs and truck beds are still in use. The shop was a hub of activity for the repair of farm equipment, swapping stories, and for his children to learn metal working skills. The boys, especially, benefitted from his patient teaching methods and remember welding thousands of beads as practice before he let them move on to real work.

He was a member of the Masons and cared deeply for their traditions. Later in life, he again joined the Zion Congregational Church, which had been the church of his youth, and he greatly enjoyed being in contact with his family and friends there. He had a well-spent life raising his children, running his business, and exhibiting great humor. He was known for his contagious laugh, his jokes and stories, and for his quirky phrases. Even in his last days he retained his sweet and gentle personality.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jake and Anna; wife, Ruthie; son-in-law, Tom (Julie) Boruff; sister, Marguerite McCrorey.

He is survived by a brother, Bill (Dorothy) Eckhardt of Ritzville; sister, Mary (Bill) Millard of Mattawa, Wash .; children, Angie Finkelnburg of Kent, Wash., Julie Boruff of Ephrata, Briana Eckhardt Young of Davis, Calif., John (Esmeralda) Eckhardt of Hermiston, Ore., and Jamie (Shauna) Eckhardt of Shoreline, Wash .; 10 grandchildren and dog, Sparky.

Services are to be held on Saturday, July 21, at the Zion Philadelphia United Church of Christ in Ritzville. A family graveside service is scheduled at 2 p.m. The memorial service is at the church at 3 p.m. followed by a light supper at 4 p.m.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to Zion Philadelphia United Church of Christ, 301 East Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169, or to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2143 Hurley Way Suite 110, Sacramento, CA 95825.