Johnny Curtis Ray Carrick

Johnny Curtis Ray Carrick, 60, of Puyallup, Washington passed away on January 10, 2024, in his home after a brave 13-year cancer battle.  He was born on October 20, 1963, to Charles and Carol Carrick in Bakersfield, California.

John was smart, loving, caring, and creative, and always tried to see the positives in life.   John attended Bakersfield High School and moved to Washington in 1989.  He loved living in the Pacific Northwest and enjoyed camping, visiting the ocean, seeing Mt. Rainier whenever he could and lunches on the waterfront in Tacoma.

John met Kelly Arland on a blind date in June 1991 and they were married on July 11, 1992.  They loved each other so much and told each other this daily.

John was a wonderful father and he and son Nathan enjoyed watching movies together and talking about their activities at the end of each day.  John loved watching his daughter Amanda ride horses throughout her childhood and was never prouder when he was able to walk her down the aisle and dance with her at her wedding in 2021.

John worked in the industrial supply field for over 30 years, retiring from Blackhawk Industrial in January 2022 to focus on his health.  He was remarkable in his commitment to his work while fighting cancer and could often be seen working on his laptop while receiving infusion treatments.

John was extremely creative and loved different hobbies.  These included building intricate train sets, woodworking, building miniatures, making videos with family memories and music (before it was easy with today’s current technology), and his extensive, legendary outdoor Halloween displays with gore, animation and details that scared the entire neighborhood.

John also loved sports!  He loved (!!!) watching his all-time favorite football team, the Raiders! He was loyal to them when they were in L.A., in Oakland and finally Las Vegas!  John knew this likely would be the last season in which he would get to watch the Raiders and their victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day was truly his “Superbowl!” He loved listening to Seattle Mariner games, especially when camping, and became a Seattle Kraken hockey fan from the first puck drop. John enjoyed playing rec league softball and he and Kelly were in a bowling league together when he achieved his best score of 289!

When John wasn’t watching sports, he was usually watching an action-packed movie or Judge Judy. He always knew how the case would end before she did!

John is survived by his wife of 31 years, Kelly, son Nathan Carrick, daughter Amanda Carrick Young and son-in-law, Michael Young, all of Puyallup. He is also survived by his parents, Charles and Carol Carrick and sister Wendy Carrick, of Bakersfield, California as well as many other family members who loved and were inspired by him.

John and his family would like to thank the many physicians, nurses and support staff that provided care to him at Northwest Medical Specialties over the last 13 years!  Their compassion and expertise helped give John many more years with his family!

Services will be held at Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts located at 309 4th Street NE, Puyallup WA, 98372 on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 1:30 pm.  A private family celebration of his life will be held in Bakersfield later this spring.