John Charles Pickett

John Charles Pickett was born on April 11, 1947, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Cecil and Helen Pickett. His early years were spent in Paraguay, where Spanish became his first language. Returning to Las Cruces, John developed a love for his family farm and the horses they bred there.

John attended Las Cruces High School, serving as student body president before graduating in 1965. One day in 1964, he looked across the crowded high school cafeteria and his eyes alighted on Susan Harris, which began a lifelong love story. John and Susan were married in 1966 and shared 59 years of marriage.

That same year, John met Jesus Christ, beginning the defining relationship of his life—a lifelong love for his Savior and Lord.

After graduating from New Mexico State University in 1970, John attended Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Along the way, John and Susan welcomed their first daughter, Marcela Kathryn, in 1969. Their second daughter, Evangeline Marie, followed in 1972.

Armed with theological knowledge and not yet much pastoral wisdom, John left St. Louis to plant a church in Tucson, Arizona. There he discovered another lifelong love: the love of Christ's Church. During their years in Tucson, John and Susan welcomed two more daughters, Micah Elizabeth in 1976 and Tassie Lenora in 1977.

John always loved the American West, but in 1978 he followed God's call from the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest, planting a church in Lake Stevens, Washington. The church he pastored there was like a big family with many outreaches to the community. There his love for prison ministry began. One of John's greatest joys was Vacation Bible School. He contributed and wrote curriculum for a VBS outreach that is still used today across the PCA denomination. For more than forty years, he served as leader, storyteller, and enthusiastic champion of VBS, bringing biblical stories to life for countless children.

In 1976, alongside five pastor friends from around the country, he helped establish Youth eXcelling in Leadership, a high school leadership camp in Colorado that has influenced generations of young Christian leaders and continues to this day. His vision building and equipping leaders for the church was a passion and even after his retirement he stayed active in encouraging the board of directors.

In the NW, he discovered a passion for sailing. Many family adventures followed in the waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. John and Susan shared that love for sailing which became a ministry of hospitality, “New Wind.” Together they invited family, friends, professionals, pastors and their spouses to join them on sailing adventures in the San Juan Islands, the Caribbean, and Greece. Those voyages created treasured friendships, unforgettable experiences, and lasting memories.

His ministry also reached beyond the United States through mission work in Uganda. The Ugandan people embraced John so warmly that they adopted him into their clan and gave him the name "Tomali." In 1983, John and Susan welcomed their fifth daughter, Ariel Suzanne. John was deeply loved and joyfully surrounded by his girls.

After fourteen years in Lake Stevens in 1992, John accepted a call to return to his beloved hometown of Las Cruces and serve as pastor of University Presbyterian Church.

Over the next twenty-two years, John poured himself into the life of the church and community. He continued mission work in Uganda and Acapulco, participated in Walk to Emmaus and Kairos Prison Ministry, helped launch a campus ministry at New Mexico State University, and served for more than twenty-five years on the board of the Southwest Church Planting Network, helping to establish churches throughout Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

At University Presbyterian Church, John oversaw two building projects. Every detail from the architecture to the woodcarved cross bears the marks of his care. He developed a liturgy of readings and songs for a special Maundy Thursday service- used throughout his tenure at UPC. This service was discovered, adapted and used with John’s permission by the chaplain to the United Nations.

His reach was global and regional. Here in Las Cruces, John became active in Rotary International, serving as club president and receiving the Paul Harris Award for service.

After twenty-two years at University Presbyterian Church, John sensed God calling him into a new season. In 2013, he founded Crosstown, a ministry dedicated to helping churches engage meaningfully with their communities. Among its early efforts, John helped lead two Convoy of Hope events that brought churches together in service.

Over the next thirteen years, Crosstown evolved into a ministry serving incarcerated men and women, as well as those transitioning back into the community after release. Through this work, God touched and transformed many lives.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Helen Pickett; his brother, Larry Pickett; and his sister, Linda Pummel.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Susan Pickett; his daughters Marcela (Todd) Johnson, Evangeline (Kevin) DeGraaf, Micah (Jeff) Bennett, Tassie (Eric) DeMoney, and Ariel Pickett; his grandchildren Seth (Dani), Will, Abigail (Daniel), Grace (Austin), Ian (Tori), Calvin, Helena, Elijah, Ellen, Benjamin, John, Hugo, and Marah; his great-grandsons Henry and Christopher; and his brother Jim (Michele) Pickett of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

John was a beloved “Papa” to his 13 grandchildren. Papa and Nama made sure to spend special time with each grandchild by taking them on a trip once they turned 10 years old. Many of the trips were to Washington DC, but one special trip was also a tour of New Mexico. Papa loved to be a part of each milestone in their lives attending school events, birthdays, graduations, holidays, and weddings. The week before his death he was also able to spend precious time with his two great-grandsons who live in California.

Throughout his life, John loved Jesus, loved His Church, loved people, and loved adventure. Whether preaching, sailing, mentoring, planting churches, serving prisoners, telling stories to children, or simply sharing life with family and friends, John pointed people toward hope, faith, and the love of Christ.

His legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched and in the family he cherished so deeply.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at Real Life Church (1040 El Paseo Rd., Las Cruces, NM 88001).

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to CrossTown Ministries (www.crosstownlc.com).