Ricky Robert "Rick" Woolstenhulme

1952 - 2023

Ricky (Rick) Robert Woolstenhulme, 71, passed away peacefully at home on December 11, 2023 after a short battle with cancer. He was born March 19, 1952 in Coalville, Utah to Robert L. and Allene Woolstenhulme. After several years in Oakley, Utah and a short stint in Merced, California, the family moved to Montpelier, Idaho where Rick was raised and attended school, graduating from Bear Lake High School in 1970.

Rick followed the music scene closely and for a couple of years was a DJ at KVSI in Montpelier where he tried to keep the Bear Lake youth up to date with the Top 40 hits of the period. He moved to California and acquired his radio DJ license and worked at a station there for a while until he was called to serve an LDS mission with the English-speaking Navajo in Arizona. Upon returning, he went to work for Commonwealth Electric in Montpelier and, during that period, started a band that played around the Bear Lake Valley around the time of the bicentennial.

He attended Eastern Arizona College where he played in the school's jazz band and starred in their production of Oklahoma. He married Annie Bowman (whom he'd met earlier on his mission) in 1978. Together they raised two boys.

Over the years, he moved up in the transmission line/substation industry often as an office manager and eventually as a bid estimator - sometime DJ'ing in between. A lot of traveling was involved, moving from project to project - and over the years Rick moved about 20 times. They settled in Gilbert, Arizona in the 90's, where their boys were able to graduate high school. In 2003 ,the couple divorced. Then in 2007, Rick moved with his job to Midland, TX.

It was while in Texas that he met AnnElyce Burkhalter. They were married January 31, 2006. His job took him for a while to California - but they eventually ended up back in Arizona (this time Peoria). Together Rick and Ann raised two daughters, Kylee and Emma. The girls both graduated high school in May of 2023.

Rick's joy was his family. He took great delight in coaching his boys' little league baseball and following their music careers. And he loved watching his daughters grow, taking them to lessons, attending their recitals and Emma's plays.

Next to his family, his greatest love was music - a passion he inherited from his father and passed on to his children. He loved playing guitar and performing - and then watching his kids play and perform. Just prior to his passing, he was still learning - taking music theory and composition classes.

He loved Dr. Pepper and Hershey's kisses, riding his Harley, barbecuing, and learning new things. He took flying lessons and earned his license and was also certified in scuba diving.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Ann, two daughters, Kylee and Emma; and two sons, Rick, Jr. (Jen) of Gilbert, AZ and Sean (Melanie) of Seattle, WA; two granddaughters, Maisie and Sloane; a brother, Randy (Carisa) of Phoenix, AZ, and a sister, Debra (John) Roberts of Benton City, WA.