John Theodore Kettlewell
John Theodore Kettlewell
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John Kettlewell Obituary
John was predeceased by his cherished wife, Barbara; his mother, Helene; father, John; brother, Lee; and grandparents, Ferdinand and Anne Wille.
John was born and raised in Phoenix, attending Emerson School and North Phoenix High School, where he made lifelong friends. John then attended Arizona State University, where he pledged Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, developed more enduring friendships, met his beautiful wife Barbara, and became a lifelong fan of the Arizona Sun Devils. After moving to California and working as an industrial engineer for a few years, John moved his family to Omaha, Nebraska, where he attended Creighton Dental School. He loved Arizona and moved back to his hometown to establish his dental practice.
John loved fast cars and boats, mountain biking, music, the beach, beer, and cheeseburgers. Most of all, he loved his family. John was loyal, hardworking, adventurous, and humble--a legacy valued by his family and all who knew and admired him. He will be remembered and loved always.
Services will be held on Saturday, February 22, at 1:00 PM at Paradise Memorial Gardens 9300 E. Shea Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85260. Celebration of life to follow at the Casey residence.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John, please visit our floral store.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
6 Entries
Bill Mahan
November 12, 2025
I first met John as a freshman at ASU. We were both in Saguaro Hall, where his roommate was Floyd Martin, who had been a classmate of John's at Emerson Grade School. John pledged Delta Sig along with Floyd, and I pledged SAE,, next door. We kept in touch for a few years and when John went to dental school, we lost touch. Last time I saw John and Barbara was up at his house in the Pasadena hills. John was a great guy.
Mike Sullivan
February 25, 2025
John Kettlewell was one of the best guys you could ever know. He was a devoted family man of course, and he was far more than that. John was such a wonderful guy in so many ways. He married the love of his life and raised a beautiful family. Life isn´t always easy or predictable. But John handled life´s unpredictable difficulties with grace, and patience, and devotion - he was a saint, really. Whatever difficulties he faced, I never heard him complain once. That´s what I admired most about John. And there was so much more to admire.
I first met John in 1962 when my brother Tom and I pledged Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity at ASU. Each pledge was given a big brother, or Pop as we called them. A Pop was your guardian angel if the older active members guys got too tough or were riding you too hard. John was Tom´s Pop. I remember telling Tom he got lucky because that Kettlewell guy is much cooler than most of the other actives. John was more self-composed and more comfortable in his own skin than those other older guys. He was never seemed to have to prove anything. So even before pledging was over, Tom and I and John became friends. John was Catholic and we all went to Mass together on Sundays.
John lived in the fraternity house even though he grew up in Phoenix and could have commuted to classes. Maybe that´s why he was more down to earth than the guys whose parents had sent them away to school with a new car. And speaking of cars, John knew more about cars than anyone in our sixty-man fraternity house. Anyone who needed help with his car would go to John first for advice. And then of course, John would wind up helping to fix it for you.
On Sundays John would often visit his grandmother, the sweetest woman you would ever hope to meet. It became obvious that John´s admirable personal values were not accidental, thanks to this very, very nice woman.
John was the most muscular guy I ever knew. He enjoyed weightlifting, not for vanity, but just for the fun of it. There was a sense of accomplishment in the process, he would say. The engineering student in him enjoyed the cause and effect of the process. Exercise a muscle - and that muscle would grow. He appreciated the logic of that.
John got Tom interested pumping Iron as well. They cleaned out a storage room in the fraternity house and turned it into a weight room. He told Tom that he could coach him into bench-pressing twice his body weight -- and he did. John was just as happy as Tom was at this accomplishment. Anyone else who needed advice or someone to spot him with heavy weights, John would help.
John had us all believing we could pump iron and wind up looking like him. We loved him for believing in us like that, but let´s face it, none of us could ever look like him.
John was a modest, humble man. I never heard him brag about anything. Not ever. I never heard him act tough, but it was obvious that he was. There was a popular song back then called "Big Bad John," about a coal miner who never spoke tough, but everyone knew, "You didn´t give no lip to Big John."
In those early days John had a flat top crew cut. I remember once showing my wife Tina some old pictures of the fraternity guys. When she saw one of John back then, she said, Wow! That´s what we girls called a hunk.
One time John and I were talking about music and he said he had a friend whose music he thought I´d like. So we got in John´s old car and drove to Phoenix and a place called the Cross Keys. We got there late, and so there was just the two of us, and the guy at the piano bar. So we sat down next to this guy and John introduces me to his friend, Waylon Jennings. I can´t remember how long John had said he knew this guy, but they were talking like they had known each other for a long time. Waylon would play the piano and sing, but mostly we´d just talk because we were the only customers in the place. I liked this Waylon guy because he was a few years older than us and seemed to know more about the world, especially women. So John and I would go back there, usually late at night so we could sit and talk with Waylon about whatever. Next thing we knew he was headlining at a nightclub near campus called JD´s. He had switched from piano to guitar. This guy was becoming famous. When we got back to school the next year, Waylon had moved to Nashville and was cutting records. Never saw him after that. But thanks to John, I learned a bit more about the world, and discovered a love of Country Music.
When John and Barbara got married he asked Tom and me and Bart Del Duca, and a few of our fraternity guys to be ushers in their wedding. That was my first trip to California and first time wearing a tuxedo. Such a great memory! It was an honor to be part of the wedding of two such great friends. Somewhere we have some old movie footage of John and Barbara´s wedding, but there is no longer equipment available to play it. I hope I can find it someday and give it to John´s family.
Fast forward, and I remember one day back in the 80´s sitting on my brick patio on Balboa Island, California and who should ride up on a ten-speed racing bike but John. What? John, where did you come from? Turns out John and his family were visiting out there in Irvine, and John decided to ride his bike down to the Island. From Irvine? John, that´s gotta be 20 miles from here! Well it wasn´t that hard, said the modest man, mostly downhill. Yeah, but it´s mostly uphill on the way back, old friend. We were in our forties at the time. John was such a good athlete, and an adventurous guy.
Of course for John, ten-speed street bikes were not enough. He also loved mountain biking. The last time we talked on the phone I was recovering from a fall off a ladder putting up Christmas lights and had broken my leg. John had broken his own leg while mountain biking just a few years back. The description of his fall made me remember that for John, age was no barrier to his adventurism. Only John´s family knows exactly how many broken bones and torn muscles John sustained in his lifelong love of dangerous pursuits.
John was the only man I ever knew strong enough to tear his own body apart with his own brute strength. Only John could repeatedly curl a 75 Lb dumbbell until his bicep exploded into a torn shred. Imagine that kind of pain! And John had once even done that same thing to a chest muscle.
Anytime John and his family would be in California, no matter how long the drive, they would take the time to drive to Balboa Island for a day to visit us. Our family always appreciated and loved that friendship, and the effort they made to stay in touch. Tina, and Tom, and later our own kids would always look forward to seeing John and his kids growing up, and later Kelly´s boys too.
When our kids were little they fondly remembered Barbara as the nice lady with the sweet voice who would always say, let´s go up the street and get a "Banana-rolla-rama," - Barbara´s nickname for the chocolate covered frozen bananas at our local ice-cream place. Such great memories for our family, all due to the loyal friendship of a great friend!
John´s grandsons seemed to have inherited his sense of adventure. Like John, they enjoy fast moving machinery of any kind, and relish rough and tumble physical activity. Not a surprise that lacrosse would be a good fit. These are great kids (young men now) who are a big hit with our kids when John and Kelly would visit us in California. I know that Kaden and Kaleb brought John a lot of joy and pride.
Kaden and Kaleb, I know you are proud to be John´s grandsons. And also remember how proud your grandfather was of both of you. And as you go through life, stay worthy of his pride in you, as though he´s looking down on you because he is.
And Kim, John, and Kelly were surely blessed to have had John and Barbara Kettlewell for parents. It´s true -- we can´t choose our parents. You guys just got lucky. We can choose our friends, and John was the best friend any man could have. That was my good luck. John and Barbara were the nicest friends my wife and I know. We pray they are together with God, and that we´ll see them again.
Bart Del Duca
February 23, 2025
I met John in 1951 when he rode his shiny blue Schwinn bike (with the fancy chrome shock absorber) to welcome me to Arizona. We would hang out commenting on hot rods & cars driving by. After attending Emerson school with John he went on to North High and I to Scottsdale. We reconnected in 1962 when John asked me to join Delta Sigma phi Fraternity at ASU. He was my pledge "big" brother. In 1968 John was my "Best Man". On our 50th anniversary celebration John finished his toast from 1968,
74 years of friendship with never a disagreement - I always knew I had a friend I could a depend on. What a SPECIAL person. His presence will be missed but never forgotten!!
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Wanda
February 17, 2025
I had the pleasure of knowing John in the late `60´s thru the `80´s as one of the employees (sometime part time or special projects) of his and Bob Hurts´ dental practice. He was loved and respected by all that knew him. He was loyal to his family and I believe they were his greatest love. He was a true friend to all those who knew him. He will be remembered and missed.
Carol S Hager
February 16, 2025
Dr Kettlewell was my dentist from 1977 until his retirement. He was a kind, professional man who always made me laugh. I actually used to look forward to my visits. I am so sorry to hear of his passing and hope that his memory will live on in his children and grandchildren.
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