Tommy Ticer Obituary
Obituary published on Legacy.com by Hampton Funeral Home & Cremation - Prescott on Dec. 17, 2024.
Our handsome father, grandpa and great grandpa passed away the at the VA Hospice on November 30, six weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He tried so hard to get there, but at least his suffering has finally ended. we were all rooting for you, Dad!
Tom was born in early 1935 to Hazel Estella Ticer (nee Witten) and Archie Louis Ticer in Alfalfa, Oklahoma. When they fed the Dust Bowl, they headed west and settle in Hayward, California where he and his brother raised hogs and played baseball during high school.
He moved to Phoenix for his senior year in 1952 with his folds, where he me a beautiful young woman who would become our mother, Janet Lea Seiberling, and they were married in 1955 while he was in the Navy (1953-1957). During his Navy service, he was an integral part of the operations in the South Pacific's Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls, where he witnessed over fifteen hydrogen bomb tests. He served as an Electrician's Mate with his best friend Rex on the Admiral's flagship. He had some pretty great stories to tell...
Upon discharge, Mom & Dad moved to Phoenix, where they had three children within 29 months. With all those mouths to feed, he knew he had to get a career job, so he joined the Phoenix Police Department, served a year, then entered what the then the Arizona Highway Patrol (now the Department of Public Safety). In 1977, after years of patrolling the Phoenix freeways, he got his dream posting in Prescott, where he served until his retirement as Sergeant in 1986. After he built his dream home, he then ran for Sheriff of Yavapai County in 1988. Unsuccessful in his bid, in 1990 he ran for Prescott Constable and won two terms, before retiring for good in 1997.
A 47 year resident of Prescott, he and our mom Janet were married for 69 years! He is survived by his wife Jan, four children: David (Judy), Bill, Cheryl (Tim Miller), and Robert (Cindy), plus seven grandchildren, four great-grandkids, and whole bunch of great relatives and friends!
Internment services with two Honor Guards (DPS & USN) will be held at the VA Cemetery here in Prescott on Friday January 17, 2025 at 1:00pm. There will be a celebration of life party at a yet-to-be determined location afterward. Stay tuned.
Tom was always a joker, would have you laughing with minutes of meeting him and a generous and loving man. We had a wonderful childhood, and are so proud of his successes, not to mention his brave fight against an insidious disease, all while making sure that Mom was taken care of. We will really miss our old Dad, the oldest Ticer man to ever live! Rest easy, Pop. Your free now.