John passed away at his home on July 15, 2023, surrounded by his wife and family, after a short illness following heart surgery.  He was able to spend his final days viewing his favorite mountains around Tucson.

John was born in Dallas, Texas on December 5, 1942 to JR and Mildred Kidd.  John spent his childhood in Garland, Texas and graduated from Garland High School in 1961.  John attended Southern Methodist University and graduated with a degree in fine arts.  At SMU, John met Diane Rankin, whom he would marry in 1967.  John and Diane have two sons, Jordan and Jerod.

John started his career driving semi-trucks for his father in the early 1960s.  After college, he worked for Earl May Seed and Nursery Company, starting in the advertising department, and moving up through the company to vice president.  John left Earl May in 1989 and then operated radio stations KRGI and KMMJ in Grand Island, NE for the next 15 years.  John also acquired several farms in the Shenandoah and Tarkio areas.  John loved to spend his summer afternoons driving around the farms, spraying weeds, kicking dirt clumps and chatting with the farmers.  John also enjoyed duck hunting, golf, and building and collecting HO scale trucks.

Over the years, John served on numerous boards including the Shenandoah Hospital, Tarkio College, Nishna Productions, Security Trust and Savings Bank, United Republic Bank, the Mail Order Association of Nurseryman, Congregational United Church of Christ, and the Shenandoah Elks Club.

John's first wife passed away in 2018 after a long illness.  John married Joyce Dixon in 2021.  John and Joyce spent the next two years based primarily in Tucson, and traveling and chasing adventures around the world.

John was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Diane, and grandson Jeremy.  John is survived by his wife Joyce and her family, sons Jordan (Tammy) of Colorado Springs, CO, and Jerod (Angelina) of Redmond, WA, sisters Kathleen (Steve) Lackey and family of Bellville, Texas, Deborah Kinsey and family of Frisco, Texas, and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to direct memorials to Nishna Productions Inc, the Congregational Church in Shenandoah, or St. Andrews Presbyterian Church of Tucson.