RAPID CITY – John Jeffrey Raetz, 63, passed away on Saturday, January 13, 2024.   John was born August 18, 1960, in Evanston, Illinois as the first-born child to Gene and Mary Louise (Aschenbrenner) Raetz.

He graduated from Stevens High School in Rapid City, SD and went on to attend both Black Hills State University and the University of South Dakota.  After coming to the realization that college was not for him, John embarked on a career track that is only rivaled by Forrest Gump. His jobs in many different industries took him all across the country over the years, but wanting to be close to the wilderness property that his family owned brought John back to South Dakota.

Ever since he was a boy, John was passionate about the outdoors. He went on to be an avid hunter (both gun and archery) of elk, deer, and turkeys. With his exceptional knowledge of wildlife, their habits and animal calls, John spent many years guiding other hunters in the Black Hills with excitement.

In recent years, John lived with and cared for his elderly parents. In addition to being their chef, chauffer, shopper, organizer and maintenance man, John took his father on a drive many mornings before sunrise to search for wildlife and then journal what they saw upon their return. They also spent countless days together enjoying and attending to the upkeep of the family's wilderness land. John took such pride in capturing amazing photos of animals in their natural environment by placing several motion sensitive cameras there too.

Since he had no children of his own, John looked forward to the visits from his niece from New York City and he felt such delight in hiking with her and showing her how to fish and shoot archery. He was the absolute best person to give her an education about the animals and landscape of the Black Hills.

John is survived by his parents, Gene and Mary Lou Raetz, his sisters; Sheryl Raetz of Stevenson Ranch, CA and Gina Gray (Thomas) of New York, NY, and his niece; Teagan Gray.

Friends and family are invited to a memorial service at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.  Light refreshments and fellowship will follow the service.