Donald D. "Don" Pickett

Donald D. Pickett, 70, passed away in the presence of his family at Centerpoint Medical Center on Feb. 6, 2017 after a long illness. Services will be 2 pm, Sunday, Feb. 12 at St. Luke Evangelical Free Church, 700 Mo. Hwy. 224, Wellington, MO 64097; interment at St. Luke Cemetery with full Military Honors. Visitation will be 6-8 pm, Friday, Feb. 10 at Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 E. 39th St., Independence, MO 64055. The family requests contributions to St. Luke Evangelical Free Church or the American Cancer Society, 1120 Pennsylvania Ave., K.C., MO 64105. Don was born in 1946 to Orville Lee and Mary (Higgins) Pickett in Kansas City, MO. Shortly thereafter the family moved to Spokane, WA where he lived until graduating from North Central High School. In 1964 he moved back to Kansas City where he met his wife of fifty years, Karen (Potter) Pickett. After serving as a U. S. Marine in Vietnam where he was wounded and was awarded the Purple Heart, they made their home in Kansas City, Blue Springs and later rural Buckner. Don was active in Blue Springs Little League Baseball for many years where he made lifelong friends of players and parents alike. He retired after serving in the Teamsters Union for thirty years after which he enjoyed pursuing his interests in hunting and fishing. Don was preceded in death by his parents and an older brother. He is survived by his wife Karen, of the home; daughter Julie Pickett, Grain Valley, MO; son Jeffrey Pickett and wife Tina Kempf, Wellington, MO and Overland Park, KS; brother Robert Pickett, Seattle, WA; step-grandson Colby Fletcher; step-great-granddaughter Raylea Fletcher; two nieces, a nephew and cousins all with whom he had a special close relationship.