F. John Ruksnaitis, 85 of Mesa, AZ, died peacefully on Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at Hospice of Arizona. A memorial service will be held at Apache Wells Community Church at 11 AM on Tuesday February 5, 2013. Following cremation, burial will be in the Odessa Cemetery, Odessa, Missouri. John was born July 13, 1927 to Frank J. and Anna (Jancauskas) Ruksnaitis in Worcester, Massachusetts. He attended Worcester Boys Trade High School and moved to Los Angeles after serving in the U.S. Navy. A World War II veteran, he served with the Sea Bees in the Pacific Theater. He married Lois Jean Alumbaugh on May 23, 1964 in Alhambra, CA. Together they moved to Mesa, AZ, and enjoyed spending summers at their chalet in the hills of Show Low. They were members of the Apache Wells Community Church. John had one son by a previous marriage. John retired from the Los Angeles Police Department as a lieutenant in 1975. He helped organize the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation in 1972, and being an avid golfer, he helped organize the first Police/Celebrity Golf Tournament in 1971, which endures to this day. In recent years he was honored by the sponsors of the tournament at their annual event as a founding member. An accomplished artisan and wood carver, he was known for his detailed carvings of birds and wood turnings, which won numerous awards. John was a third degree Free Mason and a member of the Scottish rite. He was a member of Shiners’ International, El Zaribah Temple, and the Granada Hills Free & Accepted Masons Lodge 378. He was also a member of the American Legion. John is survived by two sisters, Helen M. Leketa, wife of Anthony P. Leketa, and Ruth Ojerholm, wife of Richard C. Ojerholm (deceased) of Auburn, Massachusetts; a son, Glenn Chase of La Jolla, California; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Jean in 2010, his parents, and a brother, Anthony J. Ruksnaitis of Worcester, Massachusetts in 1990. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in John’s name be made to the Shriners’ Hospital Fund or Dresses for Orphans in care of Apache Wells Community Church, 2115 North Gayridge Road, Mesa, Arizona 85215.