John Eckert, 85, of Batesville, Indiana, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed away in November 2025. A graduate of Osgood High School in Indiana, John went on to enroll in ROTC at the University of New Mexico, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He later trained as an aviator in the United States Navy, choosing to fly large propeller aircraft. His service also took him to Germany, where he attended language school, became proficient in German, and formed several lifelong friendships. John continued his education, eventually earning an MBA and a master’s degree in literature. During the Vietnam War, John was deployed to Spain, flying C-130 aircraft on highly classified intelligence missions. While stationed there, he met the woman who would become his wife and proudly adopted her four sons, whose father had been lost in a military aviation accident. After completing his deployment in Spain, John transitioned briefly to the private sector with the Hillenbrand Company before returning to active duty in the Navy. His family was later stationed in Guam, where his daughter was born. When a hiring freeze halted his plans to pursue a career with the airlines, John made a pivotal decision to join the U.S. Forest Service — a move that would shape the remainder of his professional life. As a Forest Service pilot, John flew lead planes over wildfires throughout the western United States and later served in several upper-level administrative roles until his retirement in 1995. Retirement, however, proved to be only the beginning of another chapter. John continued to fly as a private-contract aviator and devoted himself to his passion for gun collecting and historical display work. John became a nationally recognized authority on German Luger pistols and assembled a world-class collection that earned countless awards and accolades. At the OGCA Annual Display Shows, he received four top honors, including First Place (Military) for “The Luger Pistol and Its Holsters from Around the World” and “A Study of the Luger Makers.” In 2009, he represented OGCA out west at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Arizona, showcasing his collection of Luger pistol-carbines and earning a Best Educational Award. He delighted in sharing his extensive knowledge with anyone who shared his curiosity. When he wasn’t at gun shows, John was rarely still. He cherished time with family and friends across the country and abroad, took annual backpacking and fishing trips in Colorado with his children and grandchildren, made multiple fishing trips to Alaska, and traveled to destinations including Egypt, Australia, and England.
He embraced retirement wholeheartedly, remarking with his signature smile that it “beats working.”