Mr. John Richard Wilson

John Richard Wilson, 58, passed away May 20, 2023 in Mesa, Arizona. He was born in Fort Worth, TX October 15, 1964. John was a proud Texan, growing up in Richland Hills, and receiving his Bachelors in Business Administration Finance at Texas Tech University. He went on to receive an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

John (known as JR by his colleagues) began a lifelong career in aviation. He began at Northwest Airlines in 1991 where he last served as Director of Finance for their Asian operations in Tokyo until 1997. From 1997 to 2004 he worked for America West Airlines as VP of Financial Planning and Analysis. In 2004, John joined Indigo Partners as a Principal. During his time at Indigo, he traveled the world leading investments in various low-cost airlines including but not limited to: Wizz Airlines in Europe, Tiger Airways in Singapore, Spirit and Frontier Airlines in the US and Lynx Air in Canada. Most notably, John was the lead negotiator for the Indigo acquisition of 430 Airbus aircraft, the largest single aircraft order in aviation history. JR used his talents as a leader, negotiator, recruiter and a mentor throughout his career, impacting the lives of hundreds of people across the world. He will be remembered for his many accomplishments and contributions to the industry.

He always looked forward to August when Indigo held their annual portfolio meetings and brought all the senior leadership from around the world to Montana. He spent the months prior planning events to allow the group to get the most out of their trip. He organized fly fishing escapes, ordered wings for the firm dinner (so spicy it would take your mouth a week to recover), and rescued drones from trees after their drone races. He also took this time to indoctrinate the firm’s new interns into the Indigo family, teaching them what to say, how to write and what to fear.

One of John’s greatest passions was shotgun shooting and he was an avid supporter the USA Shooting Team. He served as a coach for the Scholastic Clay Target Program, in which his sons, Matt and Sam, were very involved. He shared his knowledge and served as a mentor and coach to the younger generation. John’s mother instilled in him an understanding of the importance for education, and he was proud to share that with others. Weekends in the Wilson house were reserved for God and football. He loved watching his Red Raiders on Saturday and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday after the morning church service. In his free time, he liked woodworking. Such as, building beds, cutting boards or chess sets, which he also shared with his sons. He enjoyed bringing people together through great food, particularly his BBQ, music and conversation.

Above all, John prioritized God and Family. John was a staunch believer in Jesus Christ and knew his faith would be victorious over death through him. He loved and cherished his sons most of all and was adamant about making sure that they had a strong work ethic, Christian values and were well provided for. He was their cheerleader in all things academic or athletic and was proud of the young men they grew up to be. He truly was a great father to his boys and loved them deeply.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Jerry and Betty Wilson. He is survived by his wife, Michele; their sons, Matthew and Samuel; brothers, Jim Wilson and his wife Mindy, and Wayne Shandera; nephews Kurt and Blake Wilson; niece Alyssa Nash and other extended family as well as many friends and colleagues. He is now in the presence of Christ, his savior.

A private burial will be held on Saturday, May 27th in Whitewright, Texas. A celebration of life will be held in the near future; date, time and location will be forthcoming.