Justin Russell Aldred-Escamilla Obituary (1986 - 2021)

Justin Russell Aldred Escamilla passed away on November 3, 2021. He was born here in Wickenburg in1986 and was a lifelong resident. Justin was preceded in death by his mother, Susie Aldred and his grandparents Russell and Katherine Aldred. He is survived by his Aunt Jan Lamont of Navasota, Texas, his father Marcos Escamilla, his wife Kendra Brown, his brothers Seth Aldred and Jesse Brown and a sister Jacqueline Andrae. Justin attended Wickenburg High School and excelled at baseball and basketball. He learned the fundamentals of baseball from his grandmother. She taught him at an early age the fair play and the etiquette of sports. Justin was always quick with a word of encouragement or a joke for those playing. One of the dreams he realized was playing on Chase Field. He was invited to play with a team he was on in Phoenix and even though it was at 3:00 AM, he and his grandmother drove down to attend. After the game when he had been called out and did not even swing at the ball, his grandmother told him, "you can't hit the ball if you don't swing the bat". He enjoyed playing pool at the La Cabana and often brought pizza for anyone who happened to be there. He had a wide and varied taste in music and never met a stranger. He would often be seen running with his faithful dog Zeke. In life Justin swung that bat at a lot of things. He once held down 3 jobs to fulfill his dream of making exceptional pizza. He worked at Sangini's and Cary's Restaurant learning the basics. He spent many hours perfecting his recipes and style of cooking pizza as well as reading the Pizza Bible. His grandmother was his sounding board, offering advise on the finished product. In the fall of 2017, when he opened the Pie Cabinet, which slowly transitioned to the Gila Monster Eatery, she gave him a "very well done". Over the last 4 years many people got to taste a truly unique pizza in his traditional Sicilian Style or his Woodfire. Just loved to see people smile and enjoy themselves. He was very modest at what he was doing and continually looked for ways to improve it. Memorial services will be held on November 20, 2021 at 11:00 AM at the LDS Church on 65 Lazy Fox Rd. with refreshments to follow.