Richard "Stan" Fletcher was remembered as a loving husband and avid hiker after he was found dead at South Mountain Park, according to police and those close to him.
After he failed to return home from a scheduled hike and was reported missing by loved ones, a cyclist found Fletcher unresponsive on National Trail
the afternoon of July 25, according to Phoenix police. Phoenix firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene.Police found no obvious signs of trauma or foul play and said Fletcher’s condition was consistent with a heat-related or medical event, but the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner had not determined his cause or manner of death.
Fletcher’s loved ones remembered him online as a kind, devoted family man who loved hiking
and making music.
“Stan’s kindness, unwavering love, and generous spirit touched countless lives,” Cheyenne Blake wrote in an online fundraiser created for Fletcher’s family.
The fundraiser had collected more than $9,000 toward a $10,000 goal by midday July 27. The money would “help ease the financial burden and allow the family to focus on healing and honoring Stan’s memory," said Blake, the GoFundMe organizer.
Facebook posts from his wife, Stephanie Fletcher, show that the couple married in April 2025, days before Stan Fletcher turned 60.
She wrote in a post that her husband’s death left her heartbroken, but she was grateful for the time she had with him.
She said her husband was not reckless outdoors and she knew he wanted to come back home to her.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Heartbroken loved ones remember hiker found dead at South Mountain
