NaVon was born in a small farm town in Iowa. He lived there for the first eighteen years of his life, completing his elementary through high school education there in his home town. He was active in music from an early age, a love that remains to this day. He participated in both school choral and band ensembles in those years and athletics on the gridiron and as a wrestler. His principal work is in the area of systems engineering and technical support.
In 2006 he finished his MBA in Technology Management.
NaVon and Maureen, his wife reside in Tacoma. He has two grown children and two grandchildren.
In 2006, NaVon and Maureen (who also loves music) attended a barbershop show put on by the Tacoma Chapter. Featured on the show were both “The Most Happy Fellows” and “The South Sounders”. In NaVon’s words: “They were a blast.” Equally impressed with the art form, Maureen surreptitiously submitted NaVon’s name in the contact box on the way out.
Later that week, Roger Mousiman of the Totemaires called him: “So, I hear you want to sing?” or words to that effect. Though NaVon had no idea what Roger was talking about, he agreed to give it a shot.
NaVon met and sang with "The Guys" with Glenn Barnhart, Jerry McCarthy, and Bill Thurman. In 2010, Bill Thurman introduced NaVon to the sing! Sing! SING! program at Northwest Sound. He attended and passed his audition, just after the Holiday Show that year.
In the intervening time, NaVon has sung in several just-for-fun quartets to include: Tacoma Chapter with Bob Collins, Dick Latimer and Walt Paulsen; then competed with Don Rose, Bill Dergan, and Murray Urquhart in a quartet named “Rude Awakenings” at division contest in 2011; after that sang lead in the 2014 Division II quartet "Four In the Sound" with Len Wermes, Don Rose, and Ron Mahan; NaVon sang bass in the 2015 Division II quartet "Vocal Motion" with Bill Dergan, Frank Bell, and Phil Bergh and in 2016 with Carl Gysler, Doug Gonzales, and Jim Burbidge "Just Because"; 2017 DIV II sang with his brother Nathan Rickertsen, nephew Noah Rickertsen, and tenor extraodinarie Ken Potter.
He has volunteered for various jobs in the chapter to include: board member at large, show co-chairman, president, and BBQ guy.