Obituaries

Sarah Burton Nelson, Psychiatrist and SwimmerSarah Burton Nelson, a psychiatrist and late-blooming masters swimming champion, died a few days shy of her 95th birthday on May 31, 2019 at a skilled nursing facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. Known for her joie de vivre, Dr. Nelson recently assured family members that after several years of declining health and diminished independence, she was...

Virginia Landinger, age 77, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2019 after a long and courageous fight with Pancreatic Cancer. She was born September 11, 1941 in Clifton, Arizona to Florentino and Micaela Saiz. She married her longtime friend and love, Gunther Landinger in June of 1994 who preceded her in death in November of 2016.For many years, Virginia worked...

SEWARD, JOHN KENNETH “KEN”July 17, 2019A true internationalist, Ken Seward lived in five countries outside the U.S. over his lifetime. Fluent in Spanish and Italian, he spoke enough French to order a good meal (with wine) in Paris or Brussels. He was born on March 2, 1931 in New York City, the son of Victor and Ann Seward. He grew...

Louise R. Carroll passed away peacefully on July 19, 2019 in Phoenix at the age of 93. She was born in Chicago and spent many of her early years in Picayune, Mississippi. She moved with her parents, Inez and Edward Rowlands, to Phoenix in 1935 where she attended Kenilworth and Phoenix Union High School, becoming a loyal alum for both...

Born: May 30, 1938 Died: July 15, 2019Irma leaves behind her husband of 61 years of marriage, Joe Loredo. Irma also leaves behind seven children, Michael (Alma), Christine Ybarra (Jesse), Joseph (Cheryl), Rosemary (preceded in death), Nathaniel, Christopher (Edda) and Vicente Loredo.Irma also leaves behind sixteen grand-children and sixteen great-grandchildren.She was loved and cherished by her family and friends. Irma...

James “Jimmy” Edward Craig passed away on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at the age of 46, shortly after being diagnosed with Dermatomyositis. Jimmy will be lovingly remembered by Mindy, his wife and best friend of 15 years, his children Bianca Vasquez (Vince), George Rivera, and James “JT,” and the family dog Bandit. Jimmy will also be deeply missed by his...

Emma Pedraza, a long-time resident of the Phoenix area, died Friday the 19th of July at the age of 84 in her home surrounded by family.Born in Tepalcatepec, Michoacán, Mexico on December 20, 1934, was the second of eight children.She moved from Mexico to the United States to single-handedly raise her seven children. Mamita Emma was the matriarch of the...

Frank Michael Fierros was born on October 29, 1961 and passed away on July 17, 2019.He attended various Catholic grade and high schools. He was an exceptional athlete. He had an awesome pitching arm, play arm and played football with the best of them.Frank loved the peace and quiet of fishing and was a true fan of the Diamondbacks.He is...

Betty Norris passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 89 on July 16, 2019, surrounded by the love of her family. Born Betty June Reynolds on November 1, 1929, in Lincolnton, North Carolina, she was one of eight children.She met the love of her life, Nate, and they were married on Christmas Eve in 1949. In 1966,...

Lois married Dean S. Nyhart in 1951 and together they had four children. Lois loved to travel and lived all over the Western US. Although she worked for Motorola for many years, her true passion was painting and being in nature, what she liked to call “God’s country.” In her lifetime she had 10 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Her...

It is with profound sadness, we announce the passing of Joe Warren Arnold, our loving Father, Papa and Friend to all whose lives he touched. Joe passed on July 15th, 2019 surrounded by his family, with his heart and soul filled with love.Joe Warren Arnold was born February 5, 1937 to Byron T. and Mildred S. Arnold. He is now...

Lynn Elizabeth Miller Nichols passed away peacefully on June 20, 2019. She was born on June 15, 1955 in South Bend, Indiana, the third child and only daughter of Alexis Thielens Miller and Carolyn Plasman Miller. Lynn is survived by her husband Joe, age 66, daughter Elizabeth, age 25, son Eric, age 20, and brothers Col. Scott Miller, age 68,...

Anthony “Tony” Valentine Schwan passed away peacefully on July 9, 2019, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Tony was born August 30, 1931 in Aberdeen, South Dakota to Joseph Anton Schwan and Magdalena Martha Richter. Siblings include (Eva, Clementine, Ida, and Richard, all deceased) his brother Joseph P. Schwan and his sister Angeline. Tony grew up working alongside his father to help provide...

On the night of July 11, 2019, Wally Christopher Kelly, 62, passed away at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. He was reunited with his father, Wally; his mother, Crissy; brother Michael; grandparents, and many, many dear friends into the arms of our Lord. He will forever be dearly missed by his son, Beau, his stepchildren Hannah, Ashley, and Parker, his...

Nyjeda Sanders, also known as Stoniee Rozay, 20 years of age, left this world unexpectedly and passed away on June 30th, 2019. She was born on August 13, 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona, grew up in the Phoenix area, and later attended Medford Central High in Oregon.Jeda is the beloved daughter of Bobby Sanders and Christy Maddock, and also a loved...

Lopez, Robert N., 85 of Phoenix, AZ passed away on July 13, 2019. Beloved father, he is survived by daughter Theresa, sons Robert, Vincent and Ruben, sister Yolanda Rodriguez, 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. For almost 70 years, Robert was known throughout the valley for his musical talent.A Visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 am, with Funeral Service...

June 17, 1924 was a good day: In a little coal mining town named Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania, in a section called Moffitts Hill, two Polish immigrants welcomed a little girl into the world. Her name they chose was Amelia Clair Grucella. Family and friends would call her “Millie”. She grew up in Sugar Notch, attending a Catholic grade school and...

June 23, 1940-July 9, 2019David Gardos, (aka Blumberg), founder and former CEO of Merex Food Corporation, passed away peacefully at home Tuesday morning surrounded by his family after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Jameela, children, Sophia and Nico Gardos and Lorenzo Bouchard, his sisters, Dr. Roxane Spitzer, Marian Cohen, and Susan Shaw and their families. Dave...

Alexander Ervanian was born on November 3rd, 1928 in Chicago, IL to Ardashes and Aghavni Ervanian and died on July 7, 2019 in Phoenix, AZ.Alex’s parents immigrated to Chicago from Armenia as a result of the Armenian Genocide. Thus, Alex grew up speaking Armenian and English, not speaking the latter until first grade. Always studious, he attended the University of...

Charles “Chuckles” Louis Sivak peacefully passed away July 4, 2019 at the age of 64. Born January 11, 1955 in Passaic, New Jersey to Charles Joseph and Grace Marie (Colaianni) Sivak (deceased), and brother of Dorian (deceased). He is survived by two loving and devoted children, Katherine “Katie” and Charles “Chip”, ex-wife Tracy Monaghan, and man’s best friend, Peanut. Charlie...