Obituaries

Kathleen Ann Rose passed away on February 5, 2024, in Sun City, Arizona at nearly 97 years old. Born on March 10, 1927, in Sioux Falls, SD, she was the daughter of the late Ed and Lucy Duncan. Kathleen grew up in Cresco, IA and later moved to a farm near Postville, IA. Kathleen was known for her kind and loving nature, and her generosity was endless. Her presence made the world a better place, and her absence will be deeply felt by all who knew and loved her. Throughout her tenure as an elementary school teacher, Kathleen imparted knowledge and values that would last a lifetime for her students. Her passion for education was paralleled only by her commitment to her own family and friends. She found joy in her hobbies, which included crafting, reading, and baking. Kathleen is survived by her children, Susan Mauro and Steven Rose (Susan); grandchildren, Chris Mauro (Jill), Brax Rose (Skylar), and Kirby Mauro (Josh); great-grandchildren, Jacey, Brenna, Jameson, Lucy, Kinsley, Harper, Ridleigh, Isla, and Luca; and sisters-in-law, Jeanette Johnson and Jeanette Duncan. Predeceased by her cherished husband Don, granddaughter Lindsey, sister-in-law Ivanell, siblings Gene, Angelo, and Devota, Kathleen leaves behind a legacy of love and nurturing that will not be forgotten. In keeping with her lifelong generosity, those who wish to honor Kathleen's memory may make a contribution to Hospice of the Valley. This gesture will continue her legacy of caring and support for others in their time of need. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Menke Funeral Home of Sun City, AZ for their dignified and caring handling of Kathleen's final arrangements. Kathleen Rose will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched. A service to celebrate Kathleen's life will be scheduled at a later date. Her grace and spirit will be deeply missed, yet her influence will continue to be felt by all who knew her. May she rest in eternal peace.

Stephen Allen Yarmak , a gentle soul with a kind and selfless nature, passed away on February 1, 2024, in Phoenix AZ. He was a graduate of FDR high school in Brooklyn NY and Scottsdale Culinary Institute, where he honed his skills and passion for cooking. Stephen had a deep love for sports and enjoyed spending time with friends and family.               Stephen is survived by his brother Michael and his sisters Christina and Lisa. He was preceded in death by his mother Catherine and father Sheldon.              Stephen’s generous and loving spirit touched the lives of those around him. He will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. May his gentle soul find eternal peace.                               To live in hearts of those we loved is not to die.

Rodney Ray Unruh was born to Russell I. & Dorothy Unruh on May 4, 1957, in Moundridge, Kansas. Jesus called him home to his reward on January 30, 2024, at the age of 66 years. Rodney grew up in the Sharon Springs, Kansas area where he received 8 years of formal education. At the age of 11 he gave his heart to the Lord and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite on March 16, 1969, by Min. Ervin Nightingale. During his growing up years he worked on the family farm and was his mother’s right-hand helper. He also enjoyed helping care for his younger siblings Kandee and Kendall. On November 12, 1978, he married Greta Schmidt from Rich Hill, Missouri. They were blessed with 45 years together. To this union was born a daughter, Jacova. As a family, they moved to Youngtown, Arizona, becoming a part of the El Mirage congregation, and Rodney worked in landscape maintenance until his health no longer permitted. His easygoing and gentle personality won him many friends. He was very involved with Summer Vacation Bible School at the Sun Valley congregation, and also enjoyed tract route work. He was an ardent outdoorsman keenly interested in hunting and fishing, and he loved spending time in the desert. As a family we went on many day trips taking in the scenery of Arizona. We especially enjoyed visiting the Grand Canyon. He liked to read and play chess, and he was a Bible scholar. His survivors include his wife, Greta; one daughter Jacova and Matthew Penner, Silver Valley, Alberta; his mother Dorothy Unruh, Montezuma, Kansas; 3 brothers: Ivan, Fort Smith Arkansas, Steve and Paulette, Sharon Springs, Kansas, Kendall and Shirley, Olathe, Colorado;1 sister Kandee and Dale Koehn, Marienthal, Kansas; and one brother-in-law David Schmidt, El Campo, Texas. He was preceded in death by his father, one sister-in-law, and 2 nieces.

At this time there is no obituary available.If you are unable to attend services for Trey you can stream live by clicking the link below:https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcwNjc1MTAzMjI5MzQ4OCZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==

No obituary is available at this time.

We honor the life of Manuel, “Manny, Jr” “Mogie” Ortiz. Born November 19, 1970 departed to heaven 01/23/2024. Survived by his mother, Gregoria “ Georgie” Ortiz, father Manny Ortiz, Sr., brother, Frank Ortiz; nephew, Isaiah Ortiz, niece Mariah; grandmother “Nana” Aurelia  Figueroa, God Parents, Lina & Eddie Portillo & cousins, aunts & uncles.  Preceded in death by his maternal grandfather “Tata” Manuel Figueroa Sr. and his uncle Manuel Figueroa Jr., Manny Ortiz Jr. was a born jockey & carried on the family legacy proudly. At 4 months old, he sat on horse, Bar Smith, then ran that same horse down the historical Rialto River at age 5 in a parade and continued that racing legacy. In his professional career as a jockey, Manny Ortiz Jr., participated in & was highly esteemed at the Phoenix Gold Cup, Phoenix Breeders Futurity Cup, Diamond Eagle & Canterbury, to name a few,  racing Thoroughbred  & Quarter horses horses across North America from 1986-2005. Manny Ortiz Jr. attended Deer Valley High School. He continued to make Phoenix his home after his untimely retirement from horse racing. Once retired, his focus was on the loving and caring for animals and his family,  just as he did in his youth. His mother recalls him always having a heart for animals, whether it be horses, dogs, cats, ferrets, fish or birds; taking them in & caring for them sincerely. After his horse racing retirement, Manny Ortiz Jr went on to later channel his love for animals & people. He, lovingly, created a resource providing therapeutic respite by way of connecting his mini horses & persons with developmental & emotional challenges. Through this, he and his mini horses provided an unknown amount of happiness & healing to those that needed it appreciated it most, at the time. Just another way Mogie’s (Manny Jr.s) legacy lives on.Manny Ortiz Jr is greatly loved & will be greatly missed. A soul  that loved greatly, had so much to give, and so much left to give. Yet, we should also know, & find comfort that he loved the Lord, our God & would hope, that we take this opportunity to love God as He loves us and one another.

Michael John Barnett, 76, of Sun City, AZ passed away on January 17, 2024, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Michael was born on May 6, 1947, in Portland, Oregon to John and Helen Barnett.  He graduated from high school in Sandy, Oregon, and attended 1 year of college at Portland State. He then joined the Army, where he served in Vietnam as an officer and helicopter pilot. Michael spent a total of 14 years in the Army, the Reserves and the Army National Guard, exiting as a Major.  He retired from Roadway Trucking in 2002 and moved to Arizona to enjoy the area and to support his aging parents. In 2009 he met Valorie Everton, whom he married in 2011. He loved spending time with various close friends and family, engaging in the things he enjoyed (landscape photography, cooking, playing cards, home improvement projects) and loving and supporting his wife, Valorie.  He will be greatly missed by his wife, Valorie; children-Jon and wife Julie Michie; Kathryn and husband Nick Trevett, as well as his beloved grandchildren-Jacob Michie, Hannah Trevett and Tyler Trevett; his niece, Alissa Franko; niece and nephew, Chelsea and Keith Inglis; sister-in-law Georgia Franko and brother-in-law, Paul Franko; and friends-Ione Macker, Candace & Orville Salway, Betty and Chuck Schumm as well as many other lifetime friends.  Services have been scheduled for February 1st at 10am at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. 23029 N. Cave Creek Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85024  After the service we would like to invite everyone over to Val and Mike’s home for a light lunch. We hope you will join us and if so, please RSVP. 20312 N 110th Ln. Sun City AZ 85373 

Linda Ann Foster passed away peacefully at the age of 64 leaving behind her mother, Elaine, her daughter Jackie, her grandson Leonidas, her son Joshua, her brother Jamie, and her sisters Carolyn and Noel. She was born August 27, 1959 in Phoenix Arizona and spent all of her life in the area. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend. As a passionate animal lover, Linda also considered her dogs Sadie and Shiloh to be members of her family. She will be deeply missed.Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service on Friday, January 19, 2024 held at Menke's Sun City Room beginning at 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Mary B. O’Brien (née Ferguson), 84, of Sun City, AZ was called to rest on January 12, 2024.Mary was born March 6, 1939 to Raymond and Goldie Ferguson of Bald Knob, Arkansas. She graduated Moline High School, in Moline, IL in 1958. Mary was united in marriage to Don J. O’Brien of McMinnville, TN on April 22, 1961. She was a long-time resident of Moline, IL where she retired from John Deere Harvester as a General Supervisor. After retirement, Mary and Don moved between Moline, IL and Sun City, AZ where they enjoyed their retirement, golfing, traveling, and socializing.Those left to honor her memory include her two sons, Tom(Tracey) O’Brien of Moline, IL and Rob O’Brien of Kissimmee, FL, along with her grandchildren: Elizabeth “Jasmine”(Daniel) Carr and Matthew (Susan) O’Brien and great grandchildren: Keagan, Noah and Savannah, all of Moline, IL.Mary is also survived by her brother Larry (Kathy) Ferguson, Milan, IL and sisters Linda (Dwight) Duncan, Bradford, AR and Marcy Scholer, McKinney, TX.She is preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband Don, and siblings Louise, Dorothy, R.A. Annie, Jimmy and Donald.A private ceremony for the immediate family will be held at a later date. In lieu of a funeral service the family suggests you take your family to a favorite restaurant and enjoy some time together.

Mary Alice Campaigne, age 73, of Sun City, Arizona passed away on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Mary Alice was born September 15, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois. She was the only child to the late Franklin and Rosemary (Doyle) Campaigne. Mary Alice received her master’s in education while working full time in the Chicago Catholic School System as an elementary school teacher. After moving to Arizona, she continued teaching in the Arizona Charter Schools until she retired. She was a faithful member of St. Clement of Rome Catholic Parish. Mary Alice will be remembered fondly by her dearest friends.Those left to cherish her memory are her dear aunt Dolores (late Peter) Doyle; 10 loving cousins, Julie (Jerry) Green, Scott Conrad, Michael (Patricia) Conrad, Larry (Lei) Doyle, Therese (Glenn) Churan, Laura Doyle, Peter (Laura) Doyle, John Doyle, James (Lisa) Doyle and Patty (Kevin) Walsh. She was preceded in death by her loving parents, many caring aunts, uncles, and cousin, Stephen Doyle. A visitation will be held at Menke Funeral and Cremation Center on Thursday January 18th, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. A Funeral Mass will follow at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church, 15800 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City, AZ, beginning at 10:00 a.m. A Private interment will be held at a later date.  In lieu of Flowers, donations may be made in Mary Alice’s memory to The American Kidney Fund (kidneyfund.org/give)  

Irma R. Hardin peacefully passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2024, in Sun City, Arizona at the age of 91. She was born on December 29, 1932, to Andrew and Finita Gallagher in Decatur, Illinois.Irma attended Decatur High School in Decatur, Illinois and graduated in 1950. She then attended Tennessee Temple College in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Irma worked for the State of Arizona for 22 years and eventually retired as a Manager of Special Taxes and Unclaimed Property. She married her husband Marvin Hardin on October 23, 1953. Irma was a dedicated woman of faith and enjoyed singing in the Church Choir. She was a charter member of Faith Baptist Church in Decatur, IL, and a member of Faith Bible Church in Glendale, AZ. Irma was involved in the Christian Marriage Encounter. She enjoyed genealogy research and joined the West Valley Genealogical Society of Arizona. Irma will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.She leaves behind her children, Mark (Renee) Hardin, Lorraine (William) Fulks(Both Deceased), Doug Hardin, and Marva Myer-Ray; grandchildren, Travis (Joanna) Hardin, Tami (Joe) Shaw, Bradley (Drea) Hardin, Kyle (Andrea) Hardin, Chase Hardin(Jonathan), Dallas (Megan) Myers, Kelly Ray, David (Tanisha) Myers, and Rebecca (Matt) Ledbetter; six great grandchildren; siblings, Andrew Gallagher, and Kathy Bryant; her beloved sister-in-law, Dr. Marci Howard; as well as 15 wonderful nieces and nephews.Irma was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Finita Gallagher; and sisters, Alice Lee Gallagher, Patricia Sowa, and Carrie Malovich. 

 Youmie Cooper passed away at Banner Del Webb hospital due to complications following a heart attack. Youmie was born on September 4, 1959, in South Vietnam, to Lang Barclay.  Youmie married the love of her life Charles R. Cooper on 12/31/2006, at city hall in Surprise, AZ.  Youmie is survived by her husband Charles; her daughter Michelle; son John; niece Jaclyn (Patrick) Istilart and their 3 children of Virginia; sister-in-law Lee Anne Smeaton; sister-in-law Suzanne (Sung) Cha all from Arizona; sister-in-law Diane Cooper of Colorado.  

ERNEST W. GUSTAVSON OBITUARY On January 6th, 2024, Ernest Walter Gustavson passed away peacefully at his home in Surprise, Arizona, at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Juliet Baughn Gustavson. Along with his spouse, Ernest is survived by his son, Leif Gustavson (Kristen Yoder); and his daughter, Kirsten Gettings (Pete Gettings). Ernest had 4 grandchildren that fascinated and delighted him: Padgett and Flannery Gustavson; and Kiera and Aidan Gettings. He is also survived by his sister, Eleanor Holbein (Bill Holbein); stepsister Betsi Shays (Chris Shays); and stepbrother Bill deRaismes (Jill deRaismes). His older sister, Elaine Hart (Doug Hart), preceded Ernest in death.   Ernest, known as “Gus” by friends and “Ernie” by family, was born in Rye, New York, to Walter Leroy and Evelyn Dakin Gustavson. He lived in Rye through 1965. By the time he was 12, it was clear that Gus wanted to be an entrepreneur. He began his long career of creating different businesses by repairing and reselling small gas engines. Gus graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School. While there he played trumpet in the marching band. College took him up north to Cornell University, where he gave engineering a go before realizing that Agricultural Economics was a better fit. In 1967 He graduated with an MBA. Gus and Juliet married in 1965 while he attended Cornell. Upon graduating, he briefly dabbled in banking before entering the Navy during the Vietnam War. From 1967 to 1969 Gus served as a Supply Officer on the USS Radford destroyer - “Greyhound of the Pacific”. It was the oldest commissioned destroyer in the Navy at that time. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade with a deep and abiding love for being on terra firma. After serving, Gus worked with Cresap, McCormick & Paget as a mergers and acquisitions consultant. In 1976 he made the bold decision to move his family across the country to Mercer Island, Washington, to become a restaurant developer in both Washington State and Canada. Gus’s final move with Juliet was to Surprise, Arizona, in 2012, where they found a welcoming community in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Surprise. He loved their new home and sharing it with his children and grandchildren. Gus was passionate about conceptualizing, locating, building, and opening restaurants. He loved building things. He designed and built decorative bookshelves, inlaid sliding solid wood doors, and a doll house replete with trim work. He loved helping his children with their own house projects. Give him a project, and he was on it, channeling his architect grandfather. Driving with his kids across country to and from their colleges was a true joy. Later in life, he developed a delight in cooking and became the Sunday night chef, including doing the dishes. He was energized by trying out new recipes and shared tips and tricks with his children. For many years, he was on a mission to find the best tiramisu. His favorite meal: filet mignon and fennel au gratin, hold the vegetables. It always started with a JD on the rocks. Gus was fun and funny. He laughed easily, and friends and family laughed with him. He reveled in telling jokes. Most of them started with apologizing for the inappropriateness. Sudoku, crossword, and Jumble puzzles were an essential daily practice. A holdover from Navy days was ace-deuce, which he played with his children and grandchildren. Juliet and Gus had a fierce Scrabble weekend rivalry. Gus was a thoughtful and happy gift-giver. It gave him enormous pleasure to discover the perfect gift for someone. Gus phrases and advice which will live on include: “You get what you pay for;” “What you can conceive, you can achieve;” “Why pay less when you can pay more;” “Anything can be solved with the liberal application of funds.” When it came to stereo equipment, heft equaled quality.” With matters of importance, never discuss anything of importance after 9pm. When the family was leaving almost anywhere, you could trust that Gus would loudly announce, “And so we bid a fond farewell to….” It also was not uncommon for Gus to politely excuse himself from his own dinner party to go to bed, requesting that guests lock the door on the way out. In lieu of flowers or gifts, you can celebrate his life by giving to an organization that is meaningful to you. Celebration of Life information will be available. On this page. The family would would treasure your memories of Gus, Ernie, Dad, or Grandad…however you knew him. Please post them here.. And so we bid a fond farewell to a much-loved husband, father, Grandad, brother, uncle, and friend.

Irving Hadley Dennis (1926-2024)Irving Dennis lived a long and happy life—one that began in Leominster, Massachusetts in the Roaring Twenties and ended peacefully in the warmth and security of Royal Oaks in Sun City, Arizona. That life spanned a millennium and lasted nearly a century, and it was persistently blessed with prosperity and good fortune—the result not merely of Irv’s luck but his pluck.His first great moment of good fortune, and the pivot of his life, came in about 1949 when he met Jeanne Croteau, a nursing student at Fitchburg State, then a teachers’ college in north central Massachusetts. They would make a life together following their marriage in 1952, which lasted fifty-seven years, until Jeanne’s death in 2009. Boldly they embraced new opportunities, new jobs, a burgeoning family, and new destinations. Together they raised four children, beginning with the birth of Sandra in 1954 and Matthew in 1955. By 1956, they had relocated to Heidelberg, Germany, when Irv accepted a position as a scouting executive in Europe for the Boy Scouts of America, at a time following the Second World War when many military families remained deployed abroad. In Germany they welcomed Christopher in 1958, and after their return to the U.S. Martha in Philadelphia in 1960. Now a family of six (2 boys and 2 girls), Jeanne told Irv, “The score is tied and the game is over.” They declared victory.Before he met Jeanne, Irv grew up as a child of the Depression, never in want because of the hard work and resourcefulness of his parents Dorothy (Hadley) and Cyrus Irving Dennis, who worked various jobs, cultivated a vegetable garden, and found ways to squeeze extra money out of Dot’s famous baked beans and Cy’s apple cider, sometimes peddled door to door with a borrowed cart, with little Irving aboard, pulled by an ancient swaybacked horse.Smart and curious but not necessarily a dedicated student, Irv did fine in school and enjoyed playing hockey on frozen mill ponds in winter (his mother’s magazines stuffed into his knee socks for shinpads) and baseball, exploring woods and brook, and working odd jobs in summer, whenever possible tagging along with his Uncle Clifton on outings to Boston, to watch his favorite team, the Braves.Irv served in the Navy during the war, which ended as his ship was pushing down the East Coast headed for the Panama Canal on its way to the Pacific. Instead, he ended up ferrying victorious troops home from Europe and carrying replacements across the Atlantic, rotating into peacekeeping roles. He remained proud of his service as a Navy signalman, entitled to wear a red eagle, crossed flags, and red chevron on his right sleeve—that is, his was one of the exclusive “right arm rates” reserved for sailors in the Seaman’s Branch. Semaphore was a foreign language of flags, but he learned it well and could communicate with other ships at the rate of seventy words a minute.All that was a prelude to what Irv saw as real life, dating to his fateful match with Jeanne. After three years abroad, filled with adventure and travel and the challenges of babies and toddlers, they returned to the US and found their way to Havertown, Pennsylvania, on the Philadelphia Main Line, where Irv continued to work as a Scouting executive and then shifted into sales when he took a position with Firestone Tire and Rubber.He worked in plastics. As it turns out, Mr. Mcguire was right in his conversation with Benjamin in The Graduate (1967): “There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it.” Plastics were a modern invention, a petroleum byproduct that became the miracle (and perhaps curse) of the post-World War II modern world (not that we knew that then). Working in the Plastics Division, he sold film, fabric, and sheeting to buyers in the Deep South, travelling through that fraught terrain in his little company-issued Ford Falcon, which had a car radio only because Irv paid extra himself to have one installed. This was the early 1960s, and he encountered another world, a different, American world.From Firestone, he moved to Stauffer Chemical Company, which after a transfer took Irv and Jeanne and their children to Southern California in 1968, where they lived and prospered for two decades before making their way to Sun City, Arizona in the mid-1980s. Irving later managed the Southern California operation of Custom-Bilt Products, a window shade manufacturer, and then founded his own business selling and installing window coverings.Like their other relocations, going to Sun City was a bold move, and though Jeanne was initially skeptical, she agreed and together they found a new senior life there that exceeded all expectations—new friends, new activities, and a perfect venue for their civic and religious engagement, whether it was their church, its educational and charitable efforts, St. Vincent DePaul, or the local foodbank.While still in La Habra, California, Irv embraced a calling to become a deacon in the Catholic Church, which meant that Jeanne too threw herself into this course of study and preparation—it became her calling too. She excelled and became a constant sounding board, balance, and source of support, and they continued to work together through their decades in the desert.By then, their children successfully launched, and with grandchildren appearing, they enjoyed years that were almost literally golden. Irv, like the best of his generation, was a joiner. He was also a leader. He became a volunteer in the police auxiliary organization, the Posse, and rose to be its captain. And he continued to serve as a deacon—the beloved “Deacon Irv”—and touch people’s lives.Irv lived through turbulent times, but his life was never in turmoil. He was consistently optimistic, upbeat, energetic, a problem-solver—always the solution, never the problem. He got so much done because he cared so little about getting credit or personal recognition. Whatever the challenge, he found ways to prevail, through hard work, a moral compass that was always true, and the kiss of good luck. He always seemed to know the right way to do something—from putting on socks or mending a tear, to planting a tree or navigating congested highways and cityscapes, to finalizing a deal that benefited both parties. And he always did the right thing and showed others how to do it too, with honesty, humility, and integrity.His grandson once asked him, what was the favorite place he’d ever lived? He replied that he’d loved every place he lived and had no interest in ever living in any of those places again. Irv always looked forward without regret, as if standing on the bridge of a ship, pennants flapping, with the wind in his face.Irving Hadley Dennis died peacefully as he slept in the early morning of January 5, 2024. His beloved partner Jeanne predeceased him in 2009, as did his brother David; he is survived by his sister, Nancy Piermarini. He is also survived by his four children, Sandra Garber, Matthew Dennis (Elizabeth Reis), Christopher Dennis, and Martha Tuma; by his grandchildren, DJ Garber, Deborah Horn, and Karina Garber; Sam and Leah Reis-Dennis; Peter and Claire Dennis; and Elias and Christopher Tuma; as well as by his great-grandchildren, Caiden and Shilo Garber; Asa, Bowden, and Elara Horn; Cyrus and Roy Reis-Dennis; and Anderson and Archie Tuma, and Cairo Tuma.In lieu of flowers or other memorials, friends might donate their volunteer labor or monetary contributions, as they are able, to the local Foodbank.

Beloved father, Ronald Langer, 94, passed away Dec. 31, 2023, in Sun City, Ariz. Born in Jordan, Minn., to parents John and Hildegard Langer, Ronald married Marlys Kopesky in 1955, and together they raised four children near Excelsior, Minn., on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Ronald retired from an executive career in the wholesale food industry in 1989, and he and Marlys moved to Sun City in 1994. Ronald was preceded in death by his wife, parents and brother, Victor. He is survived by children Jill (Dave), Greg (Mary), Mark (Janine), and Jane (Mark); grandchildren Shane, Amanda (Galen), Kyle, Eric, and John; great-grandchildren Alice and Lily; and other extended family. Our thanks to the staff at the Royal Oaks Friendship House who provided our father with a loving, caring environment in his final years. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association.