Obituaries

Roberta Florence Moran, wife of James Moran, passed into eternal life on December 14, 2022, in Sun City, AZ, miles away from Jasper, MN, where she was born to her parents, Peter and Elizabeth DeSplinter. She entered into this family as the youngest member with a brother 14 years older (Leroy) and two sisters (Margaret and Marie) 12 and 10 years older than herself. Unlike her sister Margaret who had 13 children and her brother who had 10 children, Roberta was born into a different time than her siblings which enabled her to go to college and seek the excitement of life in a different way than child rearing as a parent. She ended up teaching science for 38 years and was known as an excellent teacher. From her youth, Roberta was drawn and dedicated to the spark of goodness in her fellow travelers. Roberta spread cheer and hope because she loved God and the people she encountered. She spent 19 years as a Franciscan sister and the rest of her life married to her husband for 50 years and as a widow for three years. Her nieces and nephews were one of her greatest joys in life along with friends she met in the various places she lived – Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Arizona. Survivors include brother-in-law Greg Moran, sisters-in-law Nancy and Shirley Moran, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Jim, her parents, brother LeRoy (Adaline) DeSplinter, sisters Margaret (Arthur) Bisson, Sister Petrine DeSplinter, brothers-in-law John and Tom Moran, sister-in-law Donna Moran, two nieces and a nephew. Roberta, along with her husband, will be buried in a niche at Sunland Memorial Cemetery in Sun City in a private ceremony on February 14, 2023. Thank you to all those who helped Roberta in any way give up her bodily life and continue on her spiritual journey. Funeral services will be held on February 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Phoenix.

On Saturday, December 10, 2022, Charles “Skeeter” Adamonis, loving husband and father of three children, left this earth at the age of 62. Charles was born on Earth Day, April 22nd in Fort Wayne, Indiana to John and Joan (Stanger) Adamonis. He received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Fort Wayne. On April 30th, 1980, he married his high school sweetheart Angela Sue Holloway. Their adventures led to Arizona where Charles served in the Air Force. He also wasted no time in earning his pilot’s license. He loved everything the desert offered; warmth, sunshine, no mosquitoes, and never ending golf courses. Angie and Skeeter later raised two daughters, Cheyenne and Sydney, and one son, Reese. Charles had a passion for golf, gardening and making people laugh. His pranks were well known and his love for repeating a joke until every person heard it were infamous! He was enthralled with anything golf related and you could always hear him saying “ok, I finally figured out the key to my swing”. Charles also was Mr. Fix It. There was rarely anything he couldn’t fix and loved designing new projects to implement himself. He was constantly scribbling away in his notebooks about his novel new ideas and inventions (usually golf related). His backyard paradise is evidence enough of his love for nature with various citrus, fruit trees, berry bushes and vegetables. His mom and grandma always kept a green escape in the backyard, and even while living in the middle of a dry desert, he found a way to continue this tradition. This little paradise was haven for himself, his family, and any other creature who stumbled upon this wonderful oasis. His dedication was not limited to his plants and family, but also to any job he took on. Charles worked for Sigma Bar-S as a Senior SAP ABAP Technical Systems Analyst for the past 8 years. His home office had everything he could have wanted – TEAMS to chat with his coworkers, a view of his yard, challenging and interesting work, and two round little pugs who would shadow him around the house. He provided both unwavering support and childish wonder to his family and friends, having the ability to make anything into a game or challenging debate. He will always be known as the life of the party and stories of his adventures will continue to be shared. Charles was preceded in death by his father, John, and his mother, Joan. He is survived by his wife Angela, his three children, Cheyenne [and Colin (Towne)], Sydney and Reese, and his brothers John (“Jasper”) and Kent (“Babe”) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. A funeral service will be held on January 5, 2023 at 2pm at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona (23029 North Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85024). In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted for a memorial brick at the Phoenix World Wildlife Zoo. Donations can be sent to the Adamonis Household.

With deepest sorrow, we announce the passing of James Christopher Tjon, beloved son, grandson, nephew and friend, after a long battle with a rare cancer. Through it all he never gave up the fight, and never lost hope that he would survive. From the moment he came into this world, James made it clear he would not be missed. He was boisterous, vibrant, smart, kind, and had a wicked sense of humor. He had a soft spot for animals from early on and seemed to be a magnet for them as well. James also had an amazing affinity for music, playing multiple instruments, listening to a wide variety of genres, and writing his own music for fun. He was a Lego-maniac from the time he was little and he continued creating and building up to the very end. He also was an avid gamer and had an extensive web of online friends, some of whom he met in person and turned into good friends. Growing up he always preferred being outdoors to being stuck inside. He loved swimming, hiking, camping, climbing a tree, going to the shooting range, or just enjoying being outside with friends and family. Being born and raised in the desert, he especially enjoyed a good rainstorm. Throughout his life, James always said that he was going into the military, specifically the Navy. At the end of high school he got an academic scholarship to NAU and decided to go that route first. And then the cancer diagnosis changed all his plans. In the last year James got a job as a civilian with the Phoenix police department and for the short time he was there, he loved it. He told us many times how much he enjoyed the work and how he felt like he finally had a purpose. Most importantly, he felt like he was part of the family and he was amazed at the amount of support he received in his final months from everyone there. Although James was only here for 21 years, he managed to brighten the lives of everyone who knew him. His humor, compassion, and joy will be sorely missed but his light will continue to shine in us all. As the line from a song from one of his favorite bands says “You only live forever in the lights you make” and James made a lot of lights. Good night, sir. James is survived by his parents, Christopher and Kelly Tjon of New River, AZ, his paternal grandparents Curtis and Mavis Tjon of MN, his maternal Papa and Mamoo, Dave and Bernie Newsum of AZ, aunts and uncles: Carmen of MA, Mandy of AZ, Stacey (Tom) of ND, and Jeremy (Tracey) of MN and too many friends to count. The memorial will be held on December 17th, 2022 at 11:00am at Peace Lutheran Church, 18265 North 89th Avenue, Peoria AZ. Please wear bright or happy colors, James was not a somber guy. In lieu of sending flowers, please consider donating to the Phoenix Police Department K-9 at https://phoenixpolicefoundation.org/donation-k-9. Please note in the "Write us a comment" field that the donation is in honor or memory of James Tjon.

Colleen McKenzie, 81, passed away peacefully 4 weeks after a cancer diagnosis in the care of her family and Hospice of the Valley. She will be missed deeply by all her family and friends. Colleen was born in Emery, Utah and moved to Arizona with her husband and family in 1965. In her early life, Colleen was a thespian and beautiful singer, winning a number of awards for her talents. She was also an accomplished and brilliant artist graduating with an Associate in Arts degree and won many first-place awards in Arizona art shows. Colleen was loving wife and mother, cherished grandmother and precious great- grandmother. She was a devoted Christian, homemaker, and worked part time as an aid to children with disabilities. She loved traveling to visit family out of state, musicals, coffee, ice cream and spending time with family and friends. Proceeding Colleen in death were her parents Jorgen and Oleva Olsen, sisters Leah Olsen, Fawn Hersh (Ezra) and Idonna Anderson (Lamar), and husband David McKenzie (2013). Those left to cherish her memory: children, Tammy McKenzie-Giblin (David), Donald McKenzie, grandchildren, Joshua Giblin (Danielle Shilling), Hannah Boehm (Patrick), great-grandchildren Holden and Ryden Giblin, many nieces and nephews in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, and Texas. Colleen’s wishes were in lieu of flowers or a funeral to ask everyone to please donate to any food bank or food pantry. To leave condolences, please visit www.menkefuneralhome.com

JOAN NAOMI WAGNER OBITUARY August 13, 1938 to December 7, 2022 Joan Naomi Wagner was born on August 13th, 1938, in Pittsburgh, PA, to Naomi and George Tatzer of Wilkinsburg, PA. She crossed over on Thursday, December 7th, 2022, at age 84. She was preceded just years earlier by her beloved husband of 41 years, Robert G. Wagner Sr. (Bob). Joan graduated high school in Pittsburgh, PA 1955/1956 and married her first husband, Barry Grove (d.2013) with whom she had 3 children: Wade, Karen, and Janet. Right after getting married, they moved to her favorite city, San Diego, where Wade and Karen were born. Soon Barry was transferred with his work to Concord, MA where Janet was born and then to Verona, NJ before landing in Boulder, CO in 1969. After Joan and Barry divorced in 1973, she began working at Safeway as a cashier. This is where she met Bob Wagner, Sr working as an assistant produce manager. During her career at Safeway Joan received many employee awards and had newspaper articles written about her and how much she was loved by the community. At one point the community threatened to boycott the Safeway store if they laid Joan off during an economic downturn. Everyone that met her felt instantly like friends. If you knew her a few minutes more, you were best friends. Joan and Bob married in 1977 and the new family included Bob’s sons from his previous marriage, Robert Jr., and Rodney (d.1999). Bob and Joan moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1985 to escape the freezing snow and were together 41 years until Bob’s passing in 2018. With a sad heart followed by the mandated isolation, Joan’s health began to decline. Joan was a devoted mother who would do anything for her kids! She also loved her puppy dogs so much that she often referred to them as her kids too, so Reggie, Rocco, and Peanut earn mention as part of the family. She absolutely loved all the holidays and would “do them up” with decorations and celebrations that included so many friends and neighbors. That love of celebrating transferred to her service at Lakeview United Methodist Church. Joan and Bob joined Lakeview when they retired and moved to Sun City. I remember years of having to “schedule” time with mom because she was so busy with church events. And she loved every minute of it. I was surprised at what all she and Bob had taken and on and how good they were at it. I know she is missed. Joan is survived by her loving family Wade Grove and his wife, Crystal in Colorado; Janet Craven and her husband Bradley in Sun City West; Karen Grove in Scottsdale; and Robert Wagner Jr. and his wife Eulene in Colorado. She has 9 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren with one more on the way. We all will remember her saying, as she blows kisses and smiles that charming smile, “I love you more!” We love you more too, Joan! A memorial service will be held January 28th, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Lakeview United Methodist Church. Please RSVP to jscraven2@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the guest list.

Martin (Marty) Schwab passed away peacefully at his home with his wife of 58 years by his side on December 6th, 2022. He was born in New York. Marty leaves behind his wife Bobbie Schwab, sister Brenda Heller, three sons Kenneth Schwab, Lee Schwab and Neil Schwab, daughter-in-law Stephanie Schwab, two grandsons Joshua Schwab and Nathan Smith and great-granddaughter Kathleen Smith. Marty served honorably in the US Navy aboard the USS Miller, USS John Hood, USS The Sullivans, USS John R. Pierce and completed his career as a Naval Recruiter in Phoenix, AZ. Services to be held 2PM on December 13th, 2022 at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. 23029 N Cave Creek Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85024. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Moon Valley High School NJROTC, 3625 W Cactus Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85029.

On December 4, 2022, Charles Roger Simpson of Surprise, Arizona passed away surrounded by family. Roger was born on August 4, 1937, in Phoenix, Arizona. A lifelong and native Arizonan, he graduated from West High and obtained bachelor’s and master’s Degrees in Education from Arizona State University. He served in the Korean War as a member of the United States Air Force. He served as an educator in the Alhambra School District for over 25 years. He served as a member of the Alhambra Credit Union Board for many years including several years as president. One of Roger’s many loves in life was Track and Field, he was involved in coaching for over 30 years and served several years as president of the Arizona Amateur Athletic Union. As an avid outdoorsman, he hunted and fished throughout the entire State and passed that love of the outdoors to his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. As a skilled craftsman and woodworker, one of his proudest accomplishments was building his family’s home in White Tanks from the ground up. He also was part of many other renovations and projects for friends and family including the building of several friends’ houses. Preceded in death by his father, Robert E. Simpson, his mother, Geraldine O. McCally, and son James. He is survived by his wife of over 64 years Shirley, his children Robert (Carol) of Chambersburg, PA; Kathryn (Michael) of Lexington, SC, and Stephen (Carol) of Peoria, AZ as well as 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Services will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Sun City, 12225 N 103rd Ave Sun City, AZ 85351 at 10:00am, Saturday, December 17, 2022. Flowers may be sent to Menke Funeral home at 12420 N 103rd Ave, Sun City, AZ 85351 and the family asks for any memorial donations to go to SARRC (Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center).

"There are some who bring light so great to the world that even after they are gone, the light remains." Christian Kevin Vega was born on January 11, 2004, to Stephanie and Clemente (Richard) Vega. Nearly two months early, Christian bounded into the world amid the immediate and infinite love of his immediate and extended family. From the beginning, Christian was his family's littlest but mightiest warrior, continuously conquering formidable odds. Despite numerous surgeries and sometimes challenging recoveries, his light shone brightly, never wavering. After having endeavored for nearly 19 years in the manner similar to his arrival, his departure was equally sudden and without warning . On Saturday, December 3, in the place most familiar to him, his home, Christian quietly let go, his part in his family's story now over. Known for his infectious smile and cheerful demeanor, Christian exemplified the best of human resilience, and his spirit humbled all who knew him. Christian's impact and the lives he touched are a testament to his legacy and lasting, eternal light. Christian's memory will forever be cherished by his parents, Stephanie and Richard Vega; brother, O'Connir Vega; his (maternal) grandmother, Sondra Moore, and (paternal) grandparents, Violeta and Jose Vega; great-grandmother, Elvira Vega, and great-grandparents, Jesusa and Armando Rubal, as well as many cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, and classmates.

Woodrow S. Helfrich, age 85 died Nov. 30, 2022, in Sun City, AZ. He was born May 2, 1937, in Lehigh County, PA to Stewart and Helen Helfrich. He attended Parkland High School and Catawba College in Salisbury, NC. He participated in basketball programs at both high school and college. He married Mary Rahn in 1958 and they had 2 sons Mark and Jess. He began his teaching career in 1959 at Parkland High School and retired from education in 1997. They moved to Park Rapids, MN in 1999, and during his retirement Woodrow spent summers in Minnesota and winters in Arizona. Woodrow is survived by his wife Mary and sons Mark and Jess, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Family services will be held in Minnesota in the spring.

On November 26th, 2022, Ronald James Zomok took his last breath. He walked many long and hard roads in his 85 years and the last six were some of the toughest as he experienced the progression of dementia. He could identify something was wrong but he couldn’t express what it was. For those of you who had the opportunity to know him, you know he had the look that could scare even the toughest of men, yet saw the softness in how he truly cared for others. He had an unbelievable work ethic and rarely sat still until his last few days. He was a jokester and had a wicked sense of humor, he played many jokes over the years. Ronald was born December 12, 1937 in Pittsburgh, PA. He served his country for more than 20 years in the United States Navy as a submariner, after retiring he went to work for Marathon Steel and then for the City of Glendale street repair where he retired a second time. He was a talented cartoon artist having some of his work published and his painted Christmas windows were enjoyed by many throughout the years. He loved to travel, go on cruises, square dance and do anything that let him and the love of his life his wife of 62 years spend quality time together. He is survived by his wife Marilou (Kratzenberg) his children Bud his wife Lorraine, Rhonda (Nolan) her husband George, his Grandson’s Joshua his wife Danielle, Vincent his fiancé Erika, and Great Grandchildren Averie, Aisley and Colt. He is also survived by his older sister Theresa. He is preceded in death by his mother Emma, his father James, and twin great grandsons Bennett and Ford. Ronald leaves behind many people who loved him and who had experienced his generosity. A funeral mass will be held Tuesday Dec. 20, 2022 at 10:00am: St. Joachim and St. Anne Parish 11625 N. 111th Ave. Sun City, AZ 85351 In lieu of flowers, we ask you donate to the Dementia Foundation or St Vincent De Paul

Joe Macias was born and raised in Glendale, Arizona. He was one of 10 children born to Joe and Mildred Macias. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School, then went to work at a young age to help support the family. He spent many years working along side his father as a truck driver for a California produce company. There he met his wife, Irma. Together they raised 6 children and enjoyed 8 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Joe is survived by his wife of 56 years, Irma Macias; children Jesse (Pamela) Teran, Ralph Teran, Joey Macias, Gina (Gonzalo) Euzarraga and Fred Macias. Joe had an infinite love for family. He was a loyal friend to people of all ages and a mentor to many. He was one of a kind. There was never such thing as a stranger to him. Everyone was a friend, family member, or acquaintance. He will be greatly missed, but we know he has reunited with his younger daughter, Debbie, who proceeded him in death just one year ago after losing her battle to cancer on November 30, 2021.

In Memoriam George Jackson Moore March 24, 1931 – November20, 2022 In Loving Memory of a man loved by all; A faithful Soldier on horseback now hears the call; His journey complete, now at his Savior’s feet; His chin quivering as he bows his head, welcome home faithful Servant, our Lord said; Gone from this World he’s now made whole; Hearing aides, glasses, no Walker or Cane, he’s perfect once again, maybe even hair, people won’t know him up there; Ridin’ down those pearly streets hopeful Stormy to meet; Lookin’ for Mavis, Opal, his son Keith, Bill, Al and Marty to greet; To share a Capaccino and Cheesecake once a week; He gallops faster, he pauses, Co Co and Pokey he did find; His horses went to heaven, not left behind; To “God be the Glory” will be our song; Praise to our Father the life now gone; As we look to the heavens, we see his last ride, beyond the Sunset, into Paradise. By “Kat” Kathy A Loving Daughter Internment National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona 23029 Cave Creek Rd. Phoenix. Arizona November 29, 2020 10:30 a.m. – Graveside No Flowers Please – Donation to Alzheimer’s Association in Memory of George Jackson Moore Isaiah 40:31 “…But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary’ and they shall walk, and not faint…”