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Kim Lee Nelson
On July 26, 2011, Kim Lee Nelson passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones after a short battle with cancer.
Kim was born in Seoul, Korea on March 19, 1959, preceded in death by his mother, Diane Nelson, and survived by his daughter, Jordan Diane Nelson (18 years), and her mother, Yvette Hoffman; his father, Raymond ‘Pop’ Nelson; and his three brothers, Scott, Craig and Clay.
A memorial service was held at the LDS chapel, 15507 E. Bainbridge Ave., on Saturday, July 30.
The family asks that contributions be made to the Kim Nelson Memorial Account in lieu of flowers. Contact Desert Schools Credit Union for account information.
Kim was a collector of many things interesting and beautiful. He loved the outdoors. He owned multiple businesses in life. He was known for his service to others, and his honesty and integrity.
He will be sorely missed.
Marian Nichols
Marian Joyce Nichols (Brown), 72, of Fountain Hills died peacefully Sunday, July 31, 2011.
The world was blessed with her arrival on Sunday, Feb. 19, 1939 in Mt. Vernon, Ill. to James and Martha (Bayne) Brown.
She is survived by her twin daughters, Marty (Nichols) Brierley of Castle Rock, Colo. and Tracy Nichols of Highlands Ranch, Colo.
In addition to her girls, she is survived by her enduring companion, Bruce Holub (‘BA’) of Fountain Hills; her son-in-law, Patrick Joseph Brierley; grand dog, ‘Rocky,’ both of Castle Rock, Colo.; and her brother, (James) Steven Brown, of Mt. Vernon, Ill.
Marian graduated from Mt. Vernon Township High School, class of ’56, where she was a member of The National Honor Society and the Honor Roll as well as a candidate for the prom queen court.
She married Bob Nichols soon after and they moved west to Denver, Colo. where she was an executive secretary for the president of Amoco Oil. After retiring to raise her children, she lived life to the fullest and without regret. ‘Mar’ (as she was fondly known) was a fantastic cook, interior decorator, avid crossword puzzle worker, party planner extraordinaire and hostess with the “mostess.”
With such a beautiful face, smile, laugh and spirit, Heaven is definitely receiving a rare, sparkling gem for sure. She will be greatly missed by all her family and wonderful friends nationwide from Mt. Vernon to Denver to sunny Arizona. To know ‘Mar’ was to love ‘Mar.’
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at Messinger Mortuary, 12065 N. Saguaro Blvd. in Fountain Hills. A reception will immediately follow at the home of dear friends Nancy and Chuck Stevens.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (www.ocrf.org) or to the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org).
Her daughters, Marty and Tracy, along with ‘BA,’ would also like to give special recognition to the wonderful caregivers at Hospice of the Valley.
Susan Arndt
Susan Arndt, 72, of Fountain Hills, previously of Mendota Heights, Minn., was born Dec. 1, 1939, and died June 11, 2012.
She is survived by her loving, dedicated husband, Richard Arndt, with whom she shared 50 years of marriage.
She is also survived by three children: Jennifer Arndt Jones (Ronald) of Edina, Minn., Jeffrey Arndt (Angela) of Manchester, Mo. and Steven Arndt (Shannon) of Eagan, Minn. She adored her five grandchildren, Jonathan Jones, Thomas and Rachel Arndt, Melanie and Lindsey Arndt.
She is also survived by sisters, Nona Drews of Wisconsin Rapids and Lynn Johnson of Madison, Wis.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Leo and Rhea Neitzel.
Susan was a 21-year survivor of breast cancer and never gave up on life. She courageously lived through more than 10 years of dementia.
Funeral services were held June 14 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Fountain Hills. Interment is at Fort Snelling cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.
Memorials are preferred to the American Cancer Society and Susan’s alma mater, Concordia University-St. Paul.
Messinger Fountain Hills Mortuary has been entrusted to handle funeral arrangements.
Robert G. Brown
Robert Brown passed away in Albuquerque, N.M. on June 10, 2012, after several years of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
He was born in 1923 in Kansas City, Mo. and was 88 years old. He was the son of Robert Albert Brown and Gladys Gwinn Brown. He married Elizabeth Jane Endter in N.J. in 1946, and they were married for 66 years.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a naval aviator and a flight instructor in Pensacola, Fla.
He retired from a full career as an oil company executive with Standard Oil of California (Chevron), during which he lived in New Jersey, Paris, France, Geneva, Switzerland, Tiburon, Calif. and Hollywood, Fla. He later was vice president of Universal Petroleum Co. in Bermuda.
Bob enjoyed most of his retirement years in Fountain Hills. He and his wife moved to Albuquerque in 2010.
He is survived by his wife, Betty; his three children, Robyn Hoffman of Tijeras, N.M., Robert G. Brown Jr. of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Wendy Giardina of Rheinfelden, Switzerland. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and a niece and a nephew.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 21, at Mountainside United Methodist Church, 4 Penny Lane, Cedar Crest, N.M.
Visit the online guestbook for further details about Robert G. Brown’s life at www.remembertheirstory.com
Raymond Coccioli
Raymond Peter Coccioli, 79, passed away peacefully at home in Fountain Hills in the early hours of the morning of June 15, 2012, surrounded by his loving and devoted wife of 31 years, Joan (DeRose), and his family.
Ray was born on Dec. 2, 1932 in West New York, N.J. to his beloved mother, Irene Mossina, and his father, Americo Coccioli, both predeceased. Prior to moving to Arizona Ray and Joan were lifelong residents of Bergen County N.J.
He is survived by his wife, Joan; daughter, Andrea Scola of New York, N.Y.; step daughter, Gina DiBiasi of Scottsdale; step son, Raymond Scola; grandchildren, Alex, Michael and Anastasia of Scottsdale; brother and sister-in-law, Martin Buccolo and Caryn Bienstock of Rowayton, Conn.; sister and brother-in-law, Joyce and Kenny Bruner of Greenwood Lake, N.Y.; cousin, Diane (Bianchi) Adams of New Milford, N.J.; uncle, Charles Bianchi of Teaneck; and nephews, Jeremy and Jesse Buccolo of Rowayton, Conn.
Ray served in the United States Army from 1949-52 as part of the 33rd Infantry platoon stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. In the service he was a decorated marksman and a weapons expert, a lifelong interest he pursued as a competitive and respected trap, skeet, and sporting clay shooter.
A skilled and talented tradesman and tile contractor, Ray was an entrepreneur who ran his own successful business for over 58 years. He had a passion for dance, and along with his wife, Joan, was a graceful and accomplished ballroom dancer.
Ray had a natural gift for people -- he was a beautiful, joyful person who touched the lives of so many. He loved people. He loved the company of his friends. He had an enduring commitment to his family and had a great capacity for love, which he gave freely.
His warm smile will be remembered and missed by all who knew him, and his love will remain with each of us.
A memorial service will be announced.
Jimmy B. Furlow
Jimmy Bruce Furlow, 63, of Fountain Hills passed away on June 12, 2012.
Jimmy served during the Viet Nam Conflict with the 173rd Airborne. During the fall of 1969 he was wounded in combat, which resulted in the loss of both legs. He was honorably discharged in September of 1970.
Jimmy went on to become a school teacher for Hendricks Junior High, Mesa Public School District, and in 1998 was awarded the USA Today All Star Teacher award.
Jimmy retired from teaching in 2010 and will be remembered fondly by his students and colleagues.
Jimmy is survived by his wife, Ruth; and two sons, Jeremy and Joshua.
A service was held June 19 at the Woodbine Hickory Chapel, in Nashville, Tenn. Jimmy will be laid to rest at the Middle Tennessee Veterans cemetery in Nashville.
Dennis Johnson
Dennis M. Johnson, 85, passed away June 18, 2012 in Scottsdale. He was born in Elbow Lake, Minnesota Sept. 24, 1926.
He is survived by his wife, Olga Johnson; daughters, Valerie McGrath (Joe), Debra Kennedy and Lori Beard (Len); and a son, Mark Johnson (Mary), 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Friday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at The Fountain Hills Christian Center, 16239 Ironwood Dr., Fountain Hills.
Final interment will be The National cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.
Arrangements entrusted to Messinger Fountain Hills Mortuary.
Frankie J. Arceo
Frankie “Doc” J. Arceo, born on Sinajana, Guam on November 25, 1947, was lifted up to our Lord on Friday, March 8, 2013.
“Doc” was known throughout the Fountain Hills community (Town Center Crossings) for being a true social butterfly at heart, always making new conversations and friends. He enjoyed taking his dog Debo to the dog park on a regular basis. Doc was also known for his witty sense of humor; always knowing how to put a smile on everyone’s face.
He is survived by his son, SFC U.S. Army Frank James Cruz; daughter-in-law, Gloria Louis Cruz and granddaughter, Giuliana Marie Cruz; sisters, Sally (Jesus) Castro of Winter Haven, Fla.; Jane Moody of Montgomery, Ala. and Alice Arceo of Guam; brothers, Rudy (Melva) Arceo of Babson Park, Fla., Charles Arceo of Guam, Richard Arceo of Riverside, Calif., Michael (Del) Arceo of Orange County, Calif. and Daryl Arceo of Allentown, Pa. Also surviving are multiple nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews; extended family, Balbin family, Smith family, Sarmiento family and Balbin-Adams family.
He was preceded in death by this loving wife, Marie Bernadita Cruz; parents Jose Flores Arceo and Antonia Leon Guerrero Arceo; and siblings, Tommy J. Arceo and Patsy Marie Arceo.
Bob Burns
Bob Burns Junior, born July 10, 1922, to Elizabeth Fisher and Bob Burns Senior, passed away on Nov. 12, 2012.
His father, Bob Senior, who was an early film and radio star, appeared weekly on the Bing Crosby show, where he played his invention, the Bazooka, (for which the army weapon was named), and regaled his audience with his folksy tales of Arkansas characters.
Bob Junior lived life to the fullest and filled his days with adventure, curiosity, and kindness. He marveled that his hearing survived his early childhood crib, placed in the center of the carousel of his parent’s traveling carnival.
He lived through the depression (“Add cream and sugar to your coffee in restaurants, because you get more”), and through times of great wealth. He was a gymnast, jumped horses, participated in Gymkana races, flew his own plane, and faceted gemstones for the fun of it.
Bob attended Washington State University and enrolled at UCLA, planning to be a doctor, but was captured by the lure of stagecraft. He became the stage manager of UCLA’s Royce Hall, where he met noted character actress, Naomi Stevens, his loving wife of 64 years. Together they traveled the world, following Naomi’s film projects.
In the intervening periods, Bob was a restless learner. He performed more than 100 different types of jobs in his long working career, but most notably, he was one of Disney's ‘imagineers’ --creating the firefly lighting for the Pirates ride, the model of the Disney World castle, and early lighting effects for Space Mountain, Small World, and the Haunted Mansion. He also worked in the graphic arts department at CBS.
Other interests included aircraft manufacturing, machining, electronics, computers, desktop publishing, photography, and all arts.
He took up wood carving in retirement, enthralling all with his creative mobiles of butterflies, fairies, fish, and his animated, musical carousel.
Bob had a sardonic wit that appeared in his many creations and writings, but he was also a dedicated humanitarian and public servant.
He was a disaster volunteer, using his ham radio to patch connections throughout his life with his call ID N6ZH, a volunteer with the Tree People, and with the LAPD. He went around the world to disaster sites for the Red Cross, helping to set up computer communications in the earliest days of the personal computer.
While helping Tree People volunteers during a Los Angeles mudslide, Bob rescued a wet and shivering dog he named ‘Storm.’ Storm turned out to be a sweet and beautiful mother and produced ‘Lightning’ and ‘Thunder.’ Thunder went on to a home with Madonna and Sean Penn. Lightning would delight Bob by chasing lights. Bob was an excellent and patient trainer. Bob and Naomi’s homes were always filled with well-loved pets.
Bob is survived by his son, Jon, his wife, Naomi, daughter-in-law, Janet, one brother, and many nieces, nephews, and progeny of the other half of the Burns family.
Bob’s uncle Farrar and wife, June (a noted author), settled in beautiful Puget Sound and have many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Bob’s family is particularly grateful for the help of Bob’s best friend and teaching partner, Carol Johnson. She was by his side through 10 of his last retirement years in Fountain Hills, where he taught computer skills to seniors.
Bob’s interest in medicine led him to choose Science Care, an anatomical donation site, so that he could continue to serve others through physician training.
We were all so lucky to have had Bob in our lives. He was a brilliant and extraordinary man, who lives on in our hearts and memories. Naomi, his wife, says he always felt women were his equal, therefore far ahead of his time and the best husband anyone could ever hope for.
The family and his wife, Naomi Stevens, welcome stories and remembrances from those who knew Bob. These can be sent to Burns, P.O. Box 895, Topanga, CA 90290.
Gerald T. Herling
Gerald T. Herling (Jerry) was born in Chicago, Ill., March 16, 1931 to George H. and Helen (McCann) Herling where he joined four siblings, Joyce, George Jr., Richard and Marion.
The family moved to Madison, Wis. in 1932. Jerry graduated from Blessed Sacrament grade school in 1946 and from Wisconsin High School in Madison in 1950.
While in high school, Jerry was honored by receiving a Regents Scholarship for his freshmen year at the University of Wisconsin. Further honors came to Jerry when he was selected first team all-city quarterback in football. Jerry enlisted in the Navy when the Korean War broke out and served from 1951 until 1955.
After discharge from the service, Jerry went back to school and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1959. He taught in the Horicon Public School system for four years. He then sold insurance for American Family Insurance for one year.
Finally he settled down and joined the John Deere Horicon Works for a 22-year career in management of production manufacturing. He retired in 1986 at the age of 55 and started his own consulting company, MCR (Manufacturing Cost Reduction) where he worked with a number of companies including a 10-year relationship with Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Co.
Jerry was president and served on the board of directors at the Horicon Rock River Hills Golf Club for several years. He was president of the Dodge County Cancer Society and has currently been very active in the American Legion Post 58 in Fountain Hills, serving on the executive board.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jayne (Heckman); a son, Steven (special friend Kerry) of Watertown; one granddaughter; a sister, Marion Jensen; brother-in-law, Wade Jensen; sister-in-law, Kay Herling; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Legion Post 58, Fountain Hills, American Legion Post 157 in Horicon, Wis., Zion Lutheran Church in Horicon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Fountain Hills, or a charity of your choice.
Cynthia ‘Diann’ Hood
We lost a gem – Diann was born April 26, 1951 in Eupora, Miss.
She lived in Washington, California, Mississippi and Arizona for the past couple of decades.
She is survived by a daughter, Rachael Richardson; a son, Mike Griffin; and her two sisters, Rita and Becki. And, of course, by many friends.
Diann was kind to everyone and always there to bring a smile. It may have been a practical joke you weren’t expecting, but the smile always came. One would be hard pressed to find a person who had a bad word to say about her.
Diann took a bad fall a few weeks ago and sustained a major brain injury; she fought it valiantly but it still got the best of her.
She will be sorely missed by all.
Friends and family will meet at The Alamo Saloon off Saguaro Blvd. in Fountain Hills at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, to honor Diann and share stories.
All who knew her are welcome to attend.
