CARRILLO, MARIA JOAQUINA
Maria Joaquina Carrillo, 45, of Avondale, passed away February 11, 2012 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. She was born December 17, 1966 in Durango, Mexico to Jose Maciel and Maria del Refugio Bailon. She was married to her husband Jorge in 1984 and they had three daughters, for whom she was a full time homemaker.
Maria Joaquina is survived by her husband Jorge Carrillo; her daughters Mayra, Mariel and Ileana Carrillo, her father Jose Maciel; her sisters Mari, Sol, and Cuqui; her brothers Facundo, Pepe, and Merce; and 3 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her mother, Maria del Refugio Bailon.
Visitation for Maria Joaquina will take place Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:00am at Thompson’s Valley West Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85338. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Avondale, AZ.
COLLINS, FLORENCE “JEAN”
Florence “Jean” Collins, 77, of Avondale died February 9, 2012 in Avondale. She was born February 2, 1935 in Iowa City, IA to Lawrence and Florence Brandos. Jean is survived by her husband, Charles T. Collins Jr.; daughters Mary Elizabeth Davis, Visctoria Ann Reed, and Teresa Jean Atkinson; sons Charles T. Collins III and David Lawrence Collins; sister Lila Garcia; brother Ted Brandos; 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Jean is Thursday, February 16 from 6 to 8pm with a rosary at 7pm. Mass for Jean is Friday morning, February 17 at 10am at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 10045 W. Thomas Rd., Avondale, AZ with burial to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Avondale.
DAVIS, MELTON
Melton Davis, 77, went home to be with the Lord on February 12, 2012 after just recently moving from Detroit, MI to Avondale, AZ. He was born January 28, 1935 in Columbus, AL to Jefferson and Mattie Lou Davis. Mr. Davis had moved to Arizona 12 days prior to his passing in hopes of renewing his health.
Mr. Davis is survived by his daughter Stacey Davis; sons Gary, Gerald, and Tyron Davis; his sister Lucille Mitchell; and grandchildren Jernell Lee, Adrian Coats, Kelsey and Jordan Davis, D’vron Davis, and Cquan Clark.
Early, George
George Early passed away Saturday January 28, 2012. He was born August 13, 1933 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Parents Arthur Early & Florence Gravatt Early. Memorial Service in Seal Beach, CA Tuesday February 7th at 6:00pm with burial service at Resthaven Cemetery in Glendale, AZ Friday February 10th at 2:00pm. Mr. Early was preceded in death by his son Greg Early on May 31, 2010. He is survived by his sister, Verda (Harvey) Quackenbush; daughters, Leslie Spencer and Bonnie Simone; son, Scott Early; and grandchildren, Erice and Rudy Simone. CA connection: son Scott 612-309-6476 or scott.early@yahoo.com or AZ connection: sister Verda 623-935-3313 or hquackenbush1@cox.net
Garcia, Maxey
Maxey Luper Garcia 89 yrs old, of Buckeye, AZ left on his peaceful journey February 21, 2012 at 7pm at home with his girls in Buckeye. He was born in Glorieta, New Mexico on September 21, 1922 to Nestor Garcia Sr. and Nicolasa Lujan.
He was a life time member of the D.A.V and V.F.W.
He served in WWII in the Battle of The Bulge in Europe under General Patton. He received a purple heart and medals of honor for his sacrifice in that war. When retired from the Army he joined the Air force and was honorably discharged from both branches. He is Our Hero, an amazing man with a wonderful heart and he will always be Loved and Missed.
He is survived by his daughters Marguritte L. Garcia, Monica Ochoa, Jessica Garcia Ochoa, Gracie Verduzco, Lisa Womble;
his sons Max Jr and Roldulfo Garcia; sisters Ruth Medows, Jenny Baker, Frances Routhine, 20+ grandchildren and 20+ great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Mr. Garcia is Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 10am at Thompson’s Valley West Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85338. The military service will take place at 12pm, also at Thompson’s.
GOFF, DIANE L
born March 5, 1947 in Detroit, MI died January, 29, 2012 after a 2 year battle with cancer. Diane graduated from St. Joseph’s Nursing School in Flint, MI in 1968 after which she spent 2 years in the US Army including 1 year as an Army nurse in Vietnam. She received her B.S. degree from NAU in Education and a Masters degree from Ottawa University in Human Resources. She worked 28 years at Maryvale Hospital in Phoenix, AZ as a nurse, educator and finally Director of Education. Since 1991 she has proudly been Director of Education at Arrowhead Hospital in Glendale, AZ. She was a member of Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
She is survived by her husband of 28 years, Michael; father, Thomas McLaren; brothers, Terry (Patricia) McLaren, Donald (Dorothy) McLaren, Tim (Becky) Murphy, Thomas (Tami) McLaren, James (Kim) McLaren and sisters Susan (Al) Burian and Kathy Murphy. She was also a fantastic aunt to over 65 nieces , nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews including Phoenix niece Natalee Goff Jaquays and grand niece Riley. She loved them all greatly. Diane was an excellent craftsperson and crocheted many afghans and made custom bridal veils for 6 nieces.
A visitation will take place Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 5pm to 8pm at Thompson’s Valley West Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd. in Goodyear. Mass will take place on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10am at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 13720 W. Thomas Rd. in Avondale with graveside services to follow at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St. Phoenix, AZ 85014.
Granado, Alicia
Alicia Losada Granado, 55, of Glendale, formerly of Avondale, passed away February 25, 2012 in Glendale, AZ. She was born January 24, 1957 in Eloy, AZ to Salvador and Romana Granado. She lived in Arizona for most of her life. She is survived by her daughters Mary Christina, Roxanne Cathey, Jessica Tristan, and Noreen Merritt along with many grandchildren and other loving family members.
Services will take place on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at Thompson’s Valley West Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85338. The visitation begins at 4:00pm and the service starts at 6:00pm.
Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery in Avondale, AZ.
Helton, Linda
Linda F. Helton, 64, of Goodyear, Arizona passed away on Sunday February 12, 2012 at Odyssey Hospice in Peoria, Arizona. Linda was born September 5, 1947 in Gainesville, Georgia to Alvin and Mary (Grant) Helton. Linda moved to Arizona in 1996. Linda was active in the Christian community.
Linda is survived by her sister, Elizabeth Cantrell (Charles); two brothers, James (Ruby), and Ray (Jackie).
There will be an open house celebrating Lindas’ life February 23, 2012 at Ray’s home from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.
Kepler, Margaret Gail
Margaret Gail Kepler, 73, of Buckeye and Sun City, passed away February 25, 2012 in Goodyear. She was born November 22, 1938 in Cando, ND to Manson and Margaret Rader. She grew up in Cando, ND. She moved to Arizona in 1965. She worked for Eldon Towner as a legal secretary until he retired and then went to work with APS. She was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Avondale, AZ. She loved to spend time with her grandkids and take them to the mall.
She is survived by her daughter Pam Middleton, her sons Mike and Brad Kepler, her brother Robert Rader, 3 granddaughters Amy Blaylock, Chelsea Middleton and Danielle Wilson, and 5 great grandchildren.
Visitation and Mass for Gail will be on Friday, March 2, 2012. The visitation will take place at Thompson’s Valley West Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85338 at 8:00am Friday morning, with the Rosary to be recited at 8:30am. A procession will then take us from the funeral home to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Avondale, AZ, where mass will be celebrated at 10:00am. Burial will be private later in the day for the family at Holy Cross Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the mass for all to attend with the family, at St. Clair Hall on the grounds of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Kunze, Walter
Walter Alfred Kunze, passed away at the age 73 on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, surrounded by his loved ones at West Valley Hospital in Goodyear, Arizona. Walter was a devoted husband, loving father, caring brother, beloved grandfather and uncle to numerous nephews and nieces. Walter was born on December 15, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York, son of Herbert and Gertrude Kunze, recent immigrants from Germany.
He attended Danbury High, graduating with Honors in 1957 and became a star golfer on the school’s team. In 1962 he graduated with a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Bridgeport, known at the time for having one of the finest programs in the US in this specific field. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army from 1963-1966.
In 1963, Walter enlisted in the U.S. Army. Following boot camp he was assigned to Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, TX, where he served as a military policeman. While at Ft. Bliss, Walter met his future wife, Maria. In 1966 they married and settled in Danbury, Connecticut, following his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army.
Walter and his wife Maria resided in Connecticut, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Arizona, working at a number of companies including General Electric, Citiservices, Alcoa, Fesco, Waterbury Companies and Antec. He was a brilliant design engineer and a large portion of his career focused on designing innovative products for the home. Many Americans use these items daily in their homes today. He also designed our country’s commemorative button for the Statue of Liberty’s 200th anniversary celebration.
Walter is survived by his wife Maria Kunze, three children and their spouses, Sandra and Ronald Cavallaro, Ronald Kunze and Michael and Robyn Kunze, his younger brother and spouse, Arthur and Joanne Kunze. Walter is also survived by three grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces. Above all, Walter was a devoted family man. In addition to family, his interests included – golf, gardening, UConn basketball, stock market trading and politics. He was also a talented painter and bird lover.
He is preceded in death by his parents Herbert and Gertrude Kunze.
Donations in his honor can be made to the following organizations -the American Cancer Society, Tolleson Senior Center, the American Heart Association and the Desert Botanical Gardens. Under the direction of Thompson Funeral Chapel, Goodyear, AZ.
