Find An Obituary

Arverd “J.T.” Brady Navenma, 57, passed away December 29, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. Wake services are Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at the Salt River Memorial Hall, 9849 E. Earll Drive, Scottsdale, 85256. Graveside services are Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 8 AM at the Salt River Cemetery, 10661 E. Palm Lane, Scottsdale 85256. Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel.

Yvonne May Graves Pollock, age 86, of Mesa, Arizona passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her family on Wednesday morning, January 1, 2014. She was born on April 19, 1927 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She moved to Monterey, California in 1950, where she met her husband Richard Edwin Pollock at a USO dance at Fort Ord Army Base. They were married two months later at the Carmel California Mission in 1952. She was a loving mother to her five children. She was creative, fun loving, and very active in her children’s lives. Her family is her biggest treasure. She became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1968 at the age of 41. In 1970, she was sealed to her husband and children in the Los Angeles Temple. Her devotion and enduring faith to the church has been an inspiration to her children and grandchildren. Her youngest daughter, Mary Ann was born with Down syndrome which led her to become a strong advocate and caregiver to those with special needs. She became a foster mother for countless severely handicapped children over a span of 19 years before she suffered a stroke requiring her to move to Mesa, Arizona to be near her family. Preceded in death by her parents Irving and May Graves and brother Irving Graves, she is survived by brothers: Maynard (Judy), Tom (Hedy) and Rick (Sally) Graves; her five children: Colleen (Jeff) Lewis, Karen (Rudy) Komenda, Richard (Leslie) Pollock, Annette (Bill) Castrey and Mary Ann Pollock; her 20 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren. She has been our matriarch and pioneer, leaving us a legacy of faith and service. On Monday, January 6, 2014 from 6:00-8:00 p.m., a viewing will be held at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 North Centennial Way, Mesa, Arizona. Services will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at 2424 North Old Gilbert Road, Mesa, Arizona. She will be laid to rest in the City of Mesa Cemetery, 1212 North Center Street, Mesa, Arizona.

Mark Yeager Petterborg, age 31, of Gilbert, Arizona passed away on December 30, 2013 in Mesa, Arizona. Mark was happiest when he was snowboarding, wakeboarding, roller blading, skateboarding, driving a car or motor scooter, and spending time with friends and family. He is survived by his parents, Rex H. and Pamela G. Petterborg, his three sisters, Alice L. Barberich (Jason), Elizabeth A. Pratt (David), Mary F. Davis (Tyler), his brother Michael S. Petterborg (Jade), and his grandfather, Jerry L. Yeager. Uncle Mark had seven nephews, and two nieces. A visitation will be on Monday, January 6th from 6 to 8 PM at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 8520. Funeral Services will be Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 11:00 AM at the Mesa Boulder Creek Stake Center, located at 3025 S. Hawes Rd., Mesa, AZ 85212. Burial will follow at the City of Mesa Cemetery at 1212 N. Center St., Mesa, AZ 85201.

Gregory Cooper, 57, passed away December 28, 2013, in Mesa, Arizona. He was born to Ray and Anne Cooper in Austin, Texas on January 25, 1956. Greg was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his siblings John, Connie, Jeanne, and Tom, as well as his nieces Blake and Hannah and his nephew Wesley. The first part of Greg’s life was spent on multiple bases in an Air Force family, in Kansas, California, Ohio, Goose Bay, Labrador and Texas. As an adult, Greg established a career in the semiconductor industry which took him to Mesa, Arizona. Greg loved Arizona and the desert. He enjoyed spending time outdoors with his close friends camping and hunting. Greg was taken too early in life, and will be missed by his family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Diabetes Association would be appreciated. A celebration of Greg’s life will be held at a later date.

Michael Keith Blair, 60, was called home to our loving Heavenly Father on December 30, 2013. He was born to Keith and Shirley Blair on February 5, 1953 in Globe, AZ. Mike was a beloved husband, son, father, brother and Papa. In 1974 he met the love of his life, Valeri Larson. They were married in the LDS Manti, UT temple on February 28, 1975. In Mike’s own words, “What a great way to start the rest of your life, being married to someone you love and adore, and being married for time and eternity.” Left to carry on his traditions are his wife Valeri, and his five children Michael Blair Jr (Angie), Heather Morris (Myron), Sarah Blair, Brianna Allen (Matt) and Cassie Morris (Michael). His legacy will be continued through his 20 grandchildren; Mikayla, Bailee, Lacey, Kaitlyn, Tanner, Alexis (Lexi), Hunter, Paytan, Jordan, Lyli Anne, Tyla, Chloee, Jack, Karson, Brigham, Joseph, Zack, Gavin, James and Alivia. Mike served a faithful 2 year mission in Stockholm, Sweden for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Before that, he exceled in academics, baseball, football, and basketball. Just about everything he touched ended up amazing. He was known for his amazing talent of building just about anything, his selflessness, generosity, fun loving nature, and of course, his incredible sense of humor. He will be missed by all! Funeral services are Monday, January 6, 2014 at 10:00 am, preceded by a viewing at 9:00 am at the LDS church at 3580 East Houston Ave Gilbert, AZ 85234.

Etheleen Brown Osif, born November 6, 1948, died December 27, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was a long time employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She leaves behind her son Raphael, daughter Raquel, as well as many caring relatives and friends. Services are Friday, January 3, 2014 at 9 AM at the Salt River Memorial Hall, 9849 E. Earll Drive, Scottsdale. All choirs are welcome.

Wilbur Thayne Wagner, 83, passed away December 26, 2013 in Mesa, AZ. Wilbur was born in Colonia Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico to Albert Henry Wagner and Mary Willa Thayne Wagner on October 5, 1930. He loved his life on the farm and had great stories to tell. He was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with an unwavering testimony. His witty expressions and stories were filled with great wisdom. He married Carel Robinson in the Mesa Temple December 3, 1953 – they just celebrated their 60th anniversary. He is survived by his dear wife and 8 of their 9 children; Teria (David) Mortensen, St. George, UT; Paula (Art) Whiting, Mesa, AZ; Tamara (Larry) Reeves, Friendswood, TX; Brenda (Eric) Larsen, Orem, UT; Ted (Shauna) Wagner, Laredo, TX; Jana (Kirk) Tryon, Allen, TX; Kevin (Kim) Wagner, Chico, CA; and Shauna Wagner, Mesa, AZ. He is also survived by 27 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 2 sisters, Thelma Bluth and Elizabeth Belnap as well as 3 brothers, Dennis, Vaughn and Rick. He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Carla Wagner, granddaughter Savannah Wagner and 4 brothers Kenyon, Dwaine, Henry, and Darryl. Funeral services will be on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 11AM at the LDS church at 2334 E. Pueblo, Mesa, AZ with a viewing 1 hour before. Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel.

James David Schreiber, 47, passed away December 23, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. Memorial services are Saturday, January 4, 2013 at 10 AM at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, 85201.

David C. Ashley, 59, passed away December 21st, 2013. He was born in Oregon, Ill. on May 24, 1954. He is survived by his wife: Janet (Bradshaw) Ashley, his daughter: Peggy Jane (Ashley) Olson, his son-in-law: Ryan Olson, his five grandchildren: Wesley, Tyler, Nathan, Jacob and Bella. He taught history in the Gilbert Public Schools for over 30 yrs. He was Student Council Advisor for 16 of those yrs. He was a great teacher and mentor. He was a friend to all. He was a loving father and husband, and the bestest grampa ever.

A Visitation will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Friday, December 27, 2013 at Bunker’s University Chapel, 3529 E. University Drive in Mesa. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM, with a visitation 1 hour prior to services on Saturday, December 28th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3580 E. Houston in Gilbert, Arizona.

Arrangements are being handled by Bunker’s University Chapel.

Season Joy Barnett was called home by her Heavenly Father on December 23. Despite only living 25 years, she experienced much and influenced many. Season was a world traveler. She visited more than 15 countries and all 50 states. She was everyone’s instant and true friend. Many were inspired with her sweetness and selflessness, and she was a light of joy. Her ultimate joy was being a wife and mother. She was the most loving mother of a 2 year-old boy and a week-old girl. She adored them until her last minute on earth. Nothing can express the depth of our love for her. We will see her again. In addition to flowers, if you wish to make a donation, please donate to http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/ in Season’s name. Visitation is Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 from 6-8 PM at the LDS Lakeshore Chapel, 6001 S. Lakeshore Dr., Tempe 85283. Funeral services are Saturday, Dec. 28 at 10 AM at the LDS Sarival Chapel, 425 S. Estrella Parkway, Goodyear 85338. Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel.

Louise Rose Rosino, 93, passed away December 21, 2013 in Chandler, Arizona. She was born August 7, 1920 in NuMine, PA. Louise was a homemaker who enjoyed crocheting, bingo, cooking and baking. She was preceded in death by her husband Joseph J. Rosino and son Frank Rosino. She is survived by her son Randy T. Rosino and four grandchildren. Funeral services are Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 12 PM, preceded by a visitation at 10 AM at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, 85201. Interment will follow at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

D. Delos Ellsworth, a former state legislator who also served a stint in Washington, D.C., as U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater’s top aide, died Monday in Mesa, according to his son, Mesa attorney Brent Ellsworth. He was 82.
Ellsworth, a Mesa Republican, served two terms in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1965 to 1969, including two years as House majority whip, and two terms in the Arizona Senate from 1971 to 1975. He also was elected Maricopa County Republican Party chairman and, The Arizona Republic reported in 1968, “headed the county’s party machinery during the pre-election build-up which resulted in a historical sweep of all the Maricopa County offices, long the stronghold of Democrats.”
He stepped down from the county GOP post in November 1968 to become Goldwater’s administrative assistant, the position that today is known as chief of staff.
“Delos was a good worker,” said Judy Eisenhower, another longtime aide to Goldwater who also had a tenure as the senator’s administrative assistant. “He’s not like they are today: You ask a question and he’s going to find you an answer.”
Goldwater, R-Ariz., had won a third U.S. Senate term in 1968. Goldwater previously had served two Senate terms from 1953 to 1965, but did not seek re-election to the Senate in 1964, the year he was the GOP’s unsuccessful presidential nominee. Goldwater sat out the next four years and ran again when veteran U.S. Sen. Carl Hayden, D-Ariz., decided to retire.
“Dad had worked on Goldwater’s presidential campaign,” Brent Ellsworth said. “So they knew each other, but it’s not like they were best buddies. But Goldwater asked him if he would come back and be his administrative assistant. He was the head guy who ran the office and everything.”
Goldwater told Ellsworth that he didn’t want him to get “Potomac fever,” the son said. Goldwater instead encouraged Ellsworth to stay in Washington for a couple of years and use the experience “as a springboard to other things” back in Arizona.
“My dad loved it back there — he loved the whole political scene and climate,” Brent Ellsworth said. “He and Senator Goldwater got along great.”
After returning to Arizona, Ellsworth was elected to the state Senate, where he served with then-Senate Majority Leader Sandra Day O’Connor, who later become a U.S. Supreme Court justice. He was talked about as a possible Republican gubernatorial candidate in 1974, but opted to exit politics for a teaching career at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
He was director of BYU’s Ezra Taft Benson Agriculture and Food Institute for several years starting in 1978.
Ellsworth is survived by his wife, Alba, six children, 36 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren. Visitation is Friday, December 27, 2013 from 6-8 PM at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, 85201. Funeral services are Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 10:30 AM, preceded by a visitation at 9:30 AM at the LDS Kimball East Stake Center, 4640 E. Holmes Ave., Mesa, 85206.

Evan Stephen Crandall, a resident of Great Falls for 56 years, passed away on December 12th in Mesa, Arizona, from natural causes. He was 91 years old. Born 25 April 1922 in a log cabin in Tabiona, Utah, Evan was the son of Joseph Cook Crandall and Lucile Martha Wilcken Crandall, both products of Mormon pioneer families. Evan spent his youth in Tabiona and later in Tooele, UT, where he worked as a paperboy, house painter, and at the smelter. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served in the Quartermaster Corps in Europe supplying Patton’s army, and then transferred to the Pacific Theater until the war’s end. In 1949 Evan married Pearl Leone King (“Sue”), and they had 2 children: Steve Crandall (Sukie), of Basking Ridge, NJ, and Corinne Geertsen (Jeff) of Mesa. In 1951 Evan was called back into military service to work in the Medical Corps as a clinical psychologist at a disciplinary barracks in California. Evan earned a degree in Psychology at the University of Utah and worked as a clinical psychologist in Utah and North Dakota, before settling in Great Falls in 1957. There he helped to establish the Golden Triangle Community Mental Health Center, a 9-county mental health center that served over 22,000 clients during its first 10 years of operation. Crandall retired in 1984 after 27 years of service to state mental health causes. After retirement he served as a representative to the Montana state legislature for AARP, devoting his efforts to preventing elderly fraud. As a boy, Evan enjoyed playing tennis and working his paper route with his dog Mutt. Later, he enjoyed long drives, vacations in the mountains, ice cream, and getting visits from his grandchildren. When they camped out in his back yard he would sneak out and pretend to be a bear. Evan is survived by his wife and children, and by his sister Louise Tate of Tooele, UT. He is also survived by 2 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren, all living in Arizona. He was preceded in death by two brothers. Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel.

Opal (Bean) Winsor passed quietly from this life Friday, December 13, 2013. At her passing she was 88 years old. She is preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Thurston Winsor, a daughter Margaret Brouty (Byron), a brother Joseph Mack Bean, Jr. and a sister Violet (Bean) Ralston. She is survived by two sisters, Lois Houston (Art) and Loretta Rosenberg (Bud), a son Joseph Winsor (Robin) and three daughters, Carol Ann Brown (Barry), Jeanette Healey (Jim), and Gayla Shepherd. She was born in Cedar City, UT, grew up in Springdale, UT and lived all of her married life in Phoenix, AZ. She passed away in her daughter, Carol Ann’s home in Mesa, AZ. She has 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. She was a cosmetologist for 50 years and a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As her legacy, she will be remembered for her strong faith, perseverance and loving and forgiving ways. Visitation will be Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013 from 6-8 PM at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, 85201. Funeral services are Friday, Dec. 20, 2013 at 10 AM, preceded by a visitation at 9 AM at the LDS Church at 1345 E. University Dr., Mesa 85203. Interment will be at the Veteran’s National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Rd., Phoenix, 85024 at 1:30 PM sharp.

Ulrich Hermann Haase, my dearest Uli died December 14th 2013. He was born February 29, 1940 in Koenigsberg, E. Prussia to Charlotte and Friedrich Haase. Siblings Michel, Eva, and Jane survive. Also left to mourn, are his English wife Margaret, daughter Heidi, his sons Gregory, Jason, and Jeffrey, grandchildren Meagan, Alex, Hanna, and Sabrina. Also his great grandchildren Coben and Izabela. We love you Uli! Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel.

Marilyn Larsen, born November 13, 1957, passed away peacefully the morning of December 5, 2013 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was welcomed home by her Savior, Jesus Christ, her mother Patricia Nielson, mother-in-law OrReva Larsen and her granddaughter Ella Standage. Marilyn’s legacy will be continued by her beloved husband Terry Larsen, seven children, Jennifer Roberts, Rick Larsen, Amy Standage, Jessica Brooks, Steve Larsen, Daniel Larsen and Alyssa Sellers and 14 grandchildren, her father Mervin Nielson and her sisters Ginny Checketts and Louise Hammer. Marilyn has a wonderful heritage of membership in the Mormon faith. She always loved the Spanish language and for the past several years served in a Spanish speaking congregation where she became fluent in Spanish. She had a passion for learning, sewing (especially quilting), gardening and especially for her grandchildren. Marilyn led a happy and very active life filled with family and friends. She will be sorely missed. The viewing will be Thursday, Dec. 12th from 6-8 PM at Bunker’s Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa.
Funeral services are Friday, December 13th at 4640 E. Holmes, Mesa, AZ 85206 at 10 AM.