Lucy V Moreno

Lucy V. Moreno, age 91 entered into the arms of God on 09-27-2020 peacefully at home surrounded by her family. She was born in Camp 50 Litchfield Park, AZ on 03-02-1929 to parents Manuel & Emeteria Villa. She was second oldest to 9 children. On Feburary 4th, 1951 she married Henry S. Moreno. They had 3 children.

She had a career at Goodyear Aero Space for 25 years before retiring where she helped build the air ships for the Goodyear blimps.

She was a beautiful women, had a career and was able to balance her life with her children, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and many friends. Making each and everyone of them feel special. She was a great cook, and loved entertaining in her home. She had a green thumb to grow flowers, roses and many plants. She could knit, crochet, and macrame. To know her was to love her.

Surviving are 3 sisters, Josie, Sallie, Hope (Eddie) and 1 brother Nate. Two children Henry, Diane (Danny) and Connie who predeceased her Nov. 1, 2017. Three grandchildren Monica, Carlos and Jennifer. 10 great grandchildren and 9 great-great grandchildren with 2 on the way; and many, many nieces and nephews who adored her.

In addition to her husband and parents and daughter Connie, she was also predeceased by her brother Manuel, Tony, Raymond, and Arnulfo.

Delbert (Del) John Schoephoerster

Delbert (Del) John Schoephoerster

Phoenix – After 91 incredible years on this earth, Delbert (Del) John Schoephoerster died peacefully of natural causes on Sunday, December 13 surrounded by loved ones at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. Born February 25, 1929 in Porter, Minnesota to Ida Schultz and Elmer Schoephoerster he was the second of 6 boys: Dale, Del, Merle, Harold, Ralph and Roy. The Schoephoerster Boys were legend for their honesty, kindness, hard work and humor. Growing up in frigid North Dakota, when Del stepped off the plane in Phoenix in December 1956 for a job interview at Goodyear Aerospace, he knew Phoenix was the place for him. Shortly after moving to the land of sun and citrus, he met the love of his life, Helen, on a blind date. They were married on December 27, 1958, and lived an amazing, full, and loving life together for nearly 62 years.

Born during the Depression, hard work was a lifestyle for Del. He worked his way through college at North Dakota State University where he graduated with honors with a degree in electrical engineering. He was part of a group of pioneers in the field of radio and satellite engineering and dedicated 35 years of his career to Goodyear Aerospace, now Loral Space & Communications. Much of the technology we enjoy today, we know we owe in some part to this group of esteemed men.

He was an active member of All Saints Episcopal Church for 60 years where he and Helen were founding members of All Saints Episcoal Day School. He was a life-long avid reader, especially of history, and loved exploring our world through travel especially with friends and loved ones. He was known for his playful pranks, good nature, love of animals (especially dogs), and incredible athleticism in his younger days. A gentle, just, intelligent, and compassionate man beyond measure, he was respected and loved by truly all.

Del was the last of The Schoephoerster Boys to leave this earth, and while many mourn his earthly absence, we rejoice in the reunion of the boys at last. He is survived by wife, Helen, and daughters Susie and Gwen, their respective spouses Bill Hunter and David Ficklin, adoring grandchildren Chloe, Charley, Nicole and Ryan, and countless nieces and nephews.

A private funeral ceremony will be held Friday, December 18 at All Saints Episcopal Church in Phoenix, Arizona. His ashes will be committed in the All Saints Close Garden.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made online at www.mayoclinic.org/development or mailed to Department of Development, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905. Visit hansenmortuary.com for online condolences.

Loretta Kuhler

Loretta Kuhler of Litchfield Park Passed away on November 11, 2020. She was born in Littlefield Texas in 1941 to Delila and Phillip Simnacher. She was the youngest of four children and the last survivor of that family. She married her spouse Ronald Kuhler in 1962 at St Philip Catholic Church in Pep, Texas.

She is survived by her husband, Ron, and four children, Ron Jr. (Jill), Lance (Susie), Amanda (Dave), and Kent (Diane) and eleven grandchildren.

She attended Pep High School, graduating in 1959. She earned a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky in 1976 and worked for Del Webb and the State of Arizona where she was manager of payroll for DHS and subsequently DES. She retired from the state in 1998.

Her favorite hobbies included hiking, fishing, gardening, traveling by motorhome and birding, with the objective being to observe and identify all the species endemic to North America.

While she has enjoyed travel and forays into exotic places, her most enjoyable parts of life were her family and grandchildren. She held them as babies, took them on outings and watched them grow to beautiful individuals. She watched grandchildren in volleyball games, swim meets, wrestling matches and basketball games. She attended many graduations with 3 now in high school, 6 in college and 1 graduated from college.

Fall and spring gardens were always an active time of year where planting and care of fruits and vegetables brought her back to her early childhood of growing up on a farm in the Pep community.

Her most notable and enjoyable travels included the 4 biennial lenten “pilgrimages” led by the Archbishop of Santa Fe to Spain, Rome and Israel, central Europe, and finally the “Footsteps of St. Paul” thru Greece and Turkey.

In her travels she saw the peaks of Kilimanjaro, Everest, Denali, Mont Blanc, stood on the Serengeti plain and climbed the steps of Machu Picchu. She crossed the Andes and rafted on the headwaters of the Amazon, entered the great pyramid of Giza, jumped with the Masai, walked thru the Taj Mahal, stood on the heights of Montserrat, and visited and worshiped in most of the holy places of Israel and Rome. She visited many of the great cathedrals of Spain, England, Italy and central Europe. She stood on the equator and tested the coriolis effect. She walked on the sands of Bora Bora and the other French Polynesian islands. She motorhomed in 49 states and visited the 50th many times. She lived a full and beautiful life and will be remembered as a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother and will be terribly missed by all.

She was a member of St Thomas Aquinas since its inception as a parish and was a eucharistic minister for many years. She was a catechism teacher and assisted her spouse with the RCIA instruction in the early days of the parish.

Loretta’s Memorial services will be held at 10 am on November 20th, 2020 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, with interment of the ashes in Holy Cross cemetery immediately following.  Click here for full details.

 In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Hospice of the Valley.

The Beautiful Life of Loretta Kuhler

Robert E Mercer

Robert E. Mercer, 96, former chairman and chief executive officer of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and a resident of Akron and Nantucket, Mass. died of natural causes Friday, Aug. 28 at his home in Akron. Bob’s Goodyear career spanned 42 years and though he may be remembered for rallying an army of loyal supporters across the U.S. in defense of Goodyear when it became a hostile takeover target in 1986, his family and friends will best remember him for his wit, warmth and humanity, both at home and at work.

Retiring from Goodyear in 1989, began splitting his time between homes in Nantucket, Akron, and later Palm Coast, FL. He and his wife, Mae moved back to Akron from their winter home in Palm Coast two years ago but always returned to the summer Nantucket home they built in 1988. Yet he also had special place in his heart for Akron, where he began his Goodyear career. Bob was involved or led a variety of volunteer organizations to improve the quality of life in Akron. He was Chairman of the Park Board Commission-Summit County Metro Park System; Chairman of the Akron Public School Board Advisory Committee; Chairman of the Summit County United Way; a member of the Akron Regional Development Board; past Chairman of Bluecoats, Inc.; and honorary Director of Hattie Larlham, an organization that creates opportunities for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also chaired a nationwide United States Savings Bonds fund-raising campaign.

Bob and Mae loved sharing island time with his twin brother, Richard J. “Dick” Mercer, an award-winning advertising executive, and 13-year resident of the island. Dick Mercer died in 2006. The Mercer twins, who had each married their high school sweethearts, Mae and Muriel, were blessed with years of fun and adventure together on Nantucket. Robert Edward Mercer was born in Elizabeth, N.J. on March 29, 1924 to Margaret and George W. Mercer, a Ford dealer and police commissioner in the small, New York City suburb of Roselle Park, N.J., where he grew up. As a stand-out baseball player at Roselle Park High, He earned a baseball scholarship to Ohio University, but World War II intervened. He and Dick were drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1943 after one semester at O.U.

While in the Navy he attended school at Yale University and later received his officer’s commission, serving aboard the U.S.S. Cleveland. He graduated from Yale University in 1946 with a mechanical engineering degree. He married Mary (Mae) Deuel in 1947 in Buffalo, N.Y. and joined Goodyear that same year. After working briefly in Akron, then Detroit, he was transferred to Duluth, Minn., where he was a self-described “Knight of the Road,” selling conveyor belt and industrial hose in the territory.

A Navy veteran, he had a lifelong love of boating and deep-sea fishing. He was a member of the Nantucket Anglers Club and regularly entered his 43-foot Tiara sport fishing yacht “Double Eagle” in the Club’s Annual Billfish Tournament. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Mary (Mae); five children, Kathleen (James) Bond of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Robert G. (Carol), of Santa Monica, Calif., Maryann John, of Richmond, Va., Donald (Kelly), of Wichita, Kan. and John (Victoria), of Akron, Ohio. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. The family would like to extend a special thanks to: Kindred Home Hospice, First Light Home Care and Golden Years Helping Hands. A celebration of Bob’s life will be held at Portage Country Club outdoor terrace from 3 to 6 p.m on Saturday, September 12, 2020. Masks and social distancing are required. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Summit Metro Parks Foundation (www.foundation.summitmetroparks.org), Stan Hywet Hall (www.StanHywet.org) and the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).

Larry Almo

Lawrence D. Almo, 93, was called peacefully home to the Lord on August 29, 2020. He was a beloved father, grandfather, brother and uncle.

He was born on December 4, 1926 in Joliet, Illinois to Joseph and Alice Almo. He entered into military service at age 17 and served briefly until the conclusion of WW2. He went on to play football at Lewis University and was the first in his family to earn a bachelors degree. He married his high school sweetheart Mary Buthala and relocated to Phoenix, where he enjoyed a long career at Goodyear Aerospace. He was an avid bowler, was inducted into the Arizona Bowling Hall of Fame and competed in the Senior Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Larry is preceded in death by his wife Mary (2004). He is survived by his two daughters, Jackie Gerber (Tom), Geri Bouley (Bob), grandchildren Marissa Bouley, Katie Gerber, Megan Bouley and Kyle Gerber. He also leaves his sister Lucille Abbott (Minnesota) and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank all of the people who lovingly assisted in his care, Angela’s Assisting Angels, West Valley Helping Hands and Hospice of the Valley. Larry may be remembered through donations to Hospice of the Valley. Due to COVID concerns and restrictions, private services will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

E.O. Hartig

Elmer Otto Hartig

JANUARY 28, 1923 – MAY 17, 2020

“E.O.” Elmer Otto Hartig

E.O. Hartig peacefully succeeded to heaven through natural causes on May 17, 2020. He will always be remembered for his strength, courage, and most of all, love for his family.

E.O. is preceded by his wife Evelyn Ann Hartig who passed May 2012 and is survived by his three sons: Jeff, Greg, Brad (Donna) and his daughter Pam Hart (Bill). He had a granddaughter Valerie Hickson (Chris), as well as two great-grandchildren, Samuel and Emily.

Born January 28,1923, E.O. spent his youth in Evansville, IN where he learned to love the outdoors, achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and was Indiana State Tennis Champion. He began his college years at University of Evansville before transferring to Purdue where he was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project during WWII. After the war he attended the University of New Hampshire and then earned an MA and his PhD at Harvard University in Engineering Science and Applied Physics. During that time he met and married the love of his life, Evelyn in August of 1950. After graduation they moved to Akron, Ohio, where E.O. began his distinguished career at Goodyear Aerospace.

In 1955 he and Evelyn, along with two small children, were transferred to the “Wild Wild West”, Phoenix, AZ. He then served as Chief Engineer at the facility in Goodyear, AZ until 1976. At that time, he was honored with a promotion to Vice-President of Research and Development at Goodyear Aerospace. Dr. Hartig, Evelyn and Brad returned to corporate headquarters in Akron and remained until returning to Arizona in 1987.

E.O. held numerous patents which influenced and helped better humanity and the world. Some of his affiliations included: the Atomic Energy Commission, the USAF Scientific Advisory, Aerospace Technical counsel of the Aerospace Industries Association, U.S. Army Science Board, and Loral Corporation Science Advisory Board, MVCC, and Shepherd of the Valley and La Casa de Christo Lutheran churches. Dr. Hartig was honored with numerous awards as well including: “Who’s Who in America” and the first annual Achievement Award from Phoenix IEEE Section for “outstanding contributions in the field of coherent synthetic aperture radar,” as well as publishing many publications and articles.

E.O. was a brilliant, highly respected man with a personality to match. He loved learning, teaching others, playing tennis, golf, fishing, traveling, and spending summers in Pinetop. E.O.’s greatest accomplishment was his dedication and love for his family. He was an amazing father, husband, friend and man.

The family would like to express sincere thanks to Jamie, Matt and especially Victor and staff at Constant Care, for their kindness and dedication to our father.

Services for E.O. will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in E.O.’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/ or Hospice of the Valley at https://www.hov.org/

Bernie Martin

Bernard Francis Martin, 91, of Glendale passed away on April 30, 2020. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on September 4, 1928 to the late Joseph and Genevieve Martin.

Bernie met the love of his life, Geraldine Sanborn, in high school. Bernie and Gerry shared 68 years of marriage before her passing on October 31, 2016.

He served with the United States Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948 where he performed maintenance on aircraft structures at Cherry Point US MC Air Base. He enrolled in Spartan College of Aeronautical Engineering and after graduation was hired by Goodyear Aircraft in Akron, Ohio.

In his 23 years in Akron he worked in the Plastics Department which made a variety of items, including radomes for early detection and for military aircraft like the B-52 and C-130. He worked in Lightweight Shelters, which were transferred to the Arizona Division in 1973. He continued work as a Program Manager and Marketing Manager for military transporters for US Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Bernie continued working for Loral Corporation when they acquired Goodyear Aerospace and retired in 1990 after 39 ½ years of service.

Throughout his life, he was active in sports, playing softball, volleyball, bowling, and golf. He also enjoyed fishing. Bernie was a long standing member of the La Jolla Big Shot Club.

Bernie is survived by his four children Tom (Joan), Cindy (Jim Petryszak), Patty (John Olyerhoak) and Judy Frazee, 10 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. In addition to his parents, Bernie was predeceased by his brother Joseph, Jr.

A memorial mass will be held after the restrictions have been lifted at St. Louis the King Catholic Church, 4331 W. Maryland Ave. Glendale, AZ.

In lieu of flowers, Bernie’s family has requested that donations be made to the American Cancer Society at https://donate3.cancer.org

Francis C Schmuki

Francis C Schmuki, age 77 of Buckeye, AZ died January 15, 2020 in Goodyear, AZ surrounded by three daughters at his side. . He was born May 15, 1942 in Jefferson City, Missouri. Frank moved to AZ at a young age, met and married Martha Schmuki.

Frank was an aerospace engineer for Goodyear Aerospace while living in Buckeye. He is survived by Martha Schmuki and all eight children, Jeff Schmuki, Tami Gagliardi, Jennifer Toenjes, Amy McDaniel, Darin Schmuki, Heather Goetz, Shawn Schmuki and Jeremy Schmuki. He was also blessed with 23 grandchildren.

Visitation was held on January 23 from 5-8pm at Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home at 9925 W Thomas Rd. On January 24th at 10:30AM Mass was held at St. Thomas Aquinas located at 13720 W Thomas Rd and followed with the burial at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Larry Standage

From his sister on Facebook:

Larry Standage, my gentle giant of a brother, began his mission in heaven yesterday (December 1, 2019). It’s hard to imagine life without him – he’s always been there with his kind heart and endearing nerdiness. He and my amazing sister-in-law set the standard for a happy marriage and a focus on family. Now he’s in the arms of our mother and so many other relatives he’s loved from a distance as a family history buff. We know he isn’t far, but we miss him dearly. We weren’t ready to see him go so soon.

December 2019 Lunch – Make your reservations!

December2019Newsletter

It’s that time of the year when we celebrate by enjoying a Christmas meal together.

Click on the above link for details.