Obituaries

Michela (Mickey) Saulino Gilbert, 90, passed away in her beloved home in Phoenix on Sunday, January 5th, 2020.Born in Lynch, Kentucky in 1929 to immigrant parents, Clemente and Anna (Moccia) Saulino, she grew up attending boarding school at St. Camillus Academy in Corbin, Kentucky and later completed her education at Thomas More College (formerly Villa Madonna) in Covington, Kentucky. After...

Gene Sears was born on November 23, 1934 in Brighton, Colorado.  He died peacefully on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 in Scottsdale, AZ.  He was a man of faith who was loved by all.  He is survived by his wife of 62 years, four children and eleven grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, January 17th at 10:00...

Josafath Rubio Hernandez was called home by God to rejoin his Abuelita Tomy and all loved ones in heaven on Saturday January 4, 2020.  Josafath was born on February 17, the same birthdate as Michael Jordan, his favorite basketball player. He was born in the year of the Dragon like his favorite martial artist, Bruce Lee.  Josafath was 31 years...

Henry “Leke” M. Olea Jr., born on February 25, 1937, passed away on January 7, 2020. Henry was extremely involved in his community, as he was the founding chair of the UA Local 469 PAC which started in 1991, an elected Business Representative for Local 469 from 1974-2001, a lifelong volunteer and advocate for working families and the Arizona Democratic...

On Saturday, January 4, 2020 Selerino “Sal” Balderas III passed away suddenly at the age of 67. He was an alumni of St. Mary’s Elementary and High Schools and Phoenix College, and a veteran of the US Air Force and Arizona National Guard. Working at Talking Stick Arena emphasized his love for sports, as he was a diehard fan of...

Ignacio K. Martinez (AKA Paco / Jose) 71, was called home to be with the Lord on January 5, 2020. Ignacio born in Meadow, Texas April 30, 1948Ignacio was raised in Texas and moved to Ohio at age 14. He lived most of his adult life around Canton and Dover as well as Mt Gilead and Galion, Ohio. Involved with...

Leona Theresa Hawking, 90, passed away on January 7, 2020 at her home in Phoenix.Leona (Gaspar) Hawking was born July 22, 1929 to Joseph Lambert Gaspar and Anna Elizabeth Wieseler in Howell Township, South Dakota. The youngest of ten children, she was baptized July 28, 1929 at St. Liborius Catholic Church, in Polo, South Dakota. Leona attended school in Polo...

Anne Turner Henry, loving mother, teacher, fierce competitor, lively wit, and enduring inspiration, was born January 6, 1918, in San Francisco, California, and died December 26, just short of her 102nd birthday. She had been a resident of Vi at Grayhawk in Scottsdale since 2001, and had lived in Arizona since 1960. She is survived by her three children—Constance Walley...

Suzanne Marie Fessler passed away on January 6th. She was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1954. Preceded in death by her parents Richard and Frieda (Hilsher) Lasinski and nephew Paul Johnson. She is survived by husband John and siblings Richard (Cinda) Lasinski, Barbara Lasinski, Carol (Gregg) Johnson, three nephews and two nieces. After graduation from ASU, she became a teacher,...

Tony Di’Andrea, 57, of Phoenix, Arizona passed away on January 4, 2020. He is survived by his mother, brother and 1 aunt. No services are planned.

Jacky Blake never missed a practice, a game, or left a customer without power. He was born in Pitcher, Oklahoma on September 27th, 1935. When he was just six months old, Jack moved to Phoenix with his older brother Russell and parents Charles and Juanita Blake.After losing his father in a mining accident when he was just six years old,...

Downey, Aubrey Richard 98 yrs. 1921-2019Aubrey Richard Downey was born in Morvin, AL to Vance and Lillie Downey on Nov. 2,1921.Aubrey passed peacefully just before sunrise, on Dec.12, 2019 in Scottsdale, AZ.Aubrey Richard Downey served his country in the United States Army, from 1942-1945. Aubrey enlisted in the Army in 1942 and was inducted at Ft. McClellen, AL. The Pacific...

Frank Charles Kostyun was born on 06-28-1946 in Endicott, NY to Frank and Leda Kostyun. He married Sharon Maurin on April 4th of 1972 and they raised their three children, Frank, Mary, and Peter.Frank graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in mechanical engineering and went on to work for APS until retirement. After retirement, Frank found a great...

Robert Wayne Tungland II was born in Des Moines, Iowa on August 28, 1949 to Robert Tungland, president of Meredith Burda Publishing U.S. division and Pauline Virginia Tungland, a homemaker; and passed away on December 20, 2019.Robert graduated from Des Moines High School in 1965 and enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve while attending University of Iowa. After graduation with...

Michael “Mike” Dennis Phelan passed away December 6, 2019 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 72 years of age.Mike was a native of Troy, New York and the son of Dr. William and Mrs. Margaret Phelan. The youngest of 6 boys, Mike attended LaSalle Institute and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University where he was a...

Stanley Charles Watkins passed away at his home in Gilbert, AZ on the morning of Saturday, December 21, 2019. He was 82 years old. Stanley was born in Wichita, KS in 1937 but moved to Phoenix in 1960 to join the City of Phoenix Police Department. He spent nearly 40 years in law enforcement in Arizona serving as a patrolman,...

Petros Christos Economopoulos 85, of North Falmouth, MA died on December 16, 2019 in Arizona where he was residing.Petros was born in Athens, Greece on October 1, 1934 to Christos Petros Economopoulos and Iakovina (Digenis) Economopoulos. Petros’ father moved his family during the German Occupation of Greece in WW2 to his village of Aristomenis in the Peloponnese in order to...

Lukas, Thomas William, 70, of Scottsdale, Arizona, passed suddenly after a brief illness on December 15, 2019.Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edward B. Lukas and Rita J. Lukas on October 24, 1949. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at John Carroll University in 1971; and his Juris Doctor at Northern Illinois University in 1981. Tom married Deborah (nee...

John Louis Mulligan was born August 3, 1938 in Langdon, North Dakota, and passed away in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 81 on December 14, 2019 after a courageous battle with melanoma.John was born to Dr. Victor and Alice Mulligan, and was one of ten siblings. His father was the top doctor of the area, and delivered hundreds, if...

Elda Mae Sandoval Gallegos, daughter of Jose Jesus Sandoval and Aurora Peralta, was born in Concho, Apache County, Arizona, on September 19, 1924.Aurora’s parents were Jose Jesus Peralta, son of successful sheep rancher Manuel Peralta, and Grizelda Perez, daughter of renowned Civil War veteran and politician Don Tomas Perez.Tomas Perez’s wife was Lina Candelaria, daughter of famous sheep rancher Manuel...