Philip B. Lewis
Retired Presbyterian Pastor Philip Lewis died April 30.
He was 85 years old.
Mr. Lewis was born March 31, 1915 in Seattle, Wash.
A service of witness to the resurrection and celebration of Lewis’ life is scheduled Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the Verde Valley Presbyterian Church. Pastor Kyle Weir will officiate the service and following the service refreshments will be served.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Verde Valley Presbyterian Church Library Project or to the Memorial Garden and Columbarium Fund.
Bertie Hargis
Cottonwood resident Bertie Hargis died May 12.
She was 74 years old.
Mrs. Hargis was born in Drumwright, Okla. Jan. 14, 1926.
Survivors include her husband, Robert M. “Bob” Hargis; three sons, James, Bob and Tom Hargis; a sister, LaVonne Hegeous; three brothers, Glen, Bert and Wesley Sparks; three grandchildren, Ryan, Diana and Leslie and two great-grandchildren, Peaches and Wesley.
A memorial service was held May 17 in Westcott Funeral Home.
Mrs. Hargis is remembered as a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who was loved, respected and admired by all who knew her.
James L. Faust
Cottonwood resident James Faust died May 12.
He was born Sept. 27, 1953 in Pasadena, Calif.
Mr. Faust was 46 years old.
He was a self employed computer technician and a private investigator.
Mr. Faust was a graduate of Yavapai College and Northern Arizona University.
He was a past member of Coconino County Search and Rescue.
Mr. Faust was the web master for an Internet gaming clan.
Survivors include his wife, Edie Faust; a daughter, Karyn R. Faust of Amado; a son, John E. Faust of Camp Verde; his father, Dr. Robert M. Faust; his mother, Shirley H. Faust of Sherman Oaks; a brother, Robert H. Faust of California; two grandchildren, Kaitlyn Faust Cushman and Ann Marie Bucholz.
A memorial service is scheduled May 22 at 1 p.m. in the Mountain View United Methodist Church.
Homer C. Brunton Jr.
Homer Brunton Jr. died in Snowflake on May 14.
He was 74 years old.
Mr. Brunton served in the US Navy for 30 years until retiring. He served in World War II and in Korea.
Survivors include his daughter, Tammy Jergins; a son-in-law Larry Jergins and a grandson, Jeremiah Jergins.
A graveside service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at the Middle Verde Cemetery in Camp Verde. Services will be presented by the Camp Verde Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion Unit # 93.
Donations may be made to Fletcher’s Mortuary for the funeral account of Homer Brunton.
Franklin Daley
Funeral services are scheduled today for Camp Verde resident Franklin “Twink” Daley. The service begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Camp Verde United Methodist Church.
Mr. Daley was born Sept. 7, 1920 in Baltimore, Md.
He was 79.
Living in Arizona since the age of 12, Mr. Daley graduated from Phoenix Union High School and Phoenix College. In 1942 he joined the US Army as a civilian flight instructor where he taught airmen how to fly gliders and power planes. He was stationed at Wickenburg and Thunderbird Airfield.
In 1943, Mr. Daley marriage Esther Adele Robart “Babe,” the love of his life.
In 1944 he joined the Air Corps and participated with Army of Occupation in Germany until his discharge in 1946.
In 1947, Mr. Daley joined the Phoenix Fire Department and remained a firefighter until he retired as a captain in 1973.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Esther Adele; two daughters, Paula and Joanne Allen; a son, Dan; a son-in-law, Dexter Allen; four grandchildren, Robin, Ryan, Reed and Laura and two great-grandchildren, Desi and Trevor.
He was preceded in death by his daughter Susan Marie.
Contributions may be made to Northern Arizona Hospice, 269 S. Candy Lane, Cottonwood 86326.
Fred A. Simon
Village of Oak Creek resident Fred Simon died May 10.
He was 80 years old.
A Mass was held May 12 at 11 a.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Sedona.
Mr. Simon was a native of St. Paul, Minn. and graduated from the school of Associated Arts. He was employed as a graphic designer for Brown & Bigelow of St. Paul and as a creative director of Messenger Corporation of Auburn, Ind.
During WWII, Mr. Simon served with the 503rd Parachute Infantry and three years in the South Pacific. He was awarded the bronze star.
He and his wife Ruth retired to Sedona in 1985.
Mr. Simon was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church and the Oak Creek Country Club.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Ruth; a son, Fred Simon Jr. of Minnesota and two nieces, Mary Simon of Minnesota and Jean Huberty of Iowa.
Mr. Simon was preceded in death by a daughter, Margaret Anne.
Memorial donations may be made to Northern Arizona Hospice, 269 S. Candy Lane, Cottonwood, 86326 or to Catholic Social Services, 736 N. Main St., Cottonwood 86326.
Peter Groseta Jr.
Peter Groseta Jr., 82 of Cottonwood, died May 4.
Mr. Groseta was born Oct. 22, 1917, in Jerome, Arizona to Croatian immigrants Peter and Antonia Groseta. His family moved from Jerome to a ranch in Middle Verde in 1922, where Mr. Groseta attended school and graduated from Camp Verde High School in 1935.
In 1936, his family moved to a ranch in Bridgeport and he started to work in the Phelps Dodge Smelter until it shut down in 1953, where he was shift boss and “pulled the plug” on the last pound of ore that went through the concentrator.
On Sept. 18, 1946, he marriage Katherine Maglich in St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church in Clarkdale. Mr. Groseta and his father raised alfalfa hay and sold it to the local dairies, which provided milk to the entire Verde Valley, including the miners in Jerome. They also did a lot of custom hay baling on farms and ranches throughout the Verde Valley. In addition, they raised cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys, fruits and vegetables, of which they sold to neighbors and to families in Jerome, Clarkdale and Cottonwood.
In 1948, Mr. Groseta and his wife Katherine purchased the W Dart cow outfit where they raised commercial cattle. Four generations of the Groseta family have raised cattle in the Verde Valley from Tapco, above Clarkdale, to Camp Verde. Also, during the time that he ranched, he worked for Yavapai County Roads Department for several years. Mr. Groseta served on the school board of Willard School in Bridgeport. In addition, he has served on the board of directors of the Cottonwood Ditch Association where he was ditch boss, vice president, and secretary/treasurer.
Also, Mr. Groseta served on the board of directors of several agricultural organizations, including Farmers Home Administration (FHA) and the Yavapai Cattle Growers Association where he was honored in 1996 as an “Honorary Lifetime Member.” He was a member of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association. He served on the Grazing Advisory Committee, representing the grazing permittees on the Prescott National Forest.
He was involved in the origination of the Verde Valley Fair in 1964 where he has supported 4-H and Future Farmers of America youth for decades. In the late 1960s, the Mingus Union FFA Chapter recognized him with the “Honorary Chapter Farmer Degree” for his outstanding support of youth interested in agriculture. He was also a member of the Croatian Fraternal Union (CFU) Lodge, where he served as vice president for several years. He was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, where he served on the Parish Council. Also, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife Katherine, of 53 years, and a sister, Anne Mongini of Rohnert Park, Calif. He was preceded in death by younger brother Frank of Phoenix. He is survived by his sons Peter Andrew “Andy” and wife Mary Beth and three grandchildren, Paul, Katy and Anna; George Stephen Groseta and wife Bernadette. In addition, he has four nephews and two nieces.
A rosary will be held May 9 at 7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cottonwood. Services will be held May 10 at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Cottonwood. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Church Building Fund of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at P.O. Box 995 in Cottonwood, 86326-0995; or the American Diabetes Association at, 9034 North 23rd Avenue, Suite 8, Phoenix, AZ, 85021-2850.
Billy Gilliland
Camp Verde resident Billy Gilliland died May 4.
He was born in Southland, Texas, May 4, 1924.
Mr. Gilliland was 76 years old.
He was a member of the First Southern Baptist Church in Camp Verde and a founding member of the First Southern Baptist Church in Mount Shasta, Calif.
Mr. Gilliland worked as a Sunday school superintendent, deacon and usher.
He was a machinist at Millwright Company and a shop steward. He was a member of the International Paper Union.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; a daughter, Barbara; a son, Ron; a sister, Ruthel; a brother, Harold; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. at the First Southern Baptist Church in Camp Verde. A visitation will be held following the service.
Burnis L. Moore
Camp Verde resident Burnis Moore died April 27 in Scottsdale.
He was 68 years old.
Mr. Moore was born July 16, 1931, in Bethel, Okla.
He worked as a heavy duty equipment operator and truck owner and operator for Southwest Forest Industries at Happy Jack.
An avid hunter and fisherman, Mr. Moore especially enjoyed caring for his vegetable garden.
Survivors include his wife, Louise Moore, a daughter, Tonya Short of Camp Verde; two sons, Hoyt Lee Moore and Doug Moore of Camp Verde; five sisters, Lorene Brantley of Oklahoma, Aline Moore, Ruth Porter, Carol Leckron and Jonni Cole of Oregon; two brothers, Jake Moore of Flagstaff and Frank Moore of Laveen; Six grandchildren, Levi Short of Phoenix, Latahana Short of Sedona, Trapper, Breanna, Dani and Brooke Moore of Camp Verde and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a brother, John Moore.
A funeral service was held May 3 at the First Baptist church in Camp Verde followed by a burial in Middle Verde Cemetery.
Kenneth E. Perkins
Funeral services were held April 29 at the First Baptist Church for Camp Verde resident and U.S. Navy veteran Kenneth E. Perkins.
Mr. Perkins died April 26.
He was 72 years old.
Mr. Perkins was born in Roca, Neb., Sept. 11, 1927.
He was a member of the Senior Citizens Caregivers of Camp Verde and an elder in the First Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Charlotte; four daughters, Deborah Webb of Bullhead City, Janet Diaz-Martin and Elizabeth Perkins of Spokane, Wash., and Rebecca Walter of Seattle, Wash.; three sons, Stephen Perkins of Missouri, Benjamin Perkins of Tucson and Patrick Perkins of Spokane, Wash.; a sister, Alice Chadwell of Tennessee and 14 grandchildren.
