1978 Arizona Obituaries

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• V
• W
• Y
• Z

RADCLIFFE, Richard W.

Richard W. Radcliffe, 90, of Mesa, died June 1978, in Lutheran Hospital. He was a World War I Army veteran who worked for the Millett Sign Co. here since 1956. Wife, Mildred. Meldrum Mortuary. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/29/1978.

RAINEY, Mirt Lee

Mirt Lee Rainey, 95, a resident of Phoenix 26 years, died June 21, 1978, at Maricopa County General Hospital. Services at the Calvary Temple, 8630 N. Central. Mr. Rainey, 2910 W. Rancho Drive, was a retired painting contractor. He was born in Missouri. Survivors include his wife, Lena Ethel; children, Donald, Emmett, J. A., Norma Lee David and Mildred Osborn; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Camelback Sunset Chapel made arrangements. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/25/1978.

RAWLS, Julia Ann

Julia Ann Rawls, 41, of Scottsdale, died June 24, 1978, in her home. She had been a foster mother to five teenagers for four years and was an assistant cost controller for PBSW Office Products. Husband, Gerald; son, William K.; mother, Mary Strange: and a sister. Blessed Sacrament Church. Messinger Mortuary. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/27/1978.

RAY, Frank B., Jr.

Frank B. Ray, 63, who was a carpenter, died Saturday, April 22, 1978. He moved to Arizona from Ohio 20 years ago and was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite and El Zaribah Temple. Wife, Jeannette; two daughters, Helen and Ester Moler; a son, Kenneth; his mother, Jeanette, Springfield, OH; one sister, Eve Lockheart, Springfield, OH; and nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Interment Resthaven Park Cemetery, Glendale. The Phoenix Gazette Monday, April 24, 1978

RAY, William

Apache Junction -- William Ray, 80, a retired farmer who lived in Arizona 70 years, died June 25, 1978. He moved to Apache Junction last December from Lakeside. Wife, Jewel; children, Jean Morgan, Wayne, Delbert and Phil; 17 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren; two sisters and three brothers. Gibbons-Bunker Desert View Chapel. Arizona Republic 6/28/1978.

RAYNES, Bobbie Ollie Vay

Bobbie Ollie Vay Raynes, 46, of Glendale, died Wed., March 30, 1977. She was an electronics assembler and had lived in the Valley 22 years. Survived by husband, Euclid; son, Garry Justice; a grandchild; two sisters; three brothers. Hansen Mortuary. Arizona Republic 4/1/1977, C-5.

REGESTER, Louis W.

24 Nov 1903 - 24 June 1978
Louis W. Regester, co-owner of Lou Regester, Inc., furniture stores in Phoenix and Tucson, died June 24, 1978, in the Beatitudes Nursing Center. He was 74. Mr. Regester of 3039 E. San Miguel, had been active in the Phoenix Symphony Guild and in furniture retail trade associations. He and his late wife, Ruth, opened their first furniture store in Phoenix in 1954, expanding until they operated three stores. They opened an outlet in Tucson in 1963. She died Dec. 30, 1977. Mr. Regester in 1960 was elected to the National Retail Furniture Association board of directors, an organization in which he was active for many years. He was a charter member of the North Phoenix Rotary Club. Funeral services in the North Congregational Church of the Beatitudes, 555 W. Glendale. Survivors include a son, Charles, and three grandchildren. AZ Republic 6/25/1978.

REHNQUIST, Raymond

Raymond Rehnquist, 79, of Phoenix, died April 24, 1978. He was a retired concrete contractor who moved to Arizona nine months ago from Sawyer, Michigan. Wife, Grace; daughters, Gayle Johnson and Susan Bohner; one sister and five grandchildren. The Phoenix Gazette Tuesday, April 25, 1978

REIF, Lorion G.

12 May 1895 - 25 June 1978 Prescott -- Services for Lorion G. Reif, 83, who died June 25, 1978, at his home in Cornville, were at Ruffner Funeral Home. Mr. Reif, a Prescott native, retired as a rate expert from the Arizona COrporation Commission in 1960. He then moved to Cornville. Survivors include his wife, Johy Anola; a son, Brant; two daughters, Mrs. Martha W. Barr and Mrs. Anola R. Fransen; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/30/1978.

RESCHKE, Richard R.

Richard R. Reschke, 76, of Sun City, died April 20, 1978. He was in sales with a chemical corporation and a member of United Church of Sun City. He moved to Arizona in 1963 from Rock Island, Illinois. Wife, Genevieve; daughters, Ruth Tarby and Frances Irifel; sons, Richard and Dr. Robert Reschke; a sister; two brothers; 15 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Lundberg Sunland Chapel. The Phoenix Gazette Saturday, April 22, 1978

REYES, Ralph R.

Ralph R. Reyes, 29, died June 24, 1978, in Phoenix. He served with the Marine Corps in Vietnam and was an iron worker with Bechtel Power Corp. Wife, Mary Teresa; daughters, Maggie and Rebecca; mother, Sara; and a stepbrother. Immaculate Heart Church, 909 E. Washington. Mortensen-Kings Funeral Center. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/27/1978.

RICHARDSON, Arthur Lee

Arthur Lee Richardson, 53, of Tempe, died Monday, March 28, 1977. He had been employed six years at Arizona State University and was a World War II Navy veteran. Came to Chandler in 1962 and attended Desert Haven Community Church in Tempe. Wife, Edna; children, Betty French, Artletha Grasham, Diane, Elvis and Allen; mother, Ruth M. Warren; three grandchildren; and a brother. Arizona Republic 4/1/1977.

RIZO, Alejandra Hernandez

Alejandra Hernandez Rizo, 82, moved to Phoenix 37 years ago from California and died June 26, 1978. She was a member of the Guadalupanas. Husband, Daniel; children, Rosa Cuellar, Jessie Mejia, and Paul; two sisters; 14 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren. Rosary in Sacred Heart Church. Whitney & Murphy Downtown Chapel. Arizona Republic 6/29/1978.

ROBERTS, Ernest J.

Ernest J. Roberts, of Mesa, died April 17, 1978. Mr. Roberts was a former W. R. Grace Co. maritime employee in Chicago, a World War II Army veteran and member of Veterans of Foreign Wars in Mesa. Wife, Edna; son, Ernest, Jr.; a sister and two brothers. Services were conducted by his brother, the Rev. Armour Roberts at Meldrum Mortuary Chapel, 52 N. Macdonald St., Mesa. 4/19/1978.

Home

ROBINSON, Vernon

Feb 1908 - 15 April 1978
Vernon Robinson was born in Clifton, Tennessee, and came here in 1964. He died April 15, 1978, in Phoenix Veterans Hospital. Mercer Mortuary. Interment Greenwood. 4/19/1978.

RODNEY, Robert B. "Ted"

Mesa -- Robert B. "Ted" Rodney, 75, Mesa rancher and founder of Sun Valley Bus Lines, died June 23, 1978, at Mesa General Hospital. Mr. Rodney, 2124 W. Third St., founded the bus company in 1942 and was a member of the board of directors of the Mesa Historical Society. He was born in Cornhouse, Alabama, and he came to Mesa in 1920 from Corpus Christi, Texas. He was an ordained temple worker for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a high priest in the Mesa eighth ward. Survivors include his wife, Erma; children, Edward S. Fordan, Ann E. Dahlgren, Sara Jane Muhlestein and Nathel Gyling; two sisters, 31 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/25/1978.

RODRIGUEZ, Luz

Rosary for Luz Rodriguez, 74, who died April 13, 1978, in a local hospital, was in Universal Sunset Chapel, 7007 S. Central. Funeral mass at Holy Family Church, 6802 S. 24th St. Mrs. Rodriquez, of 6014 S. 23rd Place, came to Arizona in 1970. Survivors include her husband, Manuel; children, Eugenio, Cruz, Ignacio Rodriguez, Camillo Rodriguez, Moria Rodriguez, Irene Rodriguez and Frances Ramirez; a brother and eight grandchildren. Sunday, April 16, 1978

ROER, George B.

14 July 1918 - 27 June 1978
Scottsdale -- George B. Roer, 59, an independent livestock dealer who was born in Phoenix and served in World War II, died June 27, 1978, in Scottsdale Memorial Hospital. Mr. Roer, 1801 N. 75th Place, is survived by his sons, George, Jr., and Wyatt and three brothers. Services will be today in Messinger Mortuary CHapel. The Arizona Republic Thursday, June 29, 1978.

ROMAINE, Charles

Charles Romaine, 84, died Friday, April 28, 1978, in a Valley hospital. He was a retired railroad brakeman and professional boxer for 15 years and a World War I Army veteran. He came to Arizona in 1944 from Youngstown, Ohio. Wife, Dorothy; a stepdaughter, Dorothy Weinstein; two sisters; and two grandchildren. Greenwood Memorial Park. The Phoenix Gazette 4/29/1978.

ROMERO, Santiago G.

Santiago G. Romero, 47, a native of Sahuarita, died Tuesday, April 18, 1978, in his residence at Hollywood Hotel, 60 So Third St. Born in Sahuarita, south of Tucson, he had been a farm worker. Mass was held today in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Guadalupe. Romero is survived by a daughter, Virginia. The Arizona Republic & Phoenix Gazette Friday, April 21, 1978

ROMERO, Teresa C.

Teresa C. Romero, 78, of Phoenix, died April 18, 1978, in Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Romero came to Arizona 60 years ago from New Mexico. Daughters, Molly Buchanan, Mary Ann Lopes, Mary Ramires, Monica Lansen, Maria Lena Garcia, Dolores McGraw; sons, Joe, John and Frank; 37 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Rosary in Mortensen Kings Funeral Center. Mass at Church of St. Anthony. The Arizona Republic Friday, April 21, 1978

ROTHLISBERGER, Alfred

Alfred Rothlisberger, 66, who was born in Eagar, died Thursday, March 31, 1977, in Good Samaritan Hospital. He was a dairy farmer and rancher in the Valley since 1950. Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Wife, Thora; children, Barbara Neff, Charlotte Lee, Cheryl McBride, Charma Green, James I. and Randel H. 4/2/1977.

RUDDUCK, Ruth B.

Ruth B. Rudduck, 76, of Sun City, died June 25, 1978, en route to Boswell Hospital. She lived in Arizona 31 years. Daughter, JoAnn Jones, and a sister survive. First United Methodist Church. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/29/1978.

RUTTER, Richard H.

Richard H. Rutter, 66, an electrical engineer for a Wisconsin power company, died Friday, April 21, 1978, in a Valley hospital. Rutter moved to the Valley from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, in 1977. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and a member of Willowbrook United Methodist Church. He belonged to the Elks Lodge and was a member of the Professional Engineers of Wisconsin and senior member of Electronic Engineers. Wife, Marian; daughter, Mrs. Bernice Otis of Jackson, MI; Julie Chun; two sons, Richard of Littleton, CO, and Stephen of Veradale, WA; one sister and seven grandchildren. Menke Funeral Home. First United Methodist Church in Sun City. The Phoenix Gazette Monday, April 24, 1978

RYAN, Nola Agnes

Nola Agnes Ryan, 84, a member of First Baptist Church of Scottsdale after moving to Phoenix in 1970 from Monrovia, California, died June 21, 1978, in Orangewood Baptist Health Facility. Mrs. Ryan, 4210 E. Weldon, is survived by her daughter, Mildred HODGE and two grandchildren. Services in Monrovia, Paradise Chapel FUneral Home announced. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/24/1978.

RYCHENER, Thomas H.

13 April 1941 - 26 June 1978
Services for Thomas H. Rychener, 37, who died June 26, 1978, of auto accident injuries in John C. Lincoln Hospital, were in First Baptist Church, 7000 N. Central. Mr. Rychener, 18009 N. Everson, Peoria, taught four years in the Peoria School system and the past year was a Radio Shack manager. He graduated from Western Kentucky College. Survivors include his wife, Lynda; children Michelle and Tommy; parents, Mr. and Mrs. Elton Rychener; a sister and three brothers. Friends may call from 5 to 9 p.m. today in Paradise Chapel Funeral Home. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/27/1978.

RYFFEL, Ida

Ida Ryffel, 34, died in her home June 24, 1978. Husband, Carl; children, Clara Parsons, Barbara Ida Jackowski and Charles; six grandchildren; and a sister. Greenwood Memorial Park, 2300 W. Van Buren. Published in the Arizona Republic 6/27/1978.