Flagstaff neighbors: Recently published obituaries
Read through the obituaries published in Arizona Daily Sun
April 29, 1950-August 11, 2018
“Gone too soon but never forgotten”
Shannon Lamont Lewis was born on April 29, 1950 at the Douglas Hospital in Douglas, Arizona to Robert Lee Lewis and Valaska Taliferro Powers Lewis. Shannon was one of five boys in the family. Shannon was raised in Pirtleville, Arizona and attended the Immaculate Conception Church where he was an alter boy. He attended Douglas School and was active in football and baseball. Shannon graduated in 1969 from Douglas High School.
After graduation, Shannon went on to attend Arizona Western College on a sports scholarship. He graduated from AWC and transferred to NAU under a football scholarship where he graduated with a master’s in Criminal Justice.
Shannon began his law enforcement career with DPS on January 1974. Shannon was stationed in Flagstaff and was a member of the SWAT team. In 1990 Shannon transferred to Phoenix into the Intelligence Unit Gang Squad. In 1994 Shannon served with GITEM until his retirement in November 2001. Shannon was very involved in GITEM and was a member of “Mothers Against Gangs”. He had a passion for working with kids. While he was stationed in Flagstaff, he was an assistant Flagstaff Eagles Coach.
After his retirement from DPS Shannon went to work for the security department of American Express where he served for over 10 years until medical issues forced his retirement. Shannon loved his work and loved to travel.
Shannon was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Valaska; brothers Wendell “Bobby” Lealand and Vullen “Bugsy” Latham. His last two brothers Edmond “Bunny” Lee and Harlan “Button” Rupert passed on shortly after Shannon.
Shannon is survived by his son Kevin Lewis (Kristin Kerr) and daughter Melinda Lewis; 4 grandsons, many nieces and nephews; god sister Patricia Rhodes; longtime companion Pam Turner; lifetime friends Jim and Betty Caldwell, Charlie Ruiz, Hector Leon, Rorry Wilson and many many other friends.
Shannon loved people and he was loved by many. He was an avid jogger, loved the outdoors, enjoyed calligraphy, pencil art and above all he loved food. Memories can be shared with his family and friends online at www.norvelowensmortuary.com
Lifetime native of Flagstaff, Linda was set free to join her beloved husband, Louis (Bootsie) and her daughter Diane who preceded her to the Promised Land.
She was born on the Fourth of July in the year 1941. She was a devoted wife, mother and friend to many. Linda, a career homemaker supported her beloved Bootsie throughout their marriage of 57 years. They traveled the state attending the many sporting events Bootsie and her children played in. She enjoyed celebrating all special occasions with her family. In her later years, her attention focused to being a caregiver to her husband until his passing in 2016. A true survivor, she beat cancer and successfully overcame a stroke in 2015. She prospered in her final years, enjoying her friends at the Peaks until another stoke proved to be too much for her.
Her four remaining children, Martin (Anita), Flagstaff, Margaret (Mike), Scottsdale, David (Sharon), Las Vegas NV and Jennifer of San Diego, survive her. Her grandson John Michael (Yvonne), their son Aiden and siblings, Carole Brown, Max Castillo and Martha Montgomery also survive her.
A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, 224 S. Kendrick St., Flagstaff, AZ. Burial will immediately follow at Calvary Cemetery, 201 W. University Drive.
The family asks that all donations be made to Northland Hospice. Arrangements are by Lozano’s Flagstaff Mortuary, www.FlagstaffMortuary.com.
After a long and courageous battle with dementia, James Sweeney died at home on July 22, surrounded by family. He will be sorely missed and the world will seem a bit dimmer without him.
Born and raised in San Antonio Texas, Jim attended Stephen F Austen University in Nacgdoches, Texas, earning a degree in Forestry. Following a tour with the US Army, Jim was employed for 32 years by the US Forest Service, in various positions, largely in Arizona where for many years he was a District Ranger on the Coconino National Forest as well as an Incident Commander in fire management throughout the country. His final position was Regional Fire Management Trainer for the SE out of Atlanta, Ga.
Jim was a voracious reader and writer. He also enjoyed gardening, woodworking and travel. He was an active member of St Alban’s Episcopal Church in Monroe, Ga.
Jim is survived by his wife of 41 years, Marian, by 4 children, James, Patrick, Kathleen and Tammy. He also leaves behind 7 stepchildren, of whom two, Lauren and Jonathan, were as close to him as his own children. Finally, he is survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Funeral Services will be held on August 10, 2019 at 11am at St Alban’s Episcopal Church, 210 N. Broad St, Monroe, Ga 30655.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Jim Sweeney Memorial Garden fund at St Alban’s Church, the Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of your choice.
Charles Ray Bigelow, M.D., 82, drew his final breath on August 4th, 2019, at his home in Cornville, AZ.
Born on February 16, 1937, in Oak Grove, Louisiana, Charles was a 1954 graduate of Forest High School and a 1958 graduate of Northeast Louisiana University, earning his B.S. in pre-med. In 1964, he received his M.D. from Tulane University in New Orleans. In 1958, he married Sharron Haynes, and they had three children: Cynthia, Paige, and Jason.
After serving eight years in the U.S. Army as a medical officer, he completed his residency at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, and moved his family to Flagstaff in 1972 where—despite record snowfall of 200” that year—he trudged through, embraced the adventure, and began his private practice which eventually expanded to include a second office in Sedona.
As a child, he traded his bike for a one-eyed horse and enjoyed spending time with his cousins or exploring by himself. That joy of solitude continued into his adult life, where he spent his final years along the banks of Oak Creek in the house he loved to call home that he shared with his wife of 19 years, Janet Miller, and their beloved dog, Gracie.
He treasured friendships old and new, and found great joy in discovering his ancestral roots and connecting with long-lost and newly-found relatives. He was a master at researching any new item he wished to purchase, rivaling Consumer Reports in his thoroughness and creating a masterful filing system only he could understand.
His wicked sense of humor lives on in his password binder, a true testimony to his online experiences with various companies, which undoubtedly provoked resignation notices from tortured customer service representatives: “LostCause,” “Idiots,” “NeverAgain,” “RoyalPain,” “BigTurds,” and “MegaJerks.” Those who knew Charles best will say that his laugh-cackle will go down as one of the highlights of knowing him. That laughter will be deeply missed.
Charles was proudest of his children and of his career as an obstetrician and gynecologist, a profession he chose because he cared deeply about protecting women’s health and helping them expand their own families, should they choose. He was humbled when he would run into someone who had a story about how he had either helped them, a family member, or a friend. Those stories continued to find their way to him even in his retirement.
In his final advice to his children, he told them, “When challenging situations arise in life, learn from it and move on. Don’t get stuck there. Keep moving forward and don’t let challenges hold you back.”
Husband of Janet, father of Cynthia Haynes, Paige Campbell, and Jason Bigelow, father-in-law of David duChemin, Ian Campbell, and Kristin Bigelow, grandfather of Derek and Nicholas Campbell and Nathan and Dane Bigelow, brother of Emily (Bob) Pritchard, and cousin of Earlene Vining, Charles is remembered as the man who loved science, genealogy, helping people, his cars, good wine, cargo shorts, living among the Cottonwoods, and, most of all, his family.
A memorial celebrating his life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on the 17th of August, 2019, at Norvel Owens Mortuary at 914 E. Route 66 in Flagstaff, Ariz. Private burial will follow at a later date at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. In lieu of flowers, Charles wishes are that memorial donations go to Tulane University School of Medicine. (medicine.tulane.edu)
Memorials and condolences can be shared with family directly or online at www.norvelowensmortuary.com
Douglas Bernard Rade passed away at age 92 on July 29th, 2019. Douglas was preceded in death by his wife Rozella Grace Rade, who died January 29, 2000. Doug And Grace had 5 children Steven, Rody, David, Donna and Patricia. Douglas was born in Chile South America on August 18,1926.
Doug's mother was Chilean and father an American. The family left Chile and came to the United States when he was 5 years old. Douglas grew up in Lordsburg, New Mexico. Later he spent many years of his life in Kanab, Utah and Southern California. Doug and Grace moved to Flagstaff in 1975. He loved his life in Flagstaff and devoted many years of service to the community.
Douglas was:
An ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church for 32 years
A chaplain at Flagstaff Medical Center for 30 years
A chaplain at the County Jail for several years
A U.S Army Sergeant
A spiritual director of St Vincent De Paul
A teacher of a weekly bible study
A recipient of 2011’s Flagstaff Citizen of the Year award
An expert in Native American Art
A lover of food, cooking and his dog Ponchito
Above all, Douglas was someone who really loved people, he loved his family, friends and every stranger he ever meet. Most of all, he loved the Lord.
Douglas’s services will be held at San Francisco De Assi Catholic Church:
Rosary at 7:00pm Sunday the 11th
Memorial Mass at 10:00am Monday the 12th
Donald Wallace Dugan, a longtime resident and schoolteacher in Flagstaff, passed away peacefully on July 25 at Elaine's Forest Home, at the age of 82. Don is survived by sons Michael (Cindy), David and daughter Patricia (Duane) and daughter-in-law Amy (Brian). He had 9 grandchildren ranging in age from 10 to 40, as well as a brother, Floyd, and sister, Sue. He was preceded in death by his wife of over 50 years, Betty Jo, son Donald Joseph (DJ), parents Lawrence and Eva, brothers Larry and Ronnie, and brother-in-law Murel.
Don was born on January 21, 1937, in Phoenix. He and his twin brother Ronnie had many adventures during childhood. He attended North High in Phoenix and after graduating, he enlisted in the Navy. He met and married Betty Jo Vanderpool while serving. Afterwards, they moved to Flagstaff and attended Arizona State Teachers College in the early 1960s. Don started a long career as a junior high school science teacher in 1967. He retired in 1996, spending the rest of his time engaged in his favorite hobbies, including knives, firearms, hunting and fishing.
A small service for family will be held for Don at Lowell Observatory on August 10th at 10 a.m., followed by a public celebration of life from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a contribution to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in his name. Memories and condolences can be shared with family directly or online at www.norvelowensmortuary.com
