Simply CremationObituaries
David W. Olsen
Mr. David W. Olsen, 74 of Surprise, Arizona passed away on October 24, 2022, in Surprise, Arizona of cardiac arrest. He was born in Mineola, New York, to Walter and Lois Olsen.
David served in the United States Marine Corps.
David met the love of his life, Nina while they both worked as telephone techs. They had to work together to troubleshoot issues, and David remarked that “I’m not gonna help you unless you agree to go out with me.” Nina’s uncle had worked at the same company as David and gave her the inside scoop on him and what he was like. They married in Garden City, New York, and remained by each other’s sides for 46 years.
He was a member of the Long Island Practical Shooters Club, the Sun City Grand Architectural Review Subcommittee, and the Wickenburg Sportsman’s Club. David enjoyed cooking; it was one of his favorite past times. One of his other hobbies included riding his motorcycle, and he taught Nina how to ride. He will be remembered for his dry sense of humor, and greatly missed by all who were fortunate to be in his life.
David is survived by his wife, Nina Olsen, and his son, Joshua Olsen.
He was preceded in death by his son, Christopher Olsen, his parents, and a whole family of cats and dogs.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in his honor to Hope4Paws, your local animal shelter or animal charity of choice.
A Celebration of Life open house will be held on November 17th between 1 pm and 3:30 pm at the Sun City West Foundation / Grand Canyon room. The address is 14465 R.H. Johnson Blvd., Sun City West, AZ 85375. Light refreshments and some of Dave’s favorite recipes will be served. Coffee, soda, beer, and wine will be available. Please bring your favorite memories.
Steven C. Berbaum
Mr. Steven Charles Berbaum, 81 of Surprise, Arizona passed away on May 04, 2022, in Surprise, Arizona. He was born on July 22, 1940, to Mary and Hugo Berbaum in Maywood, Illinois.
He is survived by his children, Kathleen Marie Schoenberger and Steven Von Berbaum.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his wife Mildred Kathleen Berbaum.
Richard A. Haller Jr.
Richard Allen Haller Jr. passed away on Saturday, October 8th while at home with his wife in Phoenix, Arizona. A Memorial service will be held for Richard in Anchorage, AK on a date to be determined. Friends and family will be notified of the time and location.
On June 19th of 1965, Richard Jr. was born in Hammond, Indiana into the loving arms of Richard and Charlene Haller; weighing in at 9 lbs. Richard was raised in Indiana and graduated from Merrillville High School. After graduation Richard enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1986. Throughout his service Richard traveled across the world and developed career skills in the field of Meteorology. While stationed in Alaska, he was honorably discharged in 1996. He then started a career as an Alaskan home builder and adventure seeker. After several years building homes, Richard joined NOAA as a meteorologist serving all regions of Alaska. Most recently Richard had been working for the BLM in the RAWS (Remote Automatic Weather Stations) program. Richard’s duties included deploying and maintaining remote weather stations all across the Southwestern United States. These stations assist Wildland fire crews in making critical observations during their efforts to suppress wildfires. Often times Richard’s day was spent on an ATV in the remote backcountry of the Southwestern United States.
Raising his family in Alaska led Richard and his loved ones on extraordinary trips across the state to seek adventure and the great outdoors. Richard Haller Jr. valued hard work and displayed a positive outlook on life. He supported his family and enjoyed many things in life such as hunting, fishing, golfing with Sonia, new Ford trucks, and spending time with his loved ones. Richard is survived by his mother Charlene, his wife Sonia of 37 years and their three children. This includes his daughter Nichole and sons Mark and Kyle, as well as their spouses; his granddaughters Sloane and Lyla; his grandsons Christian, Elijah, and Wesley. He is also survived by his sister Kathie and his brother Steven.
Bettye J. Sheppard
Bettye June Sheppard (nee Watson), age 76, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, passed away on October 9, 2022, at Hospice of the Valley in Surprise, AZ. Bettye was born in Evansville, Indiana, on June 18, 1946, to Robert Lee and Mary Lou Watson (nee Stokes). She graduated from F. J. Reitz High School in 1964 and attended Indiana State University. After university, Bettye taught elementary school and ultimately became a master and teacher of quilting. She taught quilting classes and held workshops in many countries, including the USA, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines.
Bettye married her high school sweetheart, David Murray, in 1966. Following divorce, she married Navy sailor, Victor Sheppard. As a civilian, Bettye was elected President of the Navy Wives Club at Subic Bay, Philippines, and served as the US Navy Ombudsman for Rear Admiral Lee E. Levenson. Bettye and Victor had two daughters, Jennifer and Rebekah. After Victor’s retirement from the Navy as a Chief Petty Office and Master at Arms, Bettye and Victor lived in Evansville, Indiana, where Bettye owned and operated The Quilters Barn. The family then moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where Victor and Rebekah’s unexpected deaths in 2007 and 2009 were difficult events for Bettye. She later met Edward (Ted) Parry of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. For many years, Bettye and Ted lived together in Lake Havasu during the winter months and in Victoria, Canada during the summer months. Ted passed away in Canada only a few months before Bettye passed away in Lake Havasu, and his passing brought great sorrow to Bettye in her final months.
Bettye is survived by a daughter, Jenifer Sheppard; a son-in-law, Justin Sutton; and three grandchildren: Taylor Sutton, Justin Hyde, and Mary Elizabeth Gunderman. Justin and Taylor Sutton were caregivers to Bettye in Lake Havasu during the months preceding her passing. Bettye is also survived by her sister, Nancy Lee Montgomery; her brother, Dr. Robert Stephen Watson, and many nieces and nephews. Bettye is also survived by many friends and co-quilters in Lake Havasu, Victoria, and Evansville, as well as in other countries where she lived and taught quilting classes.
Remembrances may be posted online at https://www.simplycremationaz.com/obituary/bettye-j-sheppard/. Memorial contributions may be made to the Navy Wives Association at Donate – Navy Wives Clubs of America – Doing Business As Military Families Wordlwide, to St. Judes Children’s Hospital at Make a donation to cure childhood cancer – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org), or to your favorite charity or church.
Jean L. Crawford
Jean Louise Crawford, 78, of Sun City, Arizona died October 3, 2022, in Surprise, Arizona. She was born April 26, 1944, to Norbert Boeck and Evaline Broeksma in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
She is survived by her many friends, including David Malmquist, Danial Munn, Carla Witt, Sandee Hayden, and Dorothy and Bill Thompson.
William “Bill” Lee Alsvig
Mr. William “Bill” Lee Alsvig, 46 of Sun City West, Arizona passed away on October 5, 2022, in Sun City West, Arizona. He was born on August 19, 1976, to Arnold and Linda Alsvig in Phoenix, Arizona.
Bill loved country music, fishing, camping, and spending time with his family and friends. He loved his pets, Heidi and Paisley. He loved his cat, Hunter. He was a character and loved to kid and joke around with his friends and family. Bill loved the time he spent with his cousins Danny and Brent. Bill was close friends with Nancy and his ex. wife Christina. He will be remembered as a kind, loving friend, son, and brother and will be greatly missed by those who were fortunate to know him.
He is survived by his brothers Scott, wife Laura, and nephews Scott and Dylan, Brother Rich, wife Charity, niece Haydan and nephew Nathan and his parents, Linda and Arnold Alsvig, Aunt Fay and Uncle John and Michigan family Jim, Nancy, Jamie and Sarah, and Betty and many cousins. We all loved you and pray you are happy and at peace now. Bill loved you all!
Charlotte A. Bradford
Charlotte Ann Bradford, 77, of Sun City, Arizona passed away on September 24, 2022. She was born in Detroit, MI where she met the love of her life, Henryk. They married in 1965 and moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1976. Charlotte was a realtor in Phoenix for 15 years and was quite involved in the community.
Her faith in the Lord was unparalleled, guided her daily life, and gave her great comfort. She loved the ocean and traveling, particularly internationally. She and Henryk lived in Australia, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and New Zealand.
Charlotte is survived by her sons Paul (Tricia), John (Erin), Craig (Andrea) and 7 grandchildren: Kendall, Cole, Zachary, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Kaia and Cameron. She was preceded in death by Henryk in 2016.
Honoring her wishes, she will be cremated and the family plans to scatter her ashes privately.
