Obituaries

September 2019
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Marion Virginia Ziegler

Marion Virginia Ziegler, 80, of Goodyear, Arizona died September 15, 2019 in Goodyear, Arizona.  She was born May 20, 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Demetrio Cordoba Torres and Manuela Labrado.

Marion was an expert in quilting, sewing and enjoyed cooking amazing food.  She loved reading her Bible every day.  She was an amazing woman who will be missed very much.  Marion is survived by her son Gregg Ortega, her sisters Adelina Armendariz and Nena Molstad; brothers Anthony and Daniel Torres; grandchildren Tiana, Laci and Billy Diaz.

Arrangements are under the direction of Simply Cremation in Surprise, AZ.

Yvonne Scalero

Yvonne Scalero, 90 years of age, passed away on September 12, 2019.  She was born in Norwalk, Ohio to Raymond and Iva Currier.

Arrangements were under the care of Simply Cremation & Funeral Arrangements.

Judy Ann Nantker

Judy A. Nantker, age 66 of Surprise, AZ died September 5, 2019 in Surprise, AZ.  She was born September 22, 1952 to Frederick William and Fanny Morelle Nantker in Casper, WY and spent her childhood in the southwest.  In 1966, she moved to California, where she first discovered her love of art.

She received her BA in Art from California State University at Los Angeles.  Her first job was working as a textile designer and colorist.  In 1978, she moved to Eugene, OR and continued working as a graphic designer.  In 1981, she began painting on her own after being invited to exhibit in an All Artist Show for Talleria Sigala in Taos, NM.  She also started Techstyles.

In 1983, she was accepted to participate for a major show in Eugene, OR at Designworks Gallery.  She was nominated to submit a piece for the Mayor’s Invitational Art Show in Eugene the same year.  Several successful shows followed and in 1985, Judy moved to Carpinteria.  Her first show in this area was a One Woman show at Pitts and Bachman’s showplace office on Coast Village Road in Montecito.  In 1986, she began working as the art director and was the main designer at Techstyles, a local sportswear company until 1998.  Her T-Shirt designs have been extremely successful and have included designs for Budweiser, SeaWorld, The Smithsonian Institute, National Wildlife, major cruise lines and resorts all over the world.  She also worked as a free-lance designer for Crazy Shirts of Hawaii, Techstyles, and others.

John F. McNeill

John F. McNeill (Mic), age 56, passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack on Thursday, August 29, 2019 in Arizona. He was born February 8, 1963 in South Philadelphia to the late Jack and Diane McNeill.  He was a 1981 graduate of Ridley High School and was married November of 1986.  Prior to his relocation and current employment with Sun City Grand, he was a long-time resident of Delco where he was employed with Misko Inc., Riddle Village and Asplundh.  He was a loving father who enjoyed spending time with his family.  He was a diehard Philadelphia Sports fan.  His favorite pastime was watching sports, attending his childrens’ games, and simply being at home with his wife and kids.  He will be remembered for his bravado, laid-back personality, ability to make people laugh, and his love for family, friends and neighbors. He is survived by his wife and high school sweetheart (Judy), 4 children, John Ryan, Brandon, Kelly and Lauren, and beloved pup, Carillo.  Six siblings, Joan Waters, Anna Rummel, David McNeill, Michael McNeill, Jean Plummer, Bernie McNeill and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday September 6, 2019 between the hours of 4-6 PM in the Palms Room, Sonoran Plaza at Sun City Grand, 19753 Remington Dr. Surprise, AZ 85374. A Celebration of Life will also be held on Friday October 4, 2019 between the hours of 6-8 PM at Kevin M. Lyons Funeral Services, 202 S. Chester Pike, Glenolden, PA 19036.

 

Martin Eugene Berger

Martin Eugene Berger, retired pediatrician, died peacefully at Hospice of the Valley in Surprise, Arizona, on July 11, 2019, surrounded by family and friends.

Marty was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 19, 1929, to Rose Bierer Berger and Joseph Berger. He graduated from Weequahic High School in 1946 and began his undergraduate studies at Tulane University.

While in school Marty married Phyllis Joy Satz, and their daughter Barbara was born two years later.

At Rutgers University College of Pharmacy Marty joined AZO fraternity and played Jr. Varsity and Varsity basketball. He graduated in 1953 and started work as a pharmacist at a drugstore owned by a family friend.

Late that same year he was accepted into the medical school at the Ghent University and the family set sail for Belgium on the Queen Mary. On their first evening in Ghent, as they were eating dinner in a local cafe, Marty was recruited by the local basketball team. Traveling to games all over Europe was a wonderful experience for the whole family and resulted in lifelong friendships.

In 1955 a son, Joe, was born. In 1959 Marty finished his medical studies and the family returned to the US for the first time in six years. He completed his internship at Children’s Hospital in Youngstown Ohio, and then moved west to become Chief Resident at Maricopa County Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1962 he opened Maryvale Pediatric Clinic, which eventually grew to a large practice with three offices, half a dozen partners, and a close-knit office staff, many of whom had worked with him for years. He retired in 2012 after fifty years in practice, proud to have taken care of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of his original patients.

Marty and Phyllis divorced when Barbara and Joe were teenagers, and in 1969 he married Patricia Nasmyth, who brought two small children, Larry and Carol to the family.  In 1971 Marty and Pat had a daughter, Kathleen, and two years later a son, Jesse. Family life with six children of varying ages was busy and a lot of fun, and Marty took a great deal of pleasure in the warm and close relationships that developed between his kids.

Marty loved sports. He played basketball as a young man and was an avid golfer after he settled in Phoenix. He faithfully attended his kids’ tennis matches, swim meets, football and soccer games.  He had season’s tickets to ASU football. He and his brother Neal, also a local pediatrician, spent hours on the phone talking sports statistics.

He loved politics, classical music, opera, Broadway shows and theater.  When his kids got interested in musical theater in the ‘80s he thought he’d give it a try, too, and went on to perform scores of roles in community theater. He especially enjoyed Shakespeare and was thrilled to win an AriZoni award for the role of King Lear when he was 75 years old!

Marty is survived by his wife of 50 years, Pat; daughters Barbara Daniel and her husband Brian of Phoenix, Arizona; Carol Sexton of Scappoose, Oregon; Kathleen Berger and her husband Manuel Alba Garrido of Litchfield Park, Arizona; sons Joe Berger of New York City; Larry Crawford and his wife Karen of Abiquiu, New Mexico; and Jesse and his wife Laura of Glendale, Arizona. He also leaves eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren: Kenny Crawford, his wife Angela and their son Kenny; Aubrey LaRosa, husband Nick and their twins Corrado and Romello; Wayne McColgan, wife Krystal and their sons Wayne and James; Amanda, Samantha, and Joe Sexton; twins Aaron and Manuel Alba Berger; and Isaac and Ian Berger. He was predeceased by his parents, his younger brother Neal Berger, and his grandson Lucas Daniel.

A memorial service will be held the first week in December at The Peoria Center for the Arts.

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