Obituaries

September 2020
Submit Obituary

Jan Wheeler

SURPRISE—Janice Lee Wheeler, 79,  of  Surprise Arizona passed away peacefully with family at home on September 24.2020. Janice has gone too far better place after battling Stage 4 Cancer for almost 3 years. Janice was born to John Coker and Alma Browning in Arcadia Florida on July 10, 1941. She met her husband Harry in Cape Canaveral Fla. They were married on May 26, 1967. They were married 53 years. Janice attended High School in Ft Meyers Fla. and Brevard Junior College in Coco Fla. She began her working career at Cape Canaveral on the Apollo Moon program. They moved to Wilmington Delaware where she was Benefits Coordinator with DuPont Company until she retired after 25 years.

They retired to Arizona and Southern Oregon in 1999. Jan enjoyed working with various charities and social organizations. She especially enjoyed working with youth groups among them Special Olympics, Community Works, and Saddles of Joy a Special ED Riding Program. She was always available when needed. Over the years she became an avid golfer and loved the game. She was an accomplished sailor and loved RVing, Skiing, Fly Fishing, and Domestic and international travel with her husband.

Jan is survived by her husband Harry, Christopher John her son, and beloved granddaughter Sierra. Her greatest enjoyment was being with her granddaughter. Those who new Jan thought she was a very kind, caring, and loving person. She will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her.

Jan was preceded in death by her parents John and Lois Coker and sisters Susan, Peggy, and Robyn.

Due to COVID restrictions, a small private family memorial will be held at a later date in Ft Collins Co. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Jan’s name to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Don Jasper Javier Lozada

Don Jasper Javier Lozada rested peacefully on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020. With a diagnosis of kidney failure, Don fought over three years as a dialysis patient. Don was born June 19th, in San Pablo Laguna, Philippines, and began a family in Jersey City, New Jersey. Don was a loving son, brother, uncle, nephew, husband, and father. His witty jokes and hilarious comebacks were what he was known for. He used his comedic personality to fight his struggles with his health. Don is an intelligent individual, who worked hard on his love for cars, and home improvements at his Arizona Home. He cherished moments with his wife and daughter, where they bonded over the love of family and food. Don made it a staple to always provide the best dishes and creations for his family to feast over. His importance of family was definitely reflected until his time of passing. May his soul continue to rise, and prosper.

Elizabeth Tapia Paolinelli – Ruiz

Mrs. Elizabeth Tapia Paolinelli – Ruiz, age 44, of Litchfield Park Arizona Died on September 16th, 2020 in Surprise Arizona. She was born July 29th, 1976 to Lucino Bahena and Teresa Bahena in South Lake Tahoe California.

In 1998, Elizabeth started employment at Phoenix Elementary School District. She loved her work and greatly enjoyed working with children. While working there she met Steve Villela Ruiz. The pair quickly became best friends and eventually fell in love. They both changed employment and began carpooling to Scottsdale Unified School District together.

Steve and Elizabeth married on April 20th, 2002 and their love for each other was apparent to everyone in their lives. Steve and Elizabeth just “fit together”. Steve brought the more introverted Elizabeth out of her shell and Elizabeth kept Steve’s head on straight. Their marriage was built on a strong foundation of respect, communication, trust, and friendship. Elizabeth would often joke that in her next life she would “marry for money” because she had already married her one true love. It amazed people how much time they spent together but they never got bored of each other. Their love was the kind that many people only dream about. When Steve was having a bad day Elizabeth would dance around the house like a ballerina to cheer him up. And if Steve did something wrong she quickly punctuated it with an “Ay babe!” While life wasn’t always perfect or fair they took their wedding vows to heart and always worked through the harder parts of life together as a team.

Elizabeth loved to craft and make things. She made the best-personalized T-shirts and beautiful handmade cards. She also loved to go shopping with her mom and they often went to their local thrift shop looking for deals.

Elizabeth’s favorite place in the world was South Lake Tahoe. She and Steve would take any chance they had to go camping and fishing. Elizabeth just loved the outdoors; it brought out her sense of adventure. Elizabeth never hesitated to run into the extremely cold water as she felt “like it had healing powers”. Everyone else thought she was crazy for diving into the freezing water but to her, it was exactly what she needed.  She would have spent every weekend at the lake if she could. It was her happy place. The one place where nothing else mattered; it was where she could focus on the beauty of nature and the people she was with.

Family meant the world to Elizabeth. She always made it a point to go to as many of her nieces’ softball games as she could and was even the godmother to her niece Alex. She took that role seriously and always tried to be the best role model she could for them. She made it a point to show to always show those around her love and compassion. Elizabeth was the best sister her brothers could ever ask for, and she let them know that. She loved her mom with her entire heart and made an extra effort to always spend just a little extra time with her. When she married Steve she quickly embraced his family as well and was overjoyed to see her family grow. Her family always knew they could rely on Elizabeth for a shoulder to lean on and for the advice they needed to hear.

 

Elizabeth lived her life to the fullest. She lived with passion, kindness, and love. Her memory will never be forgotten by those who knew her as she left an everlasting impression on their hearts. Elizabeth is survived by her husband Steve Villela Ruiz, her brothers Robert and Ruben Paolinelli, nieces Alex and Cherish Paolinelli, mother Teresa Paolinelli – Martinez, grandma Guadalupe Lopez Tapia, and many many friends. She was preceded in death by her father Mike Paolinelli, uncles Alfonso and Arturo Tapai, her niece Natalia Paolinelli and her grandfather Guillen Tapai.  A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, September 25th at Thompsons Funeral Chapel 923 S. Litchfield Rd. Goodyear AZ 85338. Funeral arrangements were handled by Simply Cremation and Funeral Arrangements.

 

 

Kali Johnson

Kali Johnson, age 48, of Surprise, Arizona passed away on July 26th, 2020 in Surprise, Arizona. She was born on January 17th, 1972 to Brenda Marie Johnson in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kali graduated from Thomas Carl Howe High School in Indianapolis and went on to Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry.
Kali was a kind and genuine person who loved all of those around her. She had a servant’s heart and tirelessly serving the community by working with The Arizona Department of Child Safety as a Child Fatality Investigator and Homeless Case Manager with the Department of Children’s Services in Flint, MI.
Kali was a devout follower of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at an early age and found her strength through him. No matter how big or small a struggle was she knew she was never going through it alone as our Lord walked her path with her. Her devotion can best be seen through her own words “No matter what you go through in life, no matter how many disappointments you suffer, your value in God’s eyes always remain the same. Don’t just accept whatever comes your way in life. You were born for greatness: Don’t give in to pressure. Don’t quit! Don’t allow negative circumstances to cause you to give up on your dream. People who are determined to stick with it, will eventually live it. You can never live your dream if you quit or if you give up on it. When you are tempted to get discouraged, remind yourself that according to God’s word, your future is getting brighter. You are on your way to a new level of glory.” She shared her love for the lord with others and became an Ordained Minister in October 2009 through the Family Worship Church Center International with Pastor Timothy Stokes during her time in Flint, MI.
Kali’s loving and lively spirit will be greatly missed. Kali is survived by her Sister Melissa Johnson, Niece Naimah Johnson, and Nephew Elijah Clark. A memorial service will be held for her on September 18th, 2020 at 10:00 AM at Thompsons Funeral Chapel and a Celebration of Life will be held at New Crown Cemetery in Indianapolis, IN on October 2nd, 2020 at 11:00 AM. Masks will be required at both services.

Jesus Rodriguez III

Jesus Rodriguez III always called Mijo, was born and raised in Avondale, AZ, has passed away Sept 5, 2020.
Mijo had a huge heart that led him to move mountains for his family and friends. His love of music and the poetry of the words was passed on to his family and friends whom he always had a new song for them to listen and understand. His insightfulness was one of a kind that allowed his creativity to always flow in everything he did.
He loved to BBQ and created his own rubs and sauces that he would make for anyone who asked especially during football season when his Cowboys were on TV. He loved getting his family together especially his nieces and nephews just to play with them all. Always organizing some event for everyone whether that was birthdays, holidays, or just a Sunday in the park. Mijo always wanted his family together laughing and having a great time. He embodied the word family with everything he did in his life and everything he achieved in his life was for the benefit and prosperity of his family.
Words cannot perfectly describe who he was nor can they convey the loss to the family and his friends. There will never be a time he is not missed, but the wonderful memories of having him in our lives for this short time will always warm our hearts and send a laugh or two. We love you Mijo and take comfort in you being with Mine and Lalo. Thank you for all that you have done for us all.

Charlene Henke

Charlene S. Henke of Goodyear, Arizona passed on the 6th of September, 2020. She was born on June 16th, 1950, to Clarence Schaper and Marie Douma in Bayshore, New York. She is survived by her loving family and many friends who cared for her deeply.

Donald Linville

Donald Eugene Linville of Litchfield Park, Arizona, passed away on September 6th, 2020, at Abrazo West Campus in Goodyear, Arizona. He was born on December 30th, 1952, by his two sons.

 Previous Month
Call Now Button