Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 33

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC VALLEY STATE OBITUARIES FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2002 B7 Hilma Sue Pirtle, 57, Bagdad Arizona, passed away June 1, 2002. Private Family Gathering. Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Home. William C. Podzielny 94, of Surprise Arizona, died 2002.

Visitation on June 7, 2002 from 5-8pm at Heritage Funeral Chapel, 6830 W. Thunderbird Peoria, AZ. Graveside services on June 8, 2002 at 11am at Mesa City Cemetery, 1212 N. Center Mesa, AZ. Agnes Helen 'Nana' Puzio, 86, of Scottsdale, died June 4, 2002.

Funeral Mass 10 a.m. on Friday, June 7, 2002, at St Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 3801 E. Greenway Road. Messinger Indian School Mortuary assisted the Puzio family with arrangements. Mildred M.

Sawyer, 96, of Peoria AZ, passed away June 1, 2002. No services will be held. Arrangements by Lundberg Golden Door. Katherine Scanlan, 105, of Phoenix AZ, passed away June 4, 2002. She was born February 4, 1897 in Greenville, TX.

She worked as a manager in the Hotel Industry for 5 years, retiring in 1969. She moved to Arizona 35 years She is survived by 2 daughters: Patricia Irish and Liz Slasor; 6 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Interment will be in Greenville, TX. Arrangements by A.L. Moore Grimshaw, Sunny Slope Chapel.

George F. Schenker, 52, of Phoenix AZ, passed on June 4, 2002. Born December 25, 1949 in New York, New York to Bernard Schenker and Lillian Kruger, deceased. He is survived by his wife Sophia; his beautiful daughters, Katherine and Jeannette, his loving grandchildren, Kaelyn and Tarynn and his loyal companion Elvis. George lived his life to the fullest by doing what he loved the most, photography, bicycling and his favorite, helping others.

Services will be held, Saturday, June 8, at Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary Memorial Park located at 2002, 6500 E. Bell Rd. in Scottsdale at 2PM. Contributions may be made for the Arizona Brain Injury Association. Bodena Stevenson Schrader, 70, of AZ, died June 4, 2002.

Visitation: 5-8pm, Messinger Indian School 7601 E. Indian School Services: 10am, Scottsdale United Methodist Church, 4140 N. Miller Scottsdale. Contributions to: American Cancer Society, SW Division 2929 E. Thomas AZ 85016 Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E.

Flower AZ 85014. Benjamin E. Scott, 68, of Tonto Basin AZ, passed away May 19, 2002. Memorial Mass will be June 10, 2002, 11:00 AM at St. Frances Cabrini Church, Camp Verde, Arizona.

Arrangements by Botimer Funeral Home. 2002. A registered nurse Lillian 81, died on June 3, Simovitely, who came to Phoenix in 1978. She established Master Key Hypnosis where she helped many people. Even in retirement they called for "Just one more Survived by her niece, Patricia Zemsch, extended family and friends, her shining light will be missed.

Joan K. Spieth, of Phoenix AZ, passed away June 4, 2002. Joan was born in Buffalo, New York, December 7, 1931. She is survived by her brother, Al Grothe; son, Ed Spieth; daughters, Trish Ramsey, Rita Morgan and Jeanee McJilton; husband; Otto Spieth; and 7 grandchildren. Service will be held 11AM Saturday, June 8, Church of the Beatitudes, 555 W.

Glendale Phoenix. Visitation will be held Friday, June 7. Hansen Mortuary, 8314 7th Phoenix. many friends among the residents and staff. Dorothy was born in Alma, Nebraska where her father was state Governor and US Representative.

She was presented as a debutante in Washington D.C., and graduated from the University of Nebraska where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, in which she remained active for over 80 years. In 1926 she married Dr. Oscar W. Thoeny in Alma, Nebraska and they moved to Phoenix in 1929. Dorothy has been active in many civic organizations including the Heard Museum, The Phoenix Art Museum, Compass, Phoenix 100 Rotary ANNS, and as president of the Medical Association Auxiliary.

Dorothy Thoeny was death by her husband, son Dr. Robert Thoeny, and great grandson Tyler Hackett. She is survived son Bruce Thoeny, five great grandchildren; Steve, Julie, Dave, Susan, and Scott, and 10 great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, June 8, 2002 at the Orangewood Retirement Community Chapel, 7555 16th Street, Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Orangewood CCTV Fund, 7555 N.

16th Phoenix, AZ 85020, or Hospice of Arizona 2222 W. Northern, Suite A-100, Phoenix, AZ 85021. Arrangements by A.L. Moore Grimshaw Mortuary. Dorothy Shallenberger Thoeny, 99, of Phoenix Az, passed away June 2, 2002.

She was a resident of Orangewood Retirement Community, where she Bernice M. Tjader, 63, Scottsdale Arizona, passed away June 4, 2002. Services pending. A.L. Moore Grimshaw Bethany Chapel.

Norma Elaine Todd, 62, of Tempe AZ, passed away June 4, 2002. Arrangements by Wyman Cremation Burial Chapel. Donald Edward Vargo, 71, of Mesa AZ, passed away June 4, 2002. Services will be Saturday, June 8, 2002, 1:00 PM at American Legion Post 26, 502 W. 2nd Mesa, AZ.

Contributions to Arizona Heart Institute, 6335 E. Main Sp-, Mesa, AZ 85205. Valley movie theater pioneer dies By Connie Cone Sexton The Arizona Republic He was a man who thought nothing of flying off to Morocco on a whim, inviting Liberace to his home for a post-performance party or standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the biggest movie stars. But Harry Nace Jr. was also the guy who was just as content chasing a morning round of golf with an afternoon in front of the television.

Nace could be gregarious yet private, boastful but restrained. He lived not wanting to grow up in the shadow of his father and 1 yet chose a career that had him walking in his father's footsteps. When Harry Leroy Nace Jr. died May 29 after complications from a stroke and diabetes, he closed a chapter on one of the Valley's most successful entertainment families, a father-son duo that created one of the largest movie theater chains in the state. Nace, who lived in Phoenix, was 87.

He was the son of Harry Nace a former circus acrobat who arrived in Phoenix: and slowly bought or opened one movie theater after another. Over the years, Harry Sr. and, later, Harry Jr. operated the Orpheum, the Ritz, the Kachina, the Kiva and the Valley Art Theater. Harry Jr.

even ventured into drive-ins, owning among them the Northern, the Roundup and Silver Dollar theaters. When he was a young man, Nace convinced his father that moviegoers needed something to munch on while watching a show. Young Harry bought one of the first popcorn poppers in the country and set up a concession stand outside one of his dad's theaters. But Nace soon realized other goals, and they didn't involve putting down roots. running movie theaters.

So, after being courted by baseball scouts, he quit high school and joined a minor league team in Pennsylvania. He was a decent player but had to quit after tearing his rotator cuff. It meant coming back to Phoenix and joining his father. By the 1940s, father and son put their love of baseball into play, getting the Phoenix Senators team off the ground. It was the first professional baseball team in the Valley.

Billy Martin, one of the baseball legends who wound up with the New York Yankees, got his start with the team. But the success of the theaters and the recognition for Anne Webb, 95, of Sun City, died June 4, 2002. She was born December 31, in Cloud Chief, Oklahoma. Beloved Mother of Patricia Fowler, Richard Marcum and Carole Jan Milhizer. She is also survived by 8 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and one, great great granddaughter.

Memorial services will be held at 11AM, Saturday, June 8, 2002, Unity Church of Phoenix, 1500 E. Greenway Pkwy. Donations may be made to Vista Care Hospice, 4222 E. Thomas Phoenix, AZ, 85018. Larry T.

Westover, 61, 1 passed away May 29, 2002 in Denver, CO. He is survived by his loving wife Shaaron sons; Dustin 21, Kyle 15. Memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 9, at 3 p.m. Los Arcos Methodist Church 7425 E. Culver St, Scottsdale, AZ.

In leu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association 2929 S. 48th, Tempe, AZ JoAnne Wilson, passed away on June 4, 2002 in Mesa, AZ. She was born July 6, 1918 to Arthur and Elsie (Sperry) Potter in Broughton, Illinois. JoAnne leaves behind and will be dearly missed by her husband, Leo Eugene Wilson; daughters, Nona (Richard) Miller, Jeanne (Robert) Sandquist; 4 grandchildren, 4 greatgrandchildren; sister, Helen Hornburger and many friends. Funeral service on June 8, 2002 at 11am with visitation from 9-11am at Chapel of Prayer, 108 N.

56th St. in Mesa. Donations to Alzheimers 1028 E. McDowell, AZ 85006. Chung Yum Wong, 69, of Scottsdale Arizona, died June 2, 2002.

Visitation on June 8, 2002 from 9-1pm at Newcomer Family Mortuary, 6812 E. Thoams Scottsdale. Services on June 9, 8:30 AM at the mortuary. Internment to follow at Paradise Memorial Gardens, 9300 E. Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ, 10:00 AM Neva M.

Wood, 93, of Palo Verde Arizona, died June 3, 2002. Funeral services will be on at 9am at the Palo Verde Baptist, Church, 29600 W. Old Highway Palo Verde. 859 Cemetery Lots, Monuments Svcs A CHOICE LOCATION GARDEN OF PEACE 2 lots, $1700ea or 2 for $3000, or 480-213- Chandler. estate.

Mausoleum, Mortuary 2 crypts. Price $1700. is over Price $8000. cut to (602)279-9494 Phoenix includes 2 Memorial lots, Park, vaults, 1 burial bronze for two, package with vase, all installation. $4800.

(623) 486-5519 Resthaven Park, Glendale, 1 Lot, double depth, full vault vault bronze marker, $5200 value, asking $2500. (623)435-9232 lv msg A LIFE REMEMBERED 23 Nace family Harry Nace Jr. (left) and his father (right) often were visited by movie stars like Ray Milland at their Valley movie theaters. Harry Nace Jr. and his father once owned one of the largest movie theater chains in the state.

contributing to baseball, couldn't keep Harry Sr. from tragedy. On June 30, 1953, Nace found his father in his apartment, dead of a gunshot, the victim of an apparent suicide. A scrap of paper found on a desk in the living room contained this message: "Dear son, a nervous breakdown. God bless you all.

Dad." Nace had deeply loved his father and took the death hard. He and his father had a good relationship, but had different methods of doing business, his wife, Susie Nace said. Harry death revealed that he had left a sizable debt. Not wanting his father's name to be marred, Harry Jr. paid off each creditor to the nickel, she said.

Nace was able to make a success of the movie theater business and by 1955 owned about three-dozen theaters. He was an honorable man, Susie Nace said. Her daughter, who is also named Susie, agreed. Susie Krieser was 16 when her mother married Nace in 1969. She took to him instantly.

"He was one of the most fun people I've ever known," Krieser said. "He was like a little kid, taking off and doing crazy things." Her own father died when she was 10. Krieser remembers, when she was in Nace suggested she stop smoking. To entice her, he presented her with a cool blue, white-topped Camaro. He wrapped it in a huge white bow.

But giving up her vice wasn't so easy and Susie couldn't stop for good. "I went to him one day with tears in my eyes and handed him the keys. I said, 'I think I need to give you this He got up and hugged me and said, 'Remember, the important thing in life is Krieser said she eventually did quit, 20 years later. But if someone could understand just how hard it was to beat an addiction, it was Nace. Susie Nace said her husband had been an alcoholic.

The affliction gave him insight into the hurts of others and he was often empathetic. Nace wasn't patient by nature and sometimes was seen as too gruff. But he could easily be moved by another's loss. "Tears would well up in his eyes," Susie Nace said. "I called him my armor-plated creampuff." Survivors include his wife, Susie; daughters Frances Nace, Donna Kabibi, Melinda Nace and Susie Nace Krieser; son Harry L.

"Trey" Nace III; aunt Evelyn Nace; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Another son, Jamie, died in the 1990s. A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral, 6351 N.

27th Phoenix. A Life Remembered celebrates the lives of interesting people in Arizona who have recently passed away. To suggest someone, call Connie Sexton at (602) 444-8894 or e-mail arizonarepublic.com. HOSPITALS Veterans may not lose facilities Prescott facility was completed in 1937, although some of the buildings on its 36-acre campus are as old as 1902. "There have been no promises," said Pete Privitt, spokesman for the Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System.

"But we've had so much growth in the past five years we've just continued to expand." More than 515,000 veterans live in Arizona. That's a fraction of the veteran population in some states, such as California (2.3 million) and Texas (1.7 million), but larger than others, such as Colorado Nationally, there are 25 million veterans with more than 4.2 million using VA health care facilities in 2001. The VA has been shifting many of its health care services to outpatient clinics. The agency opened 11 such clinics from 1998 to 2001 in Yuma, Show Low, Bellemont, Kingman, Safford, Casa Grande, Sierra Vista, Lake Havasu City, Green Valley and Cottonwood. Clinics are planned in Black Canyon City, Payson, Maricopa County and Holbrook.

But the American Legion's Smith said he is concerned that ARRESTED 2 held in triple slaying From Page BI Mesa police spokesman. "This is just a great case, as far as what our detectives put together," he said. Police are not currently looking for any more suspects. Boggs was taken into custody by Mesa police Wednesday in east Mesa. Detectives learned that Hargrave, 21, was hiding out near Sycamore Creek, west of the Four Peaks Wilderness Area.

Mesa police requested assistance from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office SWAT team and Lake Patrol deputies, who routinely patrol that area. The deputies arrived in an armored personnel carrier. "Because of this guy's potential, and the heinous crime we wanted to take precautions," said Sgt. Bill Knight, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. At 4 a.m.

Thursday, deputies on the SWAT team scouted the campsite where Hargrave was sleeping, then returned to the armored carrier and moved in close enough to issue verbal commands. At 4:50 a.m., Hargrave was taken into custody without incident. According to court records, Hargrave has a long history of legal problems. He had at least 11 run-ins with authorities as a juvenile and the last, stealing a car in Scottsdale in 1997, got him sent to adult court. He pleaded guilty to attempted theft and was given three years' probation and ordered to serve three months in jail.

About three months later, he was arrested for snatching the purse of an elderly woman at the former Los Arcos Mall. He was sent to prison for violating his probation and the purse theft, and was released May 26, 2001. His parole ended in November 2001. Hargrave was raised primarily by his father, according to court documents. He spent his youth in and out of group homes and residential treatment centers, but had a history of running away.

He also told court officials that he had a drug problem. Brown's father, Leon Spencer, said Wednesday that he was glad the suspects in his son's death were caught. "I thought it was going to be one of those cases that keeps going on and on. It makes it bad for the immediate family," he said. Spencer, of Shiprock, N.M.,.

said that a few weeks before the murders, his son talked about bringing his girlfriend and three children back to Shiprock, but wanted to save some money first. "He was just somebody who was trying to get food on the table and clothes on the back of his kids," Spencer said. "The mourning never stops." Republic reporters Beth DeFalco and Susie Steckner contributed to this article. Reach the reporter at patricia. or at (602) 444-7961.

SAFETY Glendale out to prevent drownings From Page B1 From April 24 to May 30, Glendale firefighters and police officers responded to four drowning calls. Three the four victims died, two of of them 2-year-olds. All four calls involved backyard swimming pools; three of the pools were fenced. In 2001, 27 children drowned in the Valley. In mid-May, volunteers first took to the streets hanging fliers on Glendale homes, targeting a 2-square-mile area bounded by 59th and 67th avenues, Glendale Avenue and Camelback Road, a part of the city with the most drowning calls.

Janet Powell and Cameron Hook, a Laveen volunteer firefighter, were among the volunteers. "It's always the same thing," Hook said. "The most common question we ask is, 'Were you And they always say, 'I just turned my back for a Carol Norton of Glendale and her pooch Quito joined the walk, hoping to make a dent in the problem. "This is so, so important," she said. "The number of deaths have been so high." Pompa said once a parent or guardian loses eye contact with their children, they should consider them lost.

"You need to find them immediately," he said. "Don't wait a minute. Too many times we make assumptions about where they are." Glendale police Sgt. David Donald has responded to his share of drowning calls in his 23 years as an officer. "There are just too many deaths involving children," he said after fastening a flier to a door.

"We just don't want to see it anymore. It's a matter of them practicing what we preach." The message public safety workers preach is simple, said Glendale acting Fire Chief Mark Burdick. "Nothing replaces supervision," he said. "We are going door to door to let people know they have to take this message seriously. These As a community, we're all letting our guard down.

This is a very serious crisis. We need to stop it. Elio Pompa Glendale fire captain tragedies are preventable." When the message is forgotten or ignored, Glendale Firefighter Gregg Lentz and other firefighters and emergency workers see the look of fear and regret in the eyes of parents and family members. "Everybody's frantic," he said. "They can't believe this is happening to them.

They wonder, 'What could we have done to prevent We're out here giving them the answer." The safety tips on the flier are in English and Spanish: I Never leave children alone around water; know where your child is at all times. Secure all doors and gates leading to the pool area. Keep them in good working condition. When leaving the pool area, remove all inflatable toys or anything else that might entice a child to the wa- From Page BI an emphasis on outpatient services could leave veterans needing hospitalization without a nearby VA hospital. "We worry about inpatient care, too," said Smith, who served 27 years in the Army and fought in Vietnam and Korea.

Diagnosed with arthritis, hearing loss and other "minor ailments," Smith said he worries about where he would get services if the Phoenix hospital were to close. Spencer Ralston, associate director of the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System, said he doubts any Arizona facilities will be closed. "I really believe Arizona is one of those growth states," he said. "Arizona's facilities and Tucson in particular are in no danger of closing." If phone calls to local VA hospitals are any indication, veterans don't believe there's any danger, either. Paula Pedene of the Phoenix VA hospital said that although staffers expressed concern, no veterans called to ask whether the facility might close.

Reach the reporter at kerry.fehr-snyder@arizona republic.com or (602) 444-8975. ter. Know CPR. In case of a drowning, call 911. Keep any standing water out of harm's way.

Close toilet lids, empty inflatable pools and drain water from buckets. A child can drown in 1 to 02 inches of water. Officials are planning more safety walks, hoping to cover the entire city. "There are times you want to say, 'What else can we possibly do? Is anybody listening to Pompa said. "But we're not going to stop.

When we hit zero drownings, we'll know someone heard us." Reach the reporter at monica.dunsmoor@arizona republic.com or (602) 444-6925. Want it? Need it? Find it! Need a new place to live? Look for Republic Real Estate Rentals. Every Saturday and Sunday RealEsta! in The azcentral.com Arizona and Republic, FREE at anytime select on a Rentals locations Valleywide. THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC azcentral.com.