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Frances Yonash
Classmate Chuck Cohen writes:
Fran was a teacher in TUSD for many years. I worked with her
at Ford Elementary School. She was remarried approximately 16
years ago and moved to either Washington State or Oregon in
the late 90's. I'm sorry to say she died a few years later.
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Gary Palant
1941-2002
From The Arizona Daily Star
Gary R. Palant died Monday, October 21, 2002 after a long hard battle with melanoma. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sandi; his loving children, Wendy and Brian (Kristin) and his adoring twin granddaughters, Ariel and Zoe. Gary was born in Catskill, New York and moved with the family to Tucson in 1957. He graduated from Catalina High School and the University of Arizona with honors. While attending college, Gary pursued a career in radio broadcasting which flourished for 17 years. After his successful career in broadcasting, he joined his family owned business as a commercial real estate broker.
CLASS
OF
Catalina High School, Tucson, Arizona, USA
IN MEMORIAM L-Z
If you know of someone who is not listed, or would like to add to the memory of one who is already here, please click here and submit the information.
Ron Wininger
1941-1959 (3/28/1941 - 7/09/1959)
He was probably the first of our class to pass away. He died in a mining accident the summer we graduated.
Ron's sister, Maureen Wininger Tollman, writes (Nov. 2005):
Thank you for listing my brother on your website. He liked
Catalina High! I was surprised to find his name on the web
while searching for geneaolgy information about the great
uncle that he was named after. Great website! I graduated
from Tucson Hi and live in Phoenix now.
Maureen Wininger Tollman
Mary Helen Richardson
1941-1970
Honor student at CHS and University of Arizona, she worked in the office of Congressman Morris Udall.
Leroy Meadows
1941-2000
Leroy was a member of the singing group Jack Wallace and The Hi-Tones in high school. He also had the lead in the senior class play, High Button Shoes.
Bill Sink
Murdered in San Francisco in the early 1980's. We are conducting an investigation into the circumstances of his death. You can read about our findings here.
Marsha Moore (Marsha Rae Moore Hussar)
1941-1982
Classmate Sandi Bauman writes:
Marsha died of cancer. She was married and divorced from Bill Hussar. She was the mother of William, Michael and Holly Hussar.
Information I have is skimpy. It was a long time ago that she
passed away.
Jim Patton
died approximately 1985
Classmate Bob Vinyard writes:
Jim married Kathy Schrubb (Amphi) shortly after graduation and eventually wound up in Gallup, N.M., working for a coal mining company. My wife, Sharleen Bool (Amphi' 59) and I were the Godparents to Jim and Kathy's two girls. When Jim and I were approximately 43 years old he developed a brain tumor and didn't survive.
Linda Faye Stewart
1941-2001
Classmate Bob Vinyard writes:
After graduation, Linda went to work for TG&E. In the 60/61
time frame she met Tom Brooks who was studying at the UofA.
They were married and she continued to work while he finished
his EE degree. They lived in the old quonset huts near the
UofA campus.
After Tom's graduation, he was hired by PhilcoFord and they
moved to San Jose, Ca. where they stayed for quite a few
years. They had three beautiful kids, two girls and a boy.
Sometime in 2000 Linda was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and
she passed away in March, 2001.
Tom now lives near the east coast and between all their
children, there are eight grandchildren.
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Mark Taiz
Mark became a medical doctor and was murdered in his office in South Tucson by an insane patient in the mid- 1970's. He is survived by his wife, Marsha, and two sons.
Mark's son, David Taiz, writes (Jan. 2006)
I just found a picture and write up on my Dad - Mark Taiz. I am so thankful for your memoriam of those who have gone on. I had never seen that school picture of my Dad, what a treat!
Thanks again,
David Taiz
Later, at your Webmaster's request, David wrote us more about his Dad:
My Dad, Mark studied to be a osteopath in Des Moines, then moved back to Tucson where he did his residency at Tucson General. He then started his own practice down on Ajo Road. Not long after establishing his practice, a man with a brain tumor came to seek help. Apparently, after some diagnosis, Dad realized the man had a tumor, which he could not help him with. Despite the diagnosis, the man visited the office a few times and the men became better acquainted.
Some time later the man's tumor must have swelled, causing him to be extremely violent. The man, with pistol in hand, first went to a local gas station. There he found the attendant, who had helped the old man many times, and proceeded to shoot and kill him. The police were called, but before they reached the killer, he reached my Dad. The man walked into the office, and asked my Dad for a cup of water. As Dad bent over to fill a cup, the man shot him in the back of the head - killing him.
The man was taken into custody, and was tried. He was deemed temporarily insane, and sentenced to about six months in a mental institution. From what I heard, the man later took his own life.
At the time, I was nine and my brother was eleven. Dad was great. He played with us boys, he took us hunting and fishing, and taught us so many things. We miss him still. I became a Christian minister in 1992 and had my first position in Tucson. I now live and minister in Sarasota Florida. My brother specializes in custom mask making in Tucson.
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Dennis Oliver
1942-1983
His sister, Kathleen M. Roberts, writes:
Dennis Oliver graduated summa cum laude from the U of A in 1963, majoring in French and English. He left to pursue a PHD in
Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois. From there he
joined the faculty of Washington University in St. Louis where he and his first wife had three children, Christine, Geoffrey and Brian. Dennis and his second wife, Pat Kennedy, had a daughter, Maureen in 1982. In August, 1983, at the height of his career in writing and computers, he died of a heart attack.
His daughter Christine was awarded her MA in child development from Harvard in 2001 and her MSW from Smith College in August, 2004. His young daughter Maureen Oliver Seigel (adopted by her step father) will be awarded her Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in December, 2004. He would have been proud of them.
He was a great writer, a great brother and a great human being. I am his sister, and I will always miss him.
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Mary McCutcheon (Bugna)
1941-2006
Mary passed away August 14, 2006 after a 20 year battle with cancer.
She had a bachelors degreee from Long Beach State in history and was a counselor and elementary school teacher.
She leaves behind two children, Charles and Annmarie.
She was an advocate for saving the environment.
John Phelps
1941-2007
John died January 19, 2007. He was a wildlife biologist and worked for the State of Arizona Game and Fish Dept.
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Edwin "Eddie" Mack
1941-2005
Eddie died in a plane crash right before Christmas, 2005. He was piloting a single-engine Beechcraft 36 Bonanza that crashed seven miles from the Livermore airport.
Eddie and his wife, 56-year-old Sandra Mack, were flying in to see their two kids and two toddler-aged grandchildren for Christmas in San Ramon.
CHS Classmate Don Fones, friend of Eddie's told the press: "He didn't show up at 5:00 like he said he was going to. So I drove to the Livermore airport to see where he was. And some chaplain told me that they crashed and he was gone."
Gordon Larsen
1940-2008
Gordon Richard Larsen was born September 7, 1940 in Muskegon, Michigan and passed on peacefully Saturday, July 26, 2008 in Tucson, Arizona. Gordon is survived by his wife of 35 years, Irene; sister, Sandra Smith; sister-in-law, Barbara Malone; nieces, April Young (Dean), and Julie Stimmell (Todd); step-nephew, Fred Smith III (Lisa); three grandnephews and one grandniece. He was employed by Amphitheater Schools for 44 years. Throughout his 57 years in Tucson. Gordon was involved in many community activities including The Miss Tucson Pageant, The Fort Lowell Shootout, The Winterhaven festival of Lights, and the Boy Scouts of America.
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Dean Wamsley
1940-1999
Dean died January 15, 1999 in Tucson.
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Gerard Mordret
1942-2005
Gerry was born in France, and died in Phoenix, AZ, Aug. 16, 2005.
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Curtis Picker
1940-2008
Curtis was a lifelong member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 40 in Hollywood, CA, serving the motion picture industry.
He died April 30, 2008 in Bullhead City, Arizona.
Gregory Pulliam
1941-1985
Gregory died young, just 44 years old, in 1985.
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Thornton (Thorny) Prime
1941-2009
Thorny's wife, Angie, writes:
My beloved husband, Thornton (Thorny) Prime died Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 of pancreatic cancer. I found the 50th Reunion announcement on his desk so he was obviously remembering his days at Catalina High
School.
Thorny graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Arizona. Before his retirement in 1999, Thorny was the head of the Office of Parking Management for the City of Los Angeles. He oversaw the conversion of the city's 41,000 mechanical
parking meters to state of the art electronic meters, improving the meter lock security system to insure the integrity of the $20 million in meter revenues generated for the City. He also established a Transportation Studies Division to provide traffic forecasts for the Los Angeles area. He was the liaison to the City Council.
He leaves his wife, Angie, four children and four grandchildren who loved him dearly.
Gary Williams
1941-1966
Classmate Nancy Wargo Holmes supplied the following:
Gary G. Williams was born in January, 1941 and passed away in January, 1966 in Howell, Michigan from a sudden illness.
After graduating from CHS in 1959, he began studies in physics at the University of Arizona and graduated from the UofA in 1963.
He was the winner of a fellowship to Michigan State University and took his Master's degree there. He, also, was a candidate for the Ph.D. in solid state physics. He was fascinated by and loved anything to do with airplanes!
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Johanna (Jody) Nordin Lopez
Jody was married to Ronnie Lopez and had two children.
Vic Parsons
1941-2010
From The Arizona Daily Star
PARSONS, Victor Cyril, Jr., born July 23, 1941, died March 29, 2010. Survived by wife, Janet Parsons and sons, Chad (Emily), Mike, Don and Gary, as well as seven grandchildren.
He was a member of the LDS East Stake.
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Sally Van Orsdol Wilson
1941-2012
From The Arizona Daily Star:
Sally Ruth Wilson, loving mother of two and grandmother of four passed away September 21, 2012. Born in Phoenix, raised in Tucson, and raising her own family in Los Lunas, New Mexico, she retired back to Tucson in 2010. Preceded in death by her mother Edith; father Jack, and brother Jack Van Orsdol. Survived by sons, Brian and Kevin; grandsons, James, Lucas, Simon, and Isaac.
Ruth Lagle
1941-2009
The following was written by Ruth's brother, Larry Lagle:
It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of my sister Ruth. Last night (June 18, 2009) she lost her long battle with cancer. She was born August 13, 1941 in Yuma, Arizona to Woodroe and Melba Lagle. She is survived by her husband, Lloyd Cook, mother, Mrs. Melba Lagle, brothers Larry and Carl. Ruth has a daughter, Ruth Ann Ohlemann, a son, Bo Rodman, and five grandchildren.
Ruth went to school in Bowie from the First Grade through her junior year then graduated from Catalina High School in Tucson, Arizona. Even though she didn’t graduate with her class she always considered herself a member of the Bowie Class of 1959.
While in Bowie, Ruth was an active member of the Rainbow Girls organization in Willcox, Arizona for six years and held a State office for a year. In recent years, Ruth has been an active member Breast Cancer Support organization and participated in walks and fund raising events.
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Joyce Ann Young (Vining)
Jan. 19, 1940 - Mar. 29, 2013
Joyce passed away in Durango, Colorado. To see a picture of her shortly before her death, click here.
Roy E. Price
1941-2014
Roy passed away in Luna, New Mexico, Feb. 9, 2014. He was 73.
Maureen Malone (Becker)
1942-2014
Maureen passed away Feb. 14, 2014 from various illnesses.
She lived in Villa Park, Illinois, outside Chicago.
Married to Keith Becker, she had four daughters, four grandsons, and three grandaughters.
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Jeanne Webb (Bourke)
1941-2014
From the Arizona Daily Star:
Laura Jean Bourke (Jeanne) Jeanne slipped away from us on the morning of November 9, 2014 after a noble battle with breast cancer. She was 73, but she would always tell you she was really 29. We will miss the glow of her presence, sparkling laughter, enduring strength, and tender, loving heart. May her glow live on in every soul she touched. No words on a page can truly capture her grace and beauty. She joins her beloved son, Richard Michael Bourke; mother, and father, Rachael Ann and John Derwood Webb, who preceded her in leaving this world and now are celebrating with her in Heaven. She is survived by her loving fiancé, Pete B. Hand; her daughter, Amy Anderson Perez and grandsons, James Xavier and John David; her son, Dr. Erik Albert Anderson; his wife, Lisa Marie Colby and grandsons, Owen Colby and Luke Thomas and countless cherished friends.
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Myna Meissner Stroth
1941-2015
In her own words from her obituary:
I, Myna Marie Stroth, passed away on May 15, 2015 in Scottsdale after losing my struggle with ALS. I was born in 1941 to Nick and Martha Meissner of Glendive, Montana, graduated from the U of A, and, after moving to Anaheim to teach, had the great fortune to meet my future husband, Ronald Alan Stroth, MD, my partner and my love. We settled in Philadelphia, where Ron finished his anesthesia residency and our son, Bob, was born. In 1970 we moved to Phoenix. Ron practiced at the Scottsdale hospitals. Our daughter Stephanie was born in 1971. I taught at Phoenix Country Day School for five years, followed by ten years of teaching gifted students at Madison Simis School, which I loved! After retiring, Ron and I bought our dream cabin in Munds Park and spent 15 idyllic summers with our friends and neighbors. Our favorite pastime was traveling the world with our close friends Stu and Anne Matheson and Chuck and Judy Johnson. Surviving me is my husband, Ron, with whom I shared 46 fulfilling and gratifying years of marriage; our son, Robert Alan Stroth, M.D. (Amy) and our grandson William; our daughter Stephanie (Keith); my brother, Tom Meissner (Carol); our nephews Tom (Lynn) and David; and our niece Susan.
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Bob Lippert
1941-2016
Classmate Jack Simmons writes:
I received word from Bob Lippert's daughter Heidi that he passed
away in his sleep on April 3, 2016. Bob has been living and working in
Battle Mountain, Nevada for the past 35 years. Bob was an accomplished carpenter and worked the construction trade since high school.
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Billy Raymond Zimmerman
Jan. 11, 1941 - Jan. 27, 2018
Classmate Ronald Graeser writes:
"Billy died suddenly at age 77 of an apparent heart attack at his home in Apache Junction, Arizona. He has a surviving wife, Evelia, daughter, Robyn, and two grandchildren. He was a pharmacist having graduated from the University of Arizona in 1964 at the top of his class (I think). He was my best friend since 3rd grade, and I shall miss him."
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Patty Odom Bezila
1941-2016
Patty worked at KGUN-TV, Channel 9 after graduation and met Frank Bezila, a TV director. They were married. Patty later joined the Tucson Police Dept. and had a long career. Frank and Patty divorced and she married Walter Berry. Her son Erik was at her side when she passed away Oct. 6, 2016 at 11:16pm.
From her obituary at legacy.com.
Carolyn died peacefully at home on September 26, 2019, surrounded by her husband, David Lee Jordon, and her three sisters, Pat, Gloria and Susan. Born on July 6, 1941, in Shreveport, LA, the first child of Mary Elizabeth Harrison Stell and William Otis "Hook" Stell. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arizona and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. She resided in East Lansing for 52 years.
The hallmark of Carolyn's life was her integrity. The principles which guided her for 78 remarkable years arose from the core beliefs developed in childhood. A strong sense of fairness and justice were joined by compassion and caring. She always credited the words and lives of her parents as the genesis of these virtues. These principles translated into real action throughout her life. During her early years in East Lansing she was active in Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Even earlier, as a university undergraduate, she led a challenge and stood her ground to secure integrated pledging in her sorority. Carolyn made a difference.
Complete obituary here.
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Carolyn Stell
1941-2019
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Marilyn Neumer White
1940-2021
From the Arizona Daily Star:
12/31/1940-9/23/2021
Marilyn is survived by her son, Tommy White; sister, Barbara Ashton; granddaughter, Lorena Ruman. Marilyn worked for Tucson Unified School District as a Library Clerk, was an active member of The Order of Eastern Star, also a member of the Ostomy Support Group and a volunteer at Tucson Medical Center. She will be missed by the many lives she touched, especially around Christmas time when she made her famous shortbread for so many. Services will be on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at 450 N. Pantano Rd The Builders Lodge #60.
Robert D. Lawrence "Animal"
1941-2021
Animal, (Robert D. Lawrence), died January 14, 2021 at Banner University Medical Center, Tucson, AZ., at age 79.
He was born to Guy and Ruby Lawrence, April 2, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois. The family moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1945 where he grew up, graduating from Catalina High School in 1959.
In October of 1963 he joined the United States Air Force where he served until his retirement in September of 1984.
After his retirement he attended Pima Community College, receiving certifications in Social Services - Substance Use Disorders and Hypnotherapy.
He moved to Sierra Vista, AZ., sometime after his retirement, where he resided until his death.
Animal was a long time member and past president of the Nomaden International Motorcycle Club.
He was proceeded in death by his parents and is survived by: his sister, Ina Marie Benz, Gold Canyon, AZ.; fiancé, DanaMarie Maiello, Tucson, AZ. His children: Robert D. Lawrence, Jr., Denver, CO; Guylene Nalezynski and husband Michael, Lancaster, NY.; Dale E. Lawrence, Las Cruces, NM.; Judie Loux and husband Jerry, Ramona, CA. Grandchildren: Ian A. Lawrence, Greensboro, NC. Brittany, Kyle and Brynn Geerhart and Blaine Ludlow, Lockport, NY.; Samantha Scherrer, Ramona, CA.; Robin Pyeatt, Astoria, OR.; Jeremy Loux, Yuma, AZ; Jonathan Loux, Phoenix, AZ.; James Loux, Pine Valley, CA; Jacob Loux, Ramona, CA. and 9 Great-Grandchildren.
His page at CHS1959, HERE
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Ellen Riley (Rowe)
1941-2023
Ellen passed away in Phoenix Feb. 24, 2023. From her first marriage she had 3 children, Tracy, James (deceased) and Terri. She then married Don who gave her an additional 4 children. He passed away early in their marriage and left her a widow for 39 years.
Read about Ellen, what she wrote on her CHS page HERE.
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Jack T. Wallace
1940-2023
Jack died April 19, 2023. After high school, he married his CHS sweetheart, Carol Fisher. They had 2 children and later divorced. He did not remarry. He was preceded in death by his twin brother Jim and his oldest son, John Wallace. He leaves behind his son Paul and his two grandchildren, Amanda and Mark, and great-grandchildren, Aubrey and Dominic.
Jack was a member of the singing group Jack Wallace and the HI-Tones and was the first to record for Zoom Records in 1959.
