In Passing

Kay Cee Christenson (KayCee)

Kay Cee Christenson (KayCee), age 63 of Goodyear, Ariz., passed away on Friday, June 10, 2022, at Hospice of the Valley in Glendale, Ariz. Services were held June 17 at Thompson Funeral Chapel in Goodyear, Ariz., for immediate family. A celebration of life for friends and family will be held at a later date.

KayCee was born in Pomona, Calif., on Sept. 18, 1958. Her father worked for the U.S. Border Patrol, and the family moved to multiple border cities in the states of Texas, Michigan, Vermont, and North Dakota. However, she spent most of her early life in Portal, N.D., and considered it her hometown. She graduated from Burke Central High School in Lignite, N.D., in 1976, where she excelled in basketball and track. KayCee attended The National College of Business (NCB) in Rapid City, S.D., where she met her future husband, Todd, who was attending South Dakota School of Mines. Following graduation, the young couple moved to Traverse City, Mich., to start their lives together. They were married on July 17, 1982. They moved from Michigan to Texas, where their first son (Matthew) was born. After three years in Texas, the family moved to Anchorage, Alaska where their second son (Daniel) was born. They spent the next 25 years raising their family in the 49th state.

KayCee was a stay-at-home mother to her two boys in their early years, and later worked for the school district as a teacher’s aide and librarian’s assistant. She enjoyed weekends at the cabin, fishing, clamming, berry picking, quilting, and attending her boys’ soccer games.

In her retirement years she spent her summers in Alaska, and winters in Arizona. She enjoyed golfing, whether it be in her couple’s groups or women’s 9-holers. Genealogy was a passion of hers. She was a daughter of the American Revolution, and could trace her roots back to the Mayflower. Traveling internationally and experiencing the world was a passion of KayCee’s. She traveled to Europe, Central America, South America, and Australia. Her favorite experience was her European River cruise.

Grateful for sharing her life are her husband, Todd Christenson of Goodyear, Ariz.; their sons, Matthew Christenson (Lindsay Weingartner) of Anchorage, Alaska; Daniel Christenson of Goodyear, Ariz.; brother, Steve (Barbara) Cudney of Hollis, N.H.; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

Kaycee was preceded in death by her parents Loren and Maureen (Muralt) Cudney.

Gary Lord

As in life, Gary was very well-organized in death. His planning was greatly appreciated by his family, but it was needed sooner than anyone expected.

Gary Reese Lord was born in Ellenville, N.Y., on July 22, 1939, to Joe and Thelma Lord. He spent his youth in Potsdam, N.Y., where he was active in sports and student government. Full of entrepreneurial spirit, he met his beloved wife, Ruth, while selling greeting cards to his future mother-in-law, Dorothy Putnam.

From upstate New York he earned an appointment to West Point and company K1, where he made many lifelong friends. He managed the basketball team and was a member of the ski team. As fate would have it, Gary had stashed a car off-post, and on an extended leave weekend in his senior year, he ventured off to South Bend to visit Ruth. They decided to get married, and “sealed the deal” on July 29, 1961.

Army life was good to Gary and Ruth and took them all over the world. He was honored to serve his country. Gary’s first assignment was the 82nd Airborne at Ft. Bragg, N.C., where he and Ruth welcomed their first-born son, Brad. The army awarded Gary with the opportunity to get a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Illinois, where daughter Kristi was born. Following a tour in Vietnam, Gary served as an aide to a 4-star general in Tampa, Fla. Here, the growing Lord family welcomed another daughter, Kelleen. Lastly, son Reese joined the family while Gary was stationed in California and working in the Sacramento Engineer District.

After many years of life all over the map, including a 3-year stay for the family in Germany, Gary retired from the military as the District Engineer of Portland, Ore., in March of 1988. Military retirement led to a fulfilling second career in engineering with Kiewit Construction. Gary and Ruth joined the Arizona community of PebbleCreek toward the end of his career and met many dear friends who share in their love of golf, wine, bridge, and socializing. Gary and Ruth loved to play host, never more evident than during their annual Easter fundraiser.

Travel was a real passion for Gary, both with Ruth and with his family. He traveled to places people dream of including Africa, Costa Rica, Peru, the Balkans, a trek through the Austrian Alps, and a landmark trip back to Southeast Asia to revisit what he built and sacrificed for all those years ago. And, in what would turn out to be his final trip, the extended family was able to gather at a grand villa in the Tuscan Hills of Italy to celebrate Gary and Ruth’s 60th wedding anniversary, despite the logistical hurdles posed by a global pandemic.

Always known for his active and healthy lifestyle, his cancer diagnosis in May of this year came as a complete shock to both family and friends. He fought like the soldier he was, but lost that battle on July 15, 2022, surrounded by his family.

Known for his beautiful smile and vivid spirit, he will be deeply missed by Ruth, his four children and their spouses, nine grandkids, two great-grandkids, and countless dear friends.

Gary Ludwig

Gary Ludwig, 86, passed away July 22, 2022, at home in PebbleCreek after fighting multiple myeloma for eight years. He leaves behind his wife, Karen Ludwig; daughter, Beth Streeter; son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Bryan and Elisabeth Ludwig; and three grandchildren, Simon Streeter, Zachary Ludwig, and Julia Ludwig. He is survived by his sister Shirley Brown and his nieces and nephews-in-law, Cindy and Tom Pugh and Jill and Andrew McIntyre.

Gary was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and spent his early years in Fort Dodge and Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Northwestern University for two years then graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. He began his career at Procter & Gamble but was called up for service in the Air Force as a Captain. After four years in the Air Force, he decided to stay on as a civilian at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in the research and development department. He went on to get his MBA at Ohio State University and later worked on a master’s in electrical engineering.

It was during his time at Ohio State that he met his wife Karen, who was just beginning college as an adult student. They married after she graduated and lived in Beavercreek, Ohio. They had two children; both also graduates of Ohio State.

Gary retired at the senior executive service level in 1994, and he and Karen traveled the world for the next 20 years seeing six different continents. They were snowbirds in Arizona for many years and have been permanent residents for three years.

Gary was a tennis player and enjoyed the camaraderie of the drop-in men’s tennis group. He was also an avid ham radio operator and member. In his middle years, he enjoyed taking his family camping, boating, and on many family vacations all over the world. He left a wonderful legacy through his family and will be remembered always. We send him on with love and peace.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Gary Ludwig’s name to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation at 383 Main Avenue, 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851.

Memorial services will be held in Dayton, Ohio.

John Mortimer Wallace

John Mortimer Wallace (CMSGT U.S. Air Force, retired), born April 11, 1932, passed away peacefully Aug. 4, 2022, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Born in Limerick, Maine, to Loretto and Foster Wallace, John’s greatest joy was his wife and family.

John began his military career in 1952 and married his high school sweetheart, Sheila Ryan, in 1954. Following retirement John worked at Boeing and St. John Bosco Catholic Church. John also became a Master Gardener and devoted many volunteer hours at the Military Base Exchange providing gardening advice. John had a great sense of humor and was always quick with a smile and a joke. An extremely generous man, he would frequently give away his hat, shirt, or sweater to anyone who complimented him on his attire. He loved making bread for family, friends, and neighbors and to quietly buy dinner for some young family in a restaurant.

In the 1970s, John joined the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and became a Prayer Group leader in both Illinois and Washington, a member of the board and later President of the Board after which he became active in the Knights of Columbus. He was elected to Knights’ State Officer, becoming State Deputy in 2009, and received numerous awards for his service. In 2001 John and his family were selected the Knights Family of the Year and chosen Second Runner-Up as International Family of the Year.

During his military career, John was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and Air Medals for service and valor. John is predeceased by his daughter, Deborah Jean (Debbie) Wallace, and great-granddaughter Gretchen Clary. He leaves his wife of nearly 68 years, Sheila (Ryan) Wallace; daughters Cheryl Kunkle (Steve) of Goodyear, Ariz., Bonnie Clark (Glenn) of Puyallup, Wash., and Sharon Webster (Robert) of Puyallup, Wash.; sons John Wallace (Lois) of Liberty, Wash., and Scott Wallace (Ellen) of Puyallup, Wash.; 20 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.