In Passing

Ronald Leslie Ash

Ronald Leslie Ash was born in Hawaii on April 11, 1945 and passed away peacefully on Feb. 22, 2020. He was preceded in death by parents Allan Leslie Ash and Deloris Charlotte (Coville) Ash. Ron was married in Hawaii to Cheryl André (Anderson) Ash on Nov. 3, 1976. He served in the Air Force from 1968-1971. Ron spent his career as a developer and built the first Burger King in Hawaii. The majority of his career was spent in Washington where he started Ron Ash Construction and Westland Development. He built over 200 homes during his time as a developer and joked that he was a “one horse contractor.” His number one and favorite job was being a husband, father, and grandpa. Ron believed in giving back and donated to American Cancer Society, Relay for Life, and others. When Ron retired, he moved to PebbleCreek in Goodyear, Arizona. He loved activities such as skiing, golf, boating, and spending time with friends and family.

Ron is survived by wife of 43 years Cheryl, brother Jim Ash, daughter Lauren (Josh) Cartwright, and Erica (Kyle) Brandstatter, and grandchildren Jack, Poppy, Henry, and Penelope.

William Earl Ballard

William Earl Ballard of Goodyear, AZ passed away on Feb. 18, 2020. He was born Oct. 28, 1938, in Flint, MI to Lewis and Virginia Ballard. Bill received his bachelor of science degree in engineering from Wayne State University and his master’s degree from UCLA. His career saw him through many aspects of engineering management at Litton Industries and as Director of Engineering at EMM, often working with the military. He loved Houghton Lake in Michigan, especially in the fall. Bill and Patty planned the date of their wedding to coincide with the beauty of the leaves. After marrying, the couple moved to California where they lived for 45 years. Upon retiring, they moved to PebbleCreek Resort Community in Arizona where, for 15 years, they split their time between Arizona and a home on a lake in Michigan.

Bill loved to read and often had a book in his back pocket. He enjoyed the theater and music from country to classical. He liked playing a good, competitive game of bridge. Over the years, in his leisure time, he enjoyed golf, camping, hiking, boating, water skiing, and fishing. He will be remembered by his family and friends for being a huge UCLA, NFL, and golf fan.

Bill was a man of few, well-chosen words. He had a generous nature, pleasant sense of humor, and a twinkle in his eye. He was private in his faith, strong in his convictions, and was active in his church. Family was at the forefront of his life and he loved his wife, son, and grandchildren with all of his heart. He lived a blessed and enriched life and will be greatly missed.

Bill is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia Ballard; son, Michael Ballard; grandsons, Jackson and Lewis Ballard; and granddaughter, S. Eleanor Ballard. He was preceded in death by his brother, Robert and his parents.

A celebration of life was held on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at Christ Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Salvation Army at https://give.salvationarmyusa.org or Hospice of the Valley at https://www.hov.org/donate/. Condolences for the family may be left at www.ThompsonFuneralChapel.com.

Steven Robert Braden

Steven Robert Braden, age 72 of Goodyear, AZ, died peacefully Feb. 14, 2020, surrounded by family. He was born May 29, 1947, in Frankfort, IN, the oldest of three sons born to Ralph and Kathryn Braden. The family moved to Anaheim, CA when Steve was age 12. He graduated from Savannah High School in Anaheim and went on to serve in the Air Force. While attending high school, Steve met Kayrene Moore and the high school sweethearts married prior to Steve being sent overseas. He later received a bachelor degree in behavioral science from the University of San Francisco.

Steve began working for the New York Life Insurance Company. He stayed with the company for 33 years, beginning as an agent, becoming a managing partner, then a zone vice president, and finally a senior vice president. He loved working for NY Life and cherished the relationships he had with his coworkers. He spent many hours training, mentoring, and offering a listening ear and wise counsel to those he worked with. He was an extraordinary man who knew how to make things happen. Ideas were quickly brought to fruition under his practiced direction.

Retirement brought new opportunities to serve and mentor. Steve spent many hours leading men’s Christian fellowship groups in California prior to moving to PebbleCreek and continued at Palm Valley Church here in AZ. He firmly believed that men should gather together to encourage and support each other. He was a member of the Desert Springs Community Church. He established the Unit 54 men’s breakfast group and thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet new people. Steve was warm and caring and was known for his attentiveness to communicating with his friends and family often.

He was a member of the PebbleCreek Men’s 9-hole group. He was the captain of one bocce ball team and played on another bocce ball team as well. He also belonged to the Putter’s Club and the Italian American Club. He valued the time he spent fishing with his friends and filling the freezer with halibut and salmon.

Steve travelled extensively throughout the United States as part of his job and he and Kayrene enjoyed additional travel to many different countries. They lived in Japan for two years and Steve consulted in China for three years after his retirement. He and Kayrene had some wonderful trips throughout Asia during that time.

His greatest joy came from spending time with his family. He was especially mindful of his grandchildren and the role he wanted to play in their lives. He had a strong desire to imprint on his grandchildren the values he held dear. He shared his love of baseball with a grandson and they frequently attended Angels and Diamondback games together. He loved to attend his grandsons’ baseball games and band concerts and rarely missed any event in which they were involved. He cherished the special relationships he had with his granddaughters and loved visiting them in Idaho. He treasured his family and loved them deeply. He had a positive attitude in adversity, a grateful heart, and seemed to always have a smile for everyone.

Steve is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kayrene Braden; sons, Matthew (Julie) and Marc (Krista) Braden; brothers, Stan (Janette) and Brad (Trudy) Braden; two grandsons, Carter and Chase; three granddaughters, Sarah, Stephanie, and Sophia; and mother, Kathryn. Condolences for the family may be left at http://www.thompsonfuneralchapel.com/obituary/steven-robert-braden/.

Jerry L. Burch

Jerry L. Burch of Goodyear, AZ, formerly of Springfield, IL, passed away Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 with his family at his side. Born Nov. 1, 1937, in La Plata, MO, he was preceded in death by parents George and Dorcas (Mikel) Burch. He is survived by wife Kathleen (Conaghan) Burch; son George (Teresa) Burch; daughter Kristen (Todd) Mitchell; stepdaughter Patricia (Brent) McRae; grandsons Christopher, Benjamin, Andrew, and Zachary Mitchell; and beloved cat Tigger.

Jerry graduated Conroe High School (1955) in Conroe, TX and worked for Illinois Bell in West Chicago, IL. He then served in the Army (1960-1962) at Fort Lewis, WA and in Germany. Upon his return he worked at Illinois Bell/ATT in both West Chicago and Springfield, IL until 1992, while graduating from Sangamon State University, Springfield, IL (1982). Jerry was an accountant for the Illinois EPA until retiring to Goodyear, AZ in 2002. He was an avid reader and enjoyed crossword puzzles, hunting, duplicate bridge, and poker with his friends in PebbleCreek.

A celebration of Jerry’s life was held March 19 at Tuscany Falls Clubhouse in Goodyear. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Quad City Animal Welfare Center, 724 2nd Ave. W, Milan, Illinois 61264.

Janice Laree Feather

Janice Laree Feather, age 79, died on Feb. 13,, in Goodyear. She was born on a spring day, April 10, 1940, in Gehring, NE to Lucille and Harold Brown. Jan lived her early years in Cheyenne, WY. She married Ken Feather and they had three children. She worked in Ken’s insurance agency in Burien, WA. They retired and lived as snowbirds traveling between PebbleCreek and Orting, WA.

Jan was quite the gardener. She was known to work in one of her gardens for hours. She enjoyed reading and was a member of the Page Turners Book Club for many years. She loved to travel and enjoyed camping and golf. Jan also did a lot of volunteering at her church.

Jan is survived by her husband, Ken Feather; children, Michelle, Michael, and Kenny Dean; ten grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 11, at 2 p.m., at Christ Presbyterian Church, located on 925 N. Sarival Ave., in Goodyear.

Condolences for the family may be left at http://www.thompsonfuneralchapel.com/obituary/janice-laree-feather/.

Andras Kovacs

Andras Kovacs, 82, passed away February 4, 2020 in Goodyear, AZ. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 until 1979. After his second retirement, he and his wife moved to PebbleCreek in 1995.

Andy is survived by his wife of 55 years, Magdalena; his brother-in-law, Andras Zajak; family; and friends. Magdalena suggests donations to Kare Bears or Hospice of the West.

James Edward Roberts, Jr.

Memorial Service for Jim Roberts

James Edward Roberts, Jr. (a.k.a. Jim, or Deak to family and close friends), age 80, of Canton, Ohio and Goodyear, Arizona, died on Jan. 2, 2020. He is survived by his wife Carol Miller-Roberts; daughter of his first marriage, Mary Kathryn Zuza of Goodyear, AZ; and sister, Susan Kathryn Travis of Northern Kentucky. Jim is preceded in death by his first wife Mary Jane Roberts.

Born in Charleston, West Virginia, on Jan. 24, 1939, and raised in Vienna, West Virginia, where he graduated from Vienna Elementary School and Neale Junior High School. He graduated from Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, where he distinguished himself by being promoted in rank each of the three years he was there and twice as a cadet officer during his senior year. He was also the school’s table tennis champion in 1953-54, and winner of the school’s Commercial Medal for top business student at graduation in 1956.

As a Greenbrier Military School alumnus, he served on the Board of Directors, created the “Greenbrier Forever Society” for family and friends, and served as publicity director for the Greenbrier Leadership Institute, an organization providing online principle-based leadership education for junior high and high school students. He is also a member of the McElhenney Society of major donors.

He was the first member of his immediate family to attend college. After a year at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, he transferred to the University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical science. He later earned an MBA from The Ohio State University.

After college, he started his Naval career at Officer Candidate school in Newport, Rhode Island. On being commissioned ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve, he started Naval flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He discontinued flight training and was assigned to the fleet on board the USS Waldo County LST 1163 the Amphibious Force in Little Creek Norfolk, Virginia where he was ultimately promoted to lieutenant and served as the ship’s operations department head, command duty officer, and officer of the deck underway for special evolutions. Mr. Roberts remained in the Naval Reserve for an additional 21 years, serving on several ships and shore stations. His service was during the Cold War, which included the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and he is a recipient of the “Cold War Certificate of Recognition” signed by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, acknowledging service to a grateful nation. He was promoted every time he was eligible and retired a Captain O-6 from the United States Navy in 1984, after 24 years of service to the nation. Captain Roberts was a recipient of the “Certificate of Appreciation for Honorable Service in the Armed Forces of the United States.”

Former civilian employers were The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Standard Oil of Indiana – AMOCO Chemicals Division (now BP). He founded his own company, Jim Roberts Plastics, manufacturing and marketing a patented product of his invention, U.S. patent 4,451,164, the “Dish Scrubber,” The detergent-in-the-handle dishwashing tool, now available from many producers and used throughout the world.

He stopped his business activity to assist his late wife, Mary Jane (Hudak) Roberts (1938–2000), teach mathematics and computer science as a volunteer for 14 years at Central-Hower High School in the Akron Public Schools. Mary Jane, a victim of multiple sclerosis, was confined to a wheelchair the last 14 years of her 38 year career. As a team, they taught thousands of high school children that handicapped people can do important work.

Mr. Roberts was a life member of several military and fraternal organizations, among them the Greenbrier Military School Alumni Association, Military Officers Association of the U.S., Naval Reserve Officers Association, Reserve Officers Association of the U.S., Navy League of the U.S., The Ohio State University Alumni Association. He was a participating member of the U.S. LST Association, The Ohio LST/Amphibs Association, Army-Navy Union, American Legion, AMVETS, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles McKinley Aerie 2370.

After his wife’s death, he spent much of his time traveling the world with Carol Miller of Canton, Ohio, who became his second wife. They initially were snowbirds between Ohio and PebbleCreek until the last four years living permanently here in PebbleCreek. He loved playing golf and was a diehard Cleveland Browns and Ohio State fan. In his later years, Mr. Roberts enjoyed writing poetry and composed over 450 poems. He authored a book on his travels through Canada and Alaska with his daughter.

A memorial service will take place at the PebbleCreek Community Church, April 19, 2020, at 11 a.m. with a future full military honors burial in Ohio on May 1, 2020.

Col. Ronald Herbert Lord (USAF, retired)

On Feb. 23, 2020, Col. Ronald Lord (USAF, retired) flew west into the sunset toward his final destination at the age of 83. Before leaving this world, he was surrounded by his family after a short, but very advanced cancer diagnosis. Ronald grew up in the small town of Hudson, Massachusetts where most boys his age dreamed of playing professional hockey. While he was a good stick on the ice and played semi-pro hockey, he dreamed of another type of stick – a jet fighter stick. As a young boy, he watched P-51s fly over his home in Marlborough, MA during training missions. He set his sights on becoming a pilot, completed flight school in 1958, and began his life-long journey as an Air Force fighter pilot.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Ronald met Georgia T. Archer (Cotsikas) and her daughter, Kimberly M. Archer. With missiles pointed at the United States, there was no time to waste. Within two weeks, they were engaged and married in April 1963. This instant family would grow to three more children – Shane, Cassandra, and Tiffany – four grandsons, and four great grandchildren.

Ronald did not follow a traditional military career path. He took a cue from his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra—he did it Ron’s way. He constantly looked for assignments that offered adventure and new challenges. After flying F-100s and F-4E Phantoms in Japan, Italy, and Germany, he completed Army jump school (though, he never really liked jumping out of a perfectly good airplane) and flew with the Army to provide close air support. Rather than return to those long Air Force runways, Ronald requested an exchange tour with the Navy to fly F-8 Crusaders off the USS Bonne Homme Richard aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War. The Navy community welcomed and embraced his Air Force family as they waited for his return after extended deployments during a very difficult time in American history.

After a Washington, D.C. tour in the Pentagon, working with foreign governments in Israel, Iran, and Japan, he sought out a new adventure. During the Cold War, Ronald served as the Air attaché in Bonn, Germany, where he and Georgia worked alongside allied nations and ambassadors in a military diplomatic role, followed by another four years in the Netherlands as the chief of staff for the director of operations and intelligence. Though he retired from the USAF, his desire to fly and see the world did not abate. Ronald began a civilian career working in the defense industry and flying towing targets for gunnery aircraft in the United States, Japan, and Europe. As Ron always said, “My life has been a whole lotta get shot at.”

In 1996, Goodyear, Arizona became his new home. The warm weather, desert palms, and friendly growing community, were just what he needed after many decades living in the cold climates of the east coast, Europe, and Asia. It was here that Ronald could play tennis as often as he wished, continue flying to support the Civil Air Patrol, and even join the Goodyear Police as a volunteer. His newly found friends loved his unending enthusiasm and boyish charm as he got to know the community. He was also known as the Goodyear’s First Dude when he accompanied Georgia in her responsibilities as mayor of Goodyear. Whether visiting his favorite sweet shop for a brownie and a doughnut or stopping by the Sprint phone store for a quick lesson in smart phones, he was loved for his humor, “hey, tiger” greetings, and joyful “hoohas” as he met someone or learned something new. He will be missed by all. Fly safe, Ronald Lord.

Ronald is survived by his wife, Goodyear Mayor Georgia T. Lord, Kimberly Lord Stewart, Shane J. Lord, Cassandra L. Lord, Tiffany Lord Arnaldo, four grandsons and four great grandchildren. A celebration of life with military honors will be held May 2, 2020, 10 a.m., Skyway Church, Goodyear, AZ. Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to Military Officers Association of America Scholarship Fund, Luke AFB chapter, in honor of Col. Ronald H. Lord (USAF retired),

Luke MOAA, PO Box 5072, SCW, AZ 85376. Condolences for the family may be left at http://www.thompsonfuneralchapel.com/obituary/col-ronald-lord-usaf-retired/.