Louis Albert Demerschman
Cottonwood resident and U.S. Navy veteran Louis Demerschman died April 12.
He was 79 years old.
Mr. Demerschman was born Sept. 27, 1920 in Alameda, Calif.
He served in World War II and from 1963 until his retirement in 1988. he owned and operated a wholesale plumbing supply business in Long Beach, Calif.
Following his retirement he and his wife lived several years in Sedona and later relocated to Cottonwood.
Survivors include his wife, Martina Demerschman; two daughters, Laura Crawford of Cottonwood and Karen Dressel of California; a sister, Jan Meyer of California and a grandson, Jeff Dressel of California.
A memorial service was held April 15 at the Westcott Funeral Home in Cottonwood.
John Vernon Evans
Private family services were held for John Evans of Cottonwood.
Mr. Evans died May 21 at the age of 70.
He was born March 9, 1930 in Lynn, Indiana.
Mr. Evans was a Korean War Veteran. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1952.
He retired in 1989 from Reynolds Metals Company in Messena, N.Y.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Evans; two sons, John Evans of Michigan and David Evans of North Carolina; two daughters, Joyce Evans of California and Janet Catron of Texas, and four grandchildren.
Betty Jean Serilla
Cottonwood resident Betty Serilla died May 19.
She was 76 years old.
Mrs. Serilla was born March 15, 1924 in Phoenix.
She worked many years as a secretary and was a devoted mother and grandmother.
Survivors include a daughter, Susan Sides of Cottonwood; a son-in-law, Thomas; two sons, James W. Evans of Tucson and Daniel R. Evans of Cornville; two daughters-in-law, Liz and Suzanne; two sisters, Virginia Hudson of Phoenix and Bernice Roy of Florida; 13 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held May 23 at Westcott Funeral Home in Cottonwood.
Memorial donations may be sent to the American Heart Association, 2929 S. 48th St. Phoenix, 85282.
Thomas Dean Wall
Former Clarkdale Police Chief Thomas Dean Wall dies at 50.
Former Clarkdale police chief and U.S. Army veteran Thomas Dean Wall died Sunday.
A celebration of his life was held Tuesday at the Jerome Elks Lodge in Clarkdale.
Mr. Wall was 50 years old.
His friends and colleagues remember him as a conscientious man dedicated to his community.
“You know the most wonderful thing about him professionally was Tom always had the best interest of Clarkdale at heart,” remembers Clarkdale Town Manager Gayle Mabery.
Mr. Wall served with the Clarkdale Police Department from 1982 until 1999.
Cottonwood Police Chief Pat Spence hired Mr. Wall. “Tom was really involved and good at his job. I could always depend on him. He was very dedicated and held the respect of those who worked under him.”
Mr. Wall was born Dec. 14, 1949, in Sac City, Iowa.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1975.
Mr. Wall was a member of the Jerome Lodge of Elks #1361 and the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1449.
He also served as a volunteer fire fighter and donated his time for the annual Fourth of July barbecue in Clarkdale.
“Tom knew everyone in town,” said Mabery. “It was very important to him to have a relationship with the community.”
During his tenure at the Clarkdale Police Department, Mabery remembers Mr. Wall encouraging officers to be involved in the community by helping to build the town’s park and even hooking up coolers for residents before the heat of the summer.
His professional contributions to the community were remembered by Clarkdale Mayor Rennie Radoccia.
“Tom was a great man and great friend of mine,” said Radoccia. “He definitely strengthened and built the Clarkdale Police Department over the years. We have strong and dedicated men at the department and I credit a lot of that to Tom Wall.”
Mr. Wall also took time to enjoy the simple pleasures outside the town limits by traveling to Mexico. A dedicated family man, he especially enjoyed spending time with his family. His hobbies included golf and fishing.
Survivors include his wife of 15 years, Donna; two sons, Troy Vickers of Clarkdale and Bradley Wall of Tucson; a daughter-in-law, Anne Vickers; three daughters, Becky Vickers of Rimrock, Melanie Young of Tucson and Denise Vickers of Clarkdale; a son-in-law, Carl; three grandchildren, Branden and Jeremiah De Tar and Hope Tuma of Clarkdale; mother-in-law Louise Martin and father-in-law Harold Martin of Cottonwood.
“Tom had a wonderful sense of humor. He brought a lot of laughter to the things he did,” remembers Mabery. “He always kept us smiling.”
Memorial donations to help defray medical expenses may be sent to the Thomas Wall Memorial Fund, c/o County Bank, 1 E. Arizona 89A, Cottonwood, 86326; account #070016043.
Reta Rae McBain
Reta Rae McBain, the mother of William McBain of Camp Verde died May 12.
Mrs. McBain lived in Tennessee but was born in Casper, Wyo. April 4, 1940.
She was 60 years old.
Mrs. McBain was a former cashier for Circle K.
Survivors include LaWana Giovonnetti of Sacramento, Jane McBain of Las Vegas; a son, William McBain of Camp Verde; two sisters, Ruthann Roberts and Kim Rogers; three brothers, Tip, Tom and Pat Roberts and six grandchildren.
A memorial service was held May 22 in the Hepler Funeral Home chapel.
John William Veatch
Private family services were held for Lake Montezuma resident, John Veatch.
Mr. Veatch died May 18.
He was born Dec. 9, 1923 in Mitchell, S.D.
A veteran of World War II, he served in the U.S. Army. Mr. Veatch received his doctorate in education from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Washington.
He was a member of the Acacia Fraternity, the Elks and Unity Church.
Survivors include his wife, Joy Veatch of Lake Montezuma; a son, Dean Veatch of Washington and one grandchild.
Memorial donations may be sent to Northern Arizona Homecare (for patient care only) 269 S. Candy Lane, Cottonwood 86326.
Trenton Duane Loper
The infant son of Mark and Nicole Loper of Cottonwood died peacefully May 17. Trenton Duane Loper was 5 days old.
Survivors include grandmothers Patricia Falcon and Lu Anne Loper; aunts and uncles, Renda Lord, Jeff and Patty Scalf and Russell and Renee Flaherty.
A visitation is today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Westcott Funeral Home in Cottonwood. Funeral services will be May 22 at 11 a.m. in the First Assembly of God Church in Cottonwood with burial at the Valley View Cemetery in Clarkdale.
Betty Josephine Minter
A Cottonwood woman, Betty Jo Minter, formerly Wood, died May 17 at her home.
She was 80 years old.
She was born Feb. 7, 1920, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Lloyd Adam and a grandson Dale Wampler, all of Seattle; a daughter-in-law, Eileen Wood Flugum of Tucson; two step-sons, Lew Minter of Phoenix and Jim Minter and wife Sandy of Cottonwood; and a sister and brother-in-law, Kay and Orv Falk of Los Osos, Calif. She is preceded in death by her oldest son, Bruce Wood, in 1974 and her youngest son, John Douglas Wood, on May 2, 2000. A step-son, Lee Minter, died March 1999.
Betty graduated from Central High School in Lansing, Mich. in 1937. She attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH and graduated from Lansing Business College.
In 1940, Betty marriage Vern Moon of Delta Township, Mich. A son, Bruce, was born in 1942. After Vern’s death, she marriage Jack Wood of Williamston, Mich., and a daughter, Nancy, was born in 1947 and son, John, in 1957.
After moving from Michigan to Tucson in 1949, Betty Jo and Jack settled in Cottonwood in 1954. Betty worked for Sexton Agency of Cottonwood for many years, initially as a secretary and later as office manager. She was a long-time member of the Verde Baptist Church, where she served in many functions. She was also a member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Beta Zeta Chapter in Cottonwood and served as a volunteer at Marcus J. Lawrence Hospital for more than 15 years. In 1980, Betty marriage Lee Minter, a jeweler and long-time Cottonwood resident. She was widowed again when Lee passed away in November 1997.
Services will be held at the Verde Baptist Church on May 27 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial bequests be made to the building fund of the Verde Baptist Church.
Her ashes will be interred at Cottonwood Cemetery alongside her husband Lee and son John.
Pastor Philip B. Lewis
Retired Presbyterian pastor and Cottonwood resident Philip B. Lewis, 85, died April 30.
He was born March 31, 1915 in Seattle.
Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Helen M. Lewis of Cottonwood; two sons, James Howard Lewis of Portland, Ore. and Timothy Robert Lewis of Houston, Texas; a daughter, Bethlyn Wright of Wilmington, Mass.; a sister, Ruth Taylor of El Cajon, Calif.; and four granddaughters, Kristin Dunder of Eugene, Ore., Lisa Lewis of Portland, Ore., Jennifer Lewis of Davidson, N.C. and Emily Lewis of Lawrence, Ga.
Pastor Lewis attended the McCormick Seminary in Chicago receiving a master’s degree in divinity in 1939. Throughout his career, he served congregations in Michigan, Oregon, Minnesota and Iowa. From 1958 until his retirement in 1977, he served as pastor at the Eastminister Presbyterian Church in Toledo, Ohio. After retiring, he and his wife moved to Colorado where they resided until 1994. While in Colorado, Pastor Lewis was instrumental in starting two new Presbyterian churches, and served as interim pastor.
A service of Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of Pastor Lewis’ life will be May 25 at 10 a.m. at the Verde Valley Presbyterian Church. Pastor Kyle Weir will conduct. Following services, Presbyterian women will serve refreshments.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Verde Valley Presbyterian Church Library Project, or to the Memorial Garden and Columbarium Fund.
Loretta Quenzer
Cottonwood resident Loretta Quenzer died May 15.
She was born Feb. 2, 1924 in Herreid, S.D.
Mrs. Quenzer was 76 years old.
She worked as an administrative secretary for the state of South Dakota.
Mrs. Quenzer and her husband of 57 years, Eugene, lived in South Dakota until 1998 when they moved to Cottonwood.
She was a member of the Verde Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Eugene Quenzer, a daughter, Joyce Gerlach of Clarkdale, two sons, Davis Quenzer of Oregon and Douglas Quenzer of Wisconsin; two sisters, Hilda Hesse of Oregon, Elma Helm of Clarkdale; two brothers, Benjamin Berreth of South Dakota and Edwin Berreth of Oregon; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Graveside services were held May 18 in Valley View Cemetery in Clarkdale. Pastor Bill Hutchinson officiated the service.
