January 8, 2006

Harold 'Bert' Houston

Harold "Bert" Houston of Cottonwood died Jan. 2. Mr. Houston, born April 6, 1914 in Kansas, was 91 years old.

Mr. Houston was the former owner of Houston Welding Works in Claflin, Kan. He and his wife, Evelyn, retired to Colorado where they enjoyed golfing in the San Isabel Mountains. They moved to Cottonwood in 1994.

Mr. Houston was preceded in death by Evelyn in 1999. He is survived by his daughter, Rhea Demoy; a son, Perry Houston; one brother, four grandchildrean and eight great grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Verde Valley Senior Center in Cottonwood.

Thelma M. Farley

Thelma McLin Farley, 87, died Dec. 29, 2005. Thelma T. McLin was born Dec.14, 1918, in Cortez, Colo., to Fred S. and Nellie Mae (Townsend) McLin.

Thelma went to school at Fort Lewis, Campion Academy, in Loveland, Colo., and then graduated from Arizona Academy in Phoenix in 1936. She continued her education at Fort Lewis College in Hesperus, Colo., and La Sierra College in Riverside, Calif. Mrs. Farley graduated from Arizona State College in 1963, then received her master's degree "With Distinction" from Northern Arizona University.

Mrs. Farley taught fifth grade from 1963 until 1980 at Mt. Eldon School, which became the W.F. Killip School of Flagstaff. She had moved to Cottonwood in 1939, to Flagstaff in 1952, to Cornville in 1972, then returned to Cottonwood in 1988.

Thelma liked to play the piano, paint, sew, read, camp and travel. A caring and compassionate person, she enjoyed helping others and gave many hours of volunteer service to the community, most recently at the Central Arizona Food Bank. She had been the director of Adventist Community Services. Because of her strong support of the Commodity Supplement Food Program, in 1990 Thelma was selected by the Arizona Rural Health Conference to be the recipient of the "Martha Ortiz Volunteer of the Year" award. For her commitment to community service, Mrs. Farley received a daily "Point of Light" award from President George Bush in 1991.

Thelma's positive outlook, smile, and sense of humor endeared her to family and friends. She will be missed by those whose lives she touched. She is survived by Glen McLin of Shelton, Wash., Glenda Lum of Honolulu, Kathryn Klein of Cottonwood, nieces, nephews and cousins.

The graveside service and burial was at the Cottonwood Cemetery. Memorial Services and a celebration of Thelma's life will be Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. at the Cottonwood Seventh-day Adventist Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mrs. Farley's name may be made to Holbrook Adventist Indian School, P.O. Box 910, Holbrook AZ 86025.

Sign Mrs. Farley's online guestbook at www.westcottfuneralhome.com.

Robert P. Onusko

Robert Paul "Bob" Onusko died Dec. 24, 2005, at his home in Cordes Lakes. He was born Feb. 9, 1953, in Phoenix and was 53 years of age.

Bob served in the U.S. Navy, worked for AT&T for 17 years where he retired, and was active in the construction of homes in the Verde Valley area. He attended grade school in Paradise Valley and graduated from Paradise Valley High School.

Bob is survived by his son, Ryan, and grandson, Ryan Jr.; his mother, Ruth Onusko of Cottonwood; his sister, Karen, and brother, Jim; several nieces and nephews; cousin, Irma Cahill; close friend, Zorraida; and many more.

He was preceded in death by his brother, David, and his father, Paul Onusko.

Bob was loved, admired and respected by his family and friends and he will be missed dearly.

Honoring Bob's wishes, private services were held with interment next to his brother David at Resthaven Park Cemetery, Glendale.

Arrangements were entrusted to Sunrise Funeral Home. All friends and relatives are encouraged to visit www.sunrisefuneralhome.com for additional information and to sign the online guest book.

James W. Harris

James "Jim" Washington Harris, 93, of Clarkdale, died Jan. 5, 2006. He was born July 12, 1912, in Caradan, Texas, to Perry C. and MayBelle Harris.

At the young age of 3, he moved with his family to Arizona. He was a graduate of Globe High School.

He worked for and retired from the Arizona Department of Transportation, where he was a warehouse manager.

Jim was a good man, one to be admired. He never complained, not even when his health began to fail. With him, he was always fine, and with life, everything was always good.

He was a member of the Bahai World Faith. Here he had very special friends.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Harris.

He leaves behind his step-son Terry E. Smith and his wife Ruth of Phoenix; his brother Paul C. Harris of Granbury, Texas; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jim will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Graveside services were Jan. 7 at the Valley View Cemetery in Clarkdale.

An online guestbook is available at www.westcottfuneralhome.com.

Robert C. Dressendorfer

Robert Charles Dressendorfer, 78, of Cornville, died Jan. 4, 2006. He was born in Los Angeles on May 14, 1927, to Armon Carl and Betty Jeanette Dressendorfer.

Robert served his country during World War II in the U.S. Navy and proudly carried his title as U.S. veteran.

Professionally, Robert devoted 34 years as an aerospace mechanical engineer. The contribution of his time, skills and knowledge to further the Space Shuttle Program was by far one of his greatest achievements. He retired from Rockwell International.

He was a member of the Peace Lutheran Church of Cottonwood. Previously, he served on Church Councils and was a Church Elder.

Robert enjoyed doing a variety of activities. He enjoyed reading, and he was a collector of stamps and coins. He loved being outdoors, working in his garden, going camping and fishing. He also loved to travel, both foreign and domestic. But more than anything, he found the greatest joy in being with his family.

Robert leaves behind the love of his life, and wife of 57 years, Joan Marie Dressendorfer of Cornville; his son, Robert and wife, Marianne Dressendorfer of Anaheim Hills, Calif.; his daughters, JoAnn Bankhead of Broomfield, Colo., Susan and husband Mike Ryan of Laguna Niguel, Calif.; his sister, Betty and husband Jack Doerr of Laguna Beach, Calif.; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be Jan. 9 at 11 a.m., at the Peace Lutheran Church in Cottonwood.

An online guestbook is available at www.westcottfuneralhome.com.

Basile M. Kouvelas

Vasilis "Basile" Michael Kouvelas, born on May 24, 1936, in Aris-Kalamata, Greece, died Jan. 3, following a brief illness, surrounded by his loving family.

His early years were spent in Greece, after which he relocated to Munich, Germany, where he worked as an engineer at Deutsche Airbus. He was fluent in numerous languages and enjoyed classical music and books.

While in Germany, he met and married his wife of 36 years, Vera. The couple was blessed with two children, daughter Katherine "Tina" and son Michael. The family moved to Greece for a number of years where Basile became involved with the hotel industry as part owner/operator of the King Saron Hotel at the Canal of Corinth.

In 1975, the Kouvelas family moved to America where they settled in Belle Mead, N.J. They eventually relocated to Arizona in 1987 because it reminded them of Greece. Basile was part owner and managing partner of the Best Western Cottonwood Inn until the time of his death. He enjoyed watching Cottonwood grow and became involved with the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce.

Throughout his years in Arizona, he was very active in the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church and was awarded the Saint Paul Medal for his exemplary efforts in building the new Church in Scottsdale. He was also a member of the Arizona Hotel/Motel Association, and was particularly interested in furthering the careers of young people in the hospitality industry through scholarships.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Angeliki and by his beloved cousin, Constandinos.

Basile is survived by his loving wife Vera, son Michael, daughter Katherine "Tina" and her husband Don Edick, granddaughter Nikki, step-grandchildren Courtney and Matthew; brother Anthony Kouvelas and wife Helen, nieces Angie and Evi of Toronto, Canada; mother-in-law Renate Gabell; sister-in-law Litsa Kouvelas and nieces Anastasia and Pavlina of Athens, Greece; cousin Garyfalia and nieces, Manuela and Ioanna and numerous other beloved relatives and friends.

Basile's greatest pride and joy was his family.

Bill S Schlosser

Bill S. Schlosser, 84, died Jan. 6, at Kachina Point Care Center in Village of Oak Creek.

Mr. Schlosser was a US Navy Veteran of World War II and later retired as a truck driver in the construction business. He and his wife of 59 years moved to Lake Montezuma 16 years ago from Oregon.

He is survived by his wife, Billie, of Lake Montezuma; a daughter, Karen Lewis; a granddaughter, Alysia Coleman; two great-granddaughters, Courtney and Hailey Coleman, all of Highland, Calif.; and an uncle, Frank Curtis of Riverside, Calif. He was a faithful member of Beaver Creek Baptist Church.

A memorial service for Mr. Schlosser is planned for Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 10 a.m. at Beaver Creek Baptist Church with Pastor Ken Miller officiating. Bueler-Hepler Funeral Home assisted the family.


Donate Report a Typo Contact
Most Read
Event Calendar
Event Calendar link
Submit Event