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Obituaries

Thomas S. Glassburn

Thomas S. Glassburn, 58, passed on to his Lord and Savior on Sept. 29, 2007 at the VA Hospice in Prescott.

He was born in Prescott on June 11, 1949 to Marjorie and Neil Glassburn. His family moved to Williams in 1949 and he attended Williams schools, graduating with the Class of 1967.

He studied computer technology at Phoenix College and then was drafted and served in the U.S. military in Vietnam in 1969/1970.

Known for his sense of humor, he was an avid baseball fan and enjoyed poker, music and his computer.

He is survived by the love of his life Christina Estrella and family; his daughter Lorrie Pifer of Florida; his brother McNeil and family of Tempe; and sister Jan (Glassburn) Bardwell, Carol Glassburn and Martin Glassburn and families of Williams.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Ray.

A celebration of life service was held at the First Baptist Church in Williams on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007.

In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the VA Hospital Hospice program in Prescott. Please make checks out to NAVAHCS/Hospice and mail to Northern Arizona VA Health Care System, 500 N. Highway 89, Prescott, AZ 86313.

Condolences can be sent to the family at www.norvelowensmortuary.com.

Norvel Owens Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements.

Dora Hermance

Dora Hermance, 101, passed away on May 28, 2007.

Dora was born on March 29, 1906.

She and her friend, Troy G. Smith Sr. (Aug. 8, 1911-Sept. 17, 2006), spent their summers in Williams for over 10 years (1989-2000). Most days they found themselves enjoying meals at the Williams Senior Center and visiting with their friends. As residents of Sherwood Forest Estates, their many friends and neighbors shared potlucks and game nights almost weekly. Dora was an outstanding cook, so it was a real treat when it was her turn to serve.

Both attended services at the Community United Methodist Church while in Williams. Since neither of them liked snow, by October they returned to Needles, Calif. for the winter.

Dora was a resident of a care facility in Rancho Mirage, Calif. for the last years of her life. Her 100th birthday celebration was extra special when her daughters Jan and Donna, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other family (14 all together) surprised her with lunch, flowers and a watch. When they returned to her residence, another surprise was waiting with the recreation room decorated with balloons, streamers, flowers, plus a gorgeous cake and other treats.

Dora was able to hold her great-great-granddaughter MacKenzie for the first time, posing for a five generations photo, not many days before she was hospitalized. She passed away nine days later with her daughters Jan and Donna by her side.

She was buried next to her beloved husband Ed on June 1, 2007, in Cherished Memory Forest Lawn, in Covina, Calif. Ed had passed away many years ago. All will treasure happy memories of Dora.

Grace Russell

Longtime Williams resident Grace Russell, 93, was called to be with our Lord on Sept. 22, 2007. She passed away at a nursing home in Peoria where she had been since May. She had lived in Williams from the mid'70s until 2000 when she moved into an assisted living apartment in Flagstaff.

She was born on Sept. 26, 1913 in western Washington to Alice and Arthur Thorpe and was the oldest of three children having two brothers, Robert and Harold.

She married Frank Boyd in 1937 and had two children, Ronald and Virginia. She lived in western Washington and northern Idaho until Frank passed away in 1968. At that time she moved to Arizona to be closer to family. She settled in Flagstaff in 1974 where she worked for several different agencies in senior programs. She transferred to Williams and worked for the Williams Senior Center when it was still in the old grade school building. After her retirement from her paying job, she still remained active in the programs of the center.

During her years in northern Arizona she became an outspoken and hardworking advocate for senior programs at the area and state levels. She even represented the state of Arizona at several national conferences.

She met Norval Russell at the senior center and married him in 1979. They had six nice years together until Norval passed away in 1985.

She was an avid reader, gardener and hiker well into her 80s and had been an active member of the Williams United Methodist Church since 1978.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers and husbands. She is survived by her two children and spouses Ron (Betty) Boyd and Virginia (Bruce) Baker; three grandchildren and spouses Ken (Lara) Baker, Rhonda (Jim) McKinnon and Kellie (Patton) Swartzfager; and four great-grandchildren Jacob, Brooke, James and Harper.

She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

A memorial service was held Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 at the Williams United Methodist Church. Internment followed at the Williams Cemetery.


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