Maricopa County, Arizona Obituaries

Joseph Hartt was born in San Francisco, CA on June 27th, 1932, the youngest of seven children born to David Roy Hartt and Jenny Lind Roach. While growing up in California and Canada, Joseph developed a strong love of flying. In January, 1959, he joined the US Navy Flight School. During his nine years of experience as a pilot with Air Groups 12, 19, and 4, Mr. Hartt accumulated thousands of hours of jet aircraft flight time and hundreds of day and night carrier landings. He was the first qualified Naval Aviator to actually fly and evaluate the early prototype systems. Various of his suggestions and design inputs have been incorporated into the current mature systems.
Subsequent to his service with the Navy, Mr. Hartt joined the IBM Corporation, Data Processing contractor to NASA at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. From 1967 to 1973, he performed a range of tasks in support of the Gemini, Apollo, and early SkyLab programs. These included technical and programming requirements definition, systems integration, computer simulations, and mission support. He was Manager, Mission Support, and directly responsible for all computer processing functions within the Real Time Computer Complex (RTCC) of the Mission Operations Control Center during all the Apollo missions with the exception of Apollo 17. IBM and NASA arranged for him to travel to the Cape to observe the lift-off of his long-time friend and fellow Navy pilot, Captain Gene Cernan, commander of the final mission to the moon.
Early in his career Mr. Hartt initiated a program of personal investing. In 1973, he was able to retire from active employment and moved his family to Denver where he continued his personal investment activity. In 1978, he founded Western States Research, Inc., a small R&D company through which he pursued new technology primarily in the fields of aviation and medicine. He holds or shares a number of patents in both fields. NASA is currently evaluating one of his invention concepts at Ames Research Facility in Sunnyvale.
In 1990, Mr. Hartt and Dr. Alan Vetter of HMRL were asked to evaluate the concept of using GPS precision positioning technology to guide aerial application aircraft. After exploring theoretical alternatives and laying out a feasible design, Mr. Hartt and Dr. Vetter founded a new company, SATLOC, Inc. to undertake product development. By mid-1991, they had demonstrated a working prototype which proved beyond any doubt that their theoretical evaluation of GPS capability was correct.
Mr. Hartt devoted himself to the growth and development of the new company. During his tenure as President and CEO, and currently as Vice Chairman, SATLOC has grown from its original 2 consultants to now number 74 employees. Its revenues will exceed $16 million in 1995. More than 800 AirStar GPS Precision Guidance and Tracking units have been sold and installed across the United States, in Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and before the end of this year, Argentina, South Africa and possibly Europe.
Mr. Hartt's wife Brita Elizabeth, is a native of Norway, and came to America as a new bride in 1960. Their oldest son, Steve, is married, with a daughter Chloe and a son Simon. Steve is a Vice President with CitiCorp in Manhattan. Their youngest son, Jeff, is a scientist with Harris, is married with no children, and lives in Colorado Springs.
Joseph Hartt died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 17th, 1997 after a 9-month battle with kidney cancer.

Death Notice of Margaret Allen Houston
State Journal-Register, Springfield, IL, September 4, 1987
RUSHVILLE - Margaret Houston, 89, of Scottsdale, Ariz., formerly of Rushville, died July 10 at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital.
Memorial services will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, Rushville.
Surviving are two sons, Walter Houston of Park Ridge and John Houston of Colorado Springs, Colo.; two daughters, Sarah Logue and Minerva Montooth, both of Scottsdale, Ariz.; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and one brother, Richard A. Allen of Sanford, N. C.
Note: She was married to Walter Scripps Houston and the daughter of Mrs. Iva Allen

Weekly Phoenix Herald April 13, 1899
News was received in the city yesterday of the death of John D. Young which occured at Kingman, from a fall in the shaft of the Elkhart mine. the young man was well known in Phoenix and was the son of Colonel and Mrs. J.Roe Young, of this city.

Phoenix Gazette April 19 1901
Bob McCleary well know in Phoenix as a jolly good fellow died at Butte, Mont., recently of pneumonia. Bob had numerous friends in Phoenix who were sorry to learn of his death.

Winnie Ruth Judd, who spent three decades in an Arizona state mental hospital as the notorious "trunk murderess" in one of the most sensational criminal cases of the 1930's, died in Phoenix on Friday. She was 93. With the Great Depression at full strength in the fall of 1931 and newspapers vying for stories to take their readers' minds off their miseries, the lurid details of the Judd case proved irresistible. But the case also provoked a debate over capital punishment. Mrs. Judd, then a 26-year-old secretary at a Phoenix medical clinic and the wife of a doctor, arrived at Union Station in Los Angeles on Oct. 18, 1931, on a train from Phoenix, accompanied by two trunks and several valises. When a baggage man noticed what appeared to be blood dripping from one trunk, he asked her to open it. Mrs. Judd said she did not have the key and left in an automobile driven by her brother, Burton McKinnell. The police were called and traced the car from the license plate. Inside the larger trunk, detectives found the body of Agnes Anne LeRoi, 32. What they found in the smaller trunk catapulted the case into headline news around the country. It contained remains of Hedvig Samuelson, 24, her body neatly cut into three pieces to make it easier to pack. A few days later, a valise left behind by Mrs. Judd was found to contain a fourth body section. The two women had been fatally shot the previous Friday night at a Phoenix residence they had previously shared with Mrs. Judd when her husband was out of town. Four days after the bodies were discovered, Mrs. Judd was arrested in Los Angeles. She quickly became an object of curiosity. When she was returned to Phoenix for trial, thousands lined the streets for a glimpse, and the owner of the home where the murders occurred sold 10-cent tickets for tours. Mrs. Judd maintained that she shot the women in self-defense when they attacked her during an argument, but prosecutors said that she entered the residence while the two slept, then shot them in the head out of jealousy over attentions paid to them by her married boyfriend. Two years later, by then dubbed the "trunk murderess" and the "tiger woman" in headlines, Mrs. Judd was convicted of murdering Miss LeRoi and was sentenced to hang. Mrs. Judd was not tried for the murder of Miss Samuelson, so the question of who dismembered her body was never formally raised. There was later speculation that a local physician other than husband had performed the expert cutting. Pressure was brought to spare Mrs. Judd's life in view of her claims of self-defense and her lawyer's assertions that she was mentally ill. Thirty state legislators and a group of 34 ministers and priests signed petitions, and Arizona authorities received several thousand letters on her behalf. Eleanor Roosevelt was among those expressing concern. Several days before the hanging was to take place, a jury impaneled for a sanity hearing found that Mrs. Judd was then insane, and she was institutionalized. She escaped six times from the Arizona State Hospital for the Insane in Phoenix over the next two decades, maintaining later that a nurse had given her a key to the entrance that she hid in a coin holder and used in some escapes. She was taken back into custody within a short time on each occasion and otherwise proved a model patient, cooking for other patients and helping bathe them. On Oct. 8, 1962, Mrs. Judd escaped yet again, this time disappearing for almost seven years. She was finally found in the San Francisco area, where, calling herself Marian Lane, she had worked as a housekeeper in a mansion owned by an elderly woman. The noted defense lawyer Melvin Belli took her case and fought unsuccessfully against extradition to Arizona. Mrs. Judd was judged to be sane by medical examiners in Arizona, was transferred to the state penitentiary in Florence and was freed shortly before Christmas 1971. She returned to California to work for the family that had previously employed her, later lived in Stockton and then went back to Phoenix a few years before her death. Sixty-seven years after the murders, the crime lives on. An Internet "sightseeing tour" of Phoenix has a photo of the site where the murders occurred (it is now a vacant lot between two homes) and advises that an apartment building where Mrs. Judd once lived is the site of a medical center. A longtime friend, Kenneth Cain of Sun City, Ariz., said yesterday that Mrs. Judd had no immediate survivors. In a letter she wrote in 1952, Mrs. Judd, an Indiana native and the daughter of a minister, called the dismemberment "a ghastly deed" but again maintained that she shot the two women in self-defense. She said that she transported the bodies because she was suffering from shock, but wrote, 'I've asked God many times to forgive me."

Tucson Daily Citizen 1906-03-21
Phoenix Mayor Died Suddenly at City Hall

Phoenix papers which arrived here today brought news of the sudden death of Major Frank B. Moss Monday night at the City Hall at Phoenix. Moss had been Mayor for several months, having been appointed last summer when J. C. Adams resigned. Death was caused by indigestion.
He was 53 years old. He was born In Wisconsin, and came to Arizona about twenty-eight years ago.He spent the first four years of his Arizona career In the southern part of the territory, in the vicinity of Harshaw and Tombstone, going to Phoenix about twenty-four years ago. He had made Phoenix his home since the time. He was a wagon maker by trade and devoted the larger part his life in Phoenix to that business, in late years owning and conducting a blacksmith and wagon shop. Incidentally he has always beeninterested in horses and cattle, and had considerable range property, his horses and cattle grazing In the New River Country north of Phoenix.

Tucson Daily Citizen 1906-07-24
Arizona Pioneer Died at Gila Bend

Word has been received from Gila Bend of the death there of Mrs. A.B. Mitchell, who was one of the pioneers of the Territory. She had resided in the Territory for the past 31 years. Mrs. Mitchell passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. George E. Brown, wife of the agent of the Maricopa Indian Reservation. Death was due to old age the deceased was 82 years old. Mrs. Mitchell was born in Massachusetts, since coming to Arizona she lived most of the time in the vicinity of Prescott, removing to Gila Bend two years ago with her daughter

Date: 1898-11-24; Paper: Weekly Phoenix Herald
Mr. N.A. DeConnick died last night at the County Hospital. the remains were taken of by Undertaker W.A. Davis and will be buried either this afternoon or tomorrow, probably in the cemetery of the confederate as socialization, as he was an old soldier in the last cause. Mr. DeConnick was a very pleasant and sociable man to meet and his numerous friends in the city. He has been ill for some time. though reduced in circumstances he is among the many who have seen better days only to lose their grasp on prosperity with their declining years. He was a man of culture and education and many will miss his familiar face.

Date: 1898-11-24; Paper: Weekly Phoenix Herald
Johnny Culver, a young man who was thrown from a horse and tranpled on several days ago. In the neighborhood of Chaparral, died from his injuries and was buried on Sunday. His brother in law John Stilwell, met his death almost in the same manner a few months since, within ten miles of the same place.

Date: 1898-11-24; Paper: Weekly Phoenix Herald
Mrs. Andre Cardinall, aged 29, died last night of typhoid pneumonia at her room in the reservation east of 7th street. the remains were turned over to Undertaker A.J. Bradley, under whose direction they will be interred tomorrow. She belonged to the unfortunated class who lack for friendshipin the hour of necessity and it is said that she did not have the care and attention she should owing to her surroundings, and no one took the initiative toward having her removed.

Date: 1898-11-17; Paper: Weekly Phoenix Herald
John Grice died Thursday night of typhoid fever contracted it is said, while watching at the bedside of a deceased friend. Mr. Grice lost an eye at Jerome while blasting and he had also been bitten by a hydrophobia skunk. Mr. Grice was well known for his kindheatedness an was always ready to share his last cent with friends.

The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) November 25, 2003, Section Local, page B7
Monte L. Zent, born October 2, 1928. Loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on November 13, 2003. He was loved and cherished by his family and all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Shirley, brother Al Jr., son Monte, and grandchildren, Gary, Joe, Ben and Jenna, and great-granddaughter Sandra. Monte was a rancher and Milling engineer, working in many countries around the world. Services were held Thursday, November 20th. Burial in Mesa Cemetery.

(Note: born in Sombrerete, Mexico per Army and travel info. Probably died in Cochise County - SS benefits went to San Simon, Cochise, Arizona)

submitted by Ida Maack Recu

Willie J. “Kermit” BeBee
Scottsdale - Military rites for Willie J. BeBee, 73, who died Thursday in his home at 8517 E. Virginia, will be at 10 AM Monday in Messinger Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School. Burial will be in Green Acres Cemetery.
Mr. BeBee came here three years ago from Whittier, Calif. He served with the Army in France in World War I and as an Air Force sergeant in World War II. He had been a landscaper before retiring. He was born in Muskogee, Okla.
Survivors include his wife, Irma; a daughter, Mrs. T. R. Neylon of Scottsdale; two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
DATE; October 2, 1971 Submitted by Kathie Kloss Marynik

NAME: Fannie Coralee (nee Miller) Smith
COUNTY: Maricopa
STATE: AZ
NEWSPAPER: The Arizona Republican
DATE: Wednesday Morning, July 11, 1917
Mrs. J. D. Smith
The funeral services of Mrs. J. D. Smith will be held at the Cartwright church on Wednesday afternoon, July 11 at 2:00 o'clock. Burial will be at Greenwood.
Submitted by Kathie Marynik

NAME: Hezekiah Simkins
COUNTY: Maricopa
STATE: AZ
NEWSPAPER: Arizona Republican
NAME: December 27, 1916
WELL KNOWN PIONEER GOES TO HIS REWARD
In the death Hezekiah Simpkins, which occurred at his home at Lehi on Christmas night, the citizens of the communities of Mesa and Lehi lost one of the best loved and most highly respected residents of the valley. Mr. Simpkins was a pioneer in Arizona, having removed to Lehi in 1882. He was born in England and was 81 years of age. His death was the peaceful passing away of old age, for he sunk to sleep as calmly as an infant on its mother's breast. He left a widow, two sons, Chas. W. and R. Wiley Simpkins, a daughter, Mrs. Vet Nelson, and another daughter who lives in Idaho.
The aged pioneer was among the early frontier men of the west. He was of the original battalion of Mormons who crossed the mountains in 1846 and was one of the early discoverers of gold in California. He drove a stage on opposite shifts with Buffalo Bill between the Missouri river and Denver. The funeral service will be held at the Lehi church at 10:30 today. Meanwhile the hundreds who knew and loved him, mourn the removal of a loving husband, kind father, and honored citizen.
Submitted by Kathie Marynik

NAME: Callie Lily (nee Smith) Beauchamp
COUNTY: Maricopa
STATE: AZ
NEWSPAPER: Arizona Republic, Phoenix
DATE: September 22, 1985
Callie Lily Beauchamp, 83, a lifelong Phoenix resident, died Sept. 18, 1985, at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital. Survivors include two daughters, Flora Davies and Alita M. Mecey; two sisters; two brothers; four grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild. Friends may call from 4 to 8 PM today at A. L. Moore and Sons Mortuary, 333 W. Adams, where services will be at 9 AM Monday.
Submitted by Kathie Marynik

NAME: James David Smith
COUNTY: Maricopa
STATE: AZ
NEWSPAPER: The Phoenix Gazette
DATE: Friday, June 4, 1948
Pioneer Rancher In Valley Dies
James David (J. D.) Smith, 83, well-known Arizona rancher for the past 50 years, died this morning at the Good Samaritan Hospital after a prolonged illness.
Born in Texas, Smith settled in the Cartwright district in 1899, and had his ranch at Lateral 19 and J Avenue. He had one of the finest Holstein herds in the county until he retired in 1929.
Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 PM in the Memory Chapel of A. L. Moore and Sons Mortuary, followed by interment in the family plot in Greenwood Memorial Park.
He is survived by four daughters: Mrs. Roy Rogers, Los Angeles; Mrs. Rex Varney, Glendale; Mrs. Ed Beauchamp, Phoenix; and Mrs. Ruby Miller, Los Angeles; and three sons: Tommy and Robert, Los Angeles, and Louie, Glendale.
Submitted by Kathie Marynik

NAME: Jefferson “Jeff” F. Smith
COUNTY: Maricopa
STATE: AZ
NEWSPAPER: Arizona Republic, Phoenix
DATE: Wednesday Morning, November 28, 1934
SMITH, Jeff, passed away yesterday evening, six miles northwest on Grand Avenue. He is survived by one brother, J. D. Smith, of Phoenix. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by A. L. Moore and Sons.
Submitted by Kathie Marynik