Nancy J. Hale

Nancy Judith Hale, 76, of Fountain Hills, passed away on July 7, 2011.

Celebrate a Beautiful Life - in loving memory of Nancy Judith Hale, born into life April 27, 1935 in Omaha, Neb.  Nancy had a “black-belt” in shopping. She loved TJ MAXX.

She was a loving wife to Dr. Frances Hale, wonderful mother to daughters Cynthia Tentinger, Susan Clifford and Laura Rhoades; and proud grandmother of Steve, Will, Pat, and Nick.

Mass will be held in the honor of Nancy Judith Hale on July 26 at 10 a.m. at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, 10755 N. 124th Street, Scottsdale.

In lieu of Flowers, please send donations to Hospice of Valley 1510 E Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014.

LeRoy F. Kelly

LeRoy Franklin Kelly (Ret. Judge), 97, was born Sept. 19, 1913 and passed away on July 16, 2011 with his daughter and grandchildren present.

He was proud to have served five years of his life in the Navy (South Pacific Theatre) during WWII.

LeRoy practiced law in the 1940s and 1950s before becoming an elected Common Pleas Judge in the State of Ohio for 26 years.

He is survived by his daughter, Pamela L. Polo, and grandchildren, Chris Polo (wife Jennifer) and Cynthia Polo.

Fountain View Village was his home for the last six years where the staff treated him with the utmost kindness and care.

There will be no visitation or service; however, the family will hold a celebration of life near his birthday in September for close friends and family.

Arrangements entrusted to Messinger Fountain Hills Mortuary.

Don Kinder

A noted Fountain Hills businessman and Realtor, Don Kinder, died Friday, July 15. He was 80.

Mr. Kinder was born on August 3, 1930 in St. Louis.

As an executive with McCulloch Properties, the original developer of Fountain Hills, he was among the people who were involved with the decision for McCulloch to acquire the property that became Fountain Hills.

He originally became involved with McCulloch in 1964 when he decided to sell property in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Within a year, he was among the firm’s top salesmen and was offered a position in sales management.

After relocating to Scottsdale in 1968, he continued his position with McCulloch and Pratt Properties until 1979.

He then went into business for himself, opening Don Kinder & Associates Real Estate and Kinder & Company Men’s Wear.

He formed the Fountain Hills Merchants Association, which later merged with the Chamber of Commerce.

For 10 years, he marketed products in Europe, Mexico and Australia.  In 1999, he returned to the Fountain Hills real estate market. He was affiliated with the Scottsdale office of Re/Max All Stars, MCO Realty and, most recently, Fore Peaks Realty.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Kay, two nephews, a niece, two great nieces, two great nephews and one great great nephew.

A memorial service will be held at Christ’s Church on Thursday, July 28, beginning at 11 a.m. The family said in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project. To make a donation, go on-line and type in woundedwarriorproject.org. and click on the “Donate now” box.

Chris Mischler

Christine Mischler, 57, died on Monday, July 11, 2011 at Hospice of the Valley in Scottsdale from complications of colon cancer.

Chris was born on March 19, 1954 in Waupun, Wis., to Edward and Barbara Mischler.

She graduated from Waupun High School and received her undergraduate degree from Ripon College. She spent one of her undergraduate years studying at the University of Spain. “This was the best year of my life,” she recalled.

She received a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chris held various export positions in Milwaukee, Wis.

She moved to Fountain Hills in 1988 and loved her desert home. She worked for CVS/Caremark in Scottsdale for 16 years as an account manager and analyst.

Chris was devoted to her family. After her mom died, Chris took care of her father. Chris loved her church and small group. Dianna Pierce was a dear friend who helped through health challenges.

She fought her illness with a strength and determination that was an example to others. She is survived by her father, Edward Mischler; her sister, Heidi Casale, and brother-in-law Andy Casale; and her niece and nephew of Long Beach, Calif.

A memorial service to celebrate Chris’ life will be held at Christ’s Church of Fountain Hills on Saturday, July 23, at 9 a.m.

Chris wanted any donations to be designated for Campaign for Cancer Prevention, which raises money for Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. Their address is wishes.causes.com/wishes/2453 or can be linked on Chris’ Facebook page. Phone donations can be made by calling 617-732-8125.

William F. Powell

William F. (Bill) Powell died on June 16, 2011 after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Martha, and son, Michael.

Bill was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Oct. 16, 1931 to Edward and Mary Powell. He was an alumnus of the University of Iowa.

Bill met Martha Handley in Cleveland where she was stage manager for a theater company and he was part of the production staff. After they were married and living in New York City both Bill and Martha continued to work in the theater.

Bill worked for and later owned a production company. He was the technical stage manager for many Broadway shows and produced industrial shows for major corporations in the U.S. and Canada.

After moving to Fountain Hills in 1991 Bill became active in the Fountain Hills Community Chorus and the Fountain Hills Men’s Club. He was always willing to help with stage background, props, lighting and sound systems.

Bill loved to cook, spend time with his family, putter in his garage workshop and share stories of his day working with Broadway stars. He will be missed for his keen wit and musical talent.

Elaine Mae Thomson

Elaine Mae (Zeman) Thomson, age 85 of Bloomington, Minn. and Rio Verde, died on June 17, 2011 at Seasons Hospice House in Rochester, Minn.

Elaine was born on March 23, 1926 to Louis and Dorothy (Ploen) Zeman. She graduated from Chaska High School and attended Macalester College in Minnesota.

She married John Thomson on Jan. 10, 1958. His work at The Pillsbury Company allowed them to live in Menlo Park, Calif., Bellevue, Wash., Thousand Oaks, Calif. and Bloomington, Minn. Since 1989 they spent winter months at their home in Rio Verde.

While her extended family came first, Elaine enjoyed cooking and entertaining. Her mission in life was to make people laugh. She loved dogs, especially her English Setters, Brett and Ginger. She also enjoyed church choir, tennis, playing the piano, book club, and gardening.

She is survived by her husband, John; son, David of Rochester, Minn.; daughter, Martha of San Antonio, Texas; and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.   She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy and Lewis Zeman and her sister, Audrey (Pat) Johnson.

Funeral services were held at Transfiguration Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minn. on June 29, with burial at Acacia Park Cemetery in Mendota Heights.

A memorial service for Elaine will be held at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 16150 E. El Lago Blvd, Fountain Hills, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 26.

Memorials are suggested to: Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Fountain Hills, or Mayo Clinic ALS research, c/o Dr. Daniel Lachance, Rochester, Minn.