With 20 years behind him as a Fountain Hills resident, the Arizona Kid is riding slowly toward the sunset.

Carlos Hadaway’s year-long battle with brain cancer has brought him to a group home in Scottsdale where, according to his wife, Nancy, he has diminished cognitive ability, but is living pain-free and comfortable.

“You still see his humor, but he is not really aware of what is going on,” Nancy said.

Carlos was a 21-year-old in the U.S. Navy and drawing cartoons for a military newsletter when he was told of a contest by the San Diego Padres, then of the Pacific Coast League, to create a logo for the team.

Carlos came up with an original drawing of a brown cloaked padre swinging a baseball bat, and his idea was the winner. It has evolved over the years but Carlos’ concept is still the symbol for the Major League Baseball team.

Carlos came to Arizona and developed a passion for western art, and became one of the foremost names in contemporary western art.

He filled his home and studio in Fountain Hills with not just his artwork but also hundreds of items of western memorabilia.

This weekend, Saturday, Dec. 10, there will be an estate auction of many of the items from Carlos’ collection. This includes western art, bronzes, cowboy and old west memorabilia, Native American artifacts, knives, antique and collectable firearms, spurs and much more.

This is an on-site, sit down catalogue sale.

There will be a preview of items on Friday, Dec. 9, with doors opening for the auction at 8 a.m. on Saturday and the auction beginning at 10 a.m.

The site is 9624 E. Monterey Drive, in the building behind the Chase Bank at Shea Boulevard and Monterey. The auction will be held in the suite next to the VFW hall.

As a Navy veteran, Carlos’ passion for the military was well known in the Fountain Hills veterans’ organizations. His artwork adorns the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park. Plaques depicting the USS Arizona going down at Pearl Harbor and another tribute to Bob Hope are attached to the passage wall at the memorial.

It has been the veterans groups that have worked so hard to pull together the estate sale for Nancy.

“I love the way they have been pulling together for this,” Nancy said. “They know he loves them and they love him back.”