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Merrylees Mayer, 66, aide to UA’s Koffler
A memorial service will be held Saturday for Merrylees Mayer, the executive assistant to former University of Arizona President Henry Koffler.
Mrs. Mayer died at her Tucson home June 25 of a heart attack. She was 66.
Mrs. Mayer worked at UA for 14 years before retiring in 1996.
Koffler fondly recalled their professional relationship and friendship, which spanned more than 30 years.
“She helped a lot of people,” said Koffler, who served as president from 1982 to 1991. “She felt responsible to them and for them. That was certainly her hallmark.”
Koffler’s friendship with Mrs. Mayer dates back to the early 1950s, when she was a student in a microbiology class he taught at Purdue University.
Mrs. Mayer, a pre-medicine and English student, stood out among her peers because of her intelligence and diligence, Koffler said.
Koffler and Mrs. Mayer’s friendship strengthened after her marriage to George H. Mayer, a distinguished American historian and close friend of Koffler and his wife.
Mrs. Mayer, who received a master’s degree in English from Purdue, edited her husband’s now-classic text, “History of the Republican Party.” She also taught English to disadvantaged students and served as an instructor in American studies at Purdue.
The Lafayette, Ind., native joined Koffler’s staff in 1964 while he was head of the biological sciences department at Purdue.
She remained with Koffler as his assistant at the University of Minnesota, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and UA.
After her retirement, she volunteered with literacy groups and sang with university chorale groups.
She is survived by her brother, Maurice Woodworth of Perth, Australia; and her former sister-in-law, Margaret Fowler of Blacksburg, Va. She also leaves her cousins Nancy and Angelo Marinos of Gaithersburg, Md., and Abby and Richard Mortenson of Albion, Mich., as well as a niece, Jenny Woodworth of La Grande, Ore.; a nephew, Robert Woodworth of Gainesville, Ga.; and his wife. Deena.
A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. in the UA Museum of Art.
Contributions for the support of UA’s choral program may be sent to Professor Robert A. Cutietta, director of the School of Music and Dance at the University of Arizona, P.O. Box 21004, Tucson, Ariz. 85721.
(Dated Jul 12, 2000)
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Longtime TNI accountant Sandra Tice, 59
Sandra Tice, a longtime Tucson Newspapers employee, has died of a heart attack.
She was 59.
Mrs. Tice worked for the company since 1981 and was the circulation accounting supervisor.
Tucson Newspapers handles production, advertising and circulation for the Tucson Citizen and The Arizona Daily Star.
“I worked with Sandy for about three years, and the thing I was most impressed by was her commitment to her job because I don’t recall her ever being sick … . She was here at 6 o’clock every morning,” said Jon Heimerman, vice president of finance for Tucson Newspapers.
“The other thing I was impressed with was her commitment to customer service … . She hated losing even one customer.”
Mrs. Tice, who died Sunday, is survived by an adult daughter, Yvonne of San Jose, Calif., and her husband, Charles Tice.
“She was a very good lady. She treated everybody nice,” he recalled.
The couple, married for 40 years, moved here in 1961.
In accordance with Mrs. Tice’s wishes, there will be a cremation with no services, her husband said.
(Dated Jul 11, 2000)
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Crain recalled as reliable, positive
Danny Crain, 53, a pressman and production maintenance manager for Tucson Newspapers, died of cancer Wednesday.
Danny Crain, who worked on production and maintenance of the presses at Tucson Newspapers for 32 years, died Wednesday of cancer. He was 53.
Mr. Crain left his job as production maintenance manager when he discovered the cancer in September 1998.
But he continued to answer calls and questions about the operation and upkeep of the equipment, said Wayne Bean, Tucson Newspapers vice president of operations.
The operations department prints, distributes and handles advertising for the editorially separate Tucson Citizen and Arizona Daily Star.
“I’m told in round numbers, it’s about 20 million bucks worth of equipment, so it’s quite a responsibility,” Bean said.
“The thing about the presses, they’ve got to run all the time.”
Mr. Crain heard from a relative about openings for machinists at the newspaper plant during a strike, said his wife, Sue.
“He was brand new to the newspaper business when he started,” she said.
He rose through the ranks, and his work earned him an outstanding manager award from Tucson Newspapers in 1992 and the company’s President’s Award in 1993.
He was constantly on call, Sue Crain said.
“Sometimes he’d be called many nights in a row, and sometimes he’d go months without getting called,” Sue Crain said.
Away from work, he loved the outdoors, including fishing, hunting and camping, his wife said.
Arthur Gutierrez, a Tucson Newspapers machinist for 35 years, said he and Mr. Crain weren’t just co-workers, but friends.
“You couldn’t ask for a better person to work for. He was always willing to teach a person anything,” Gutierrez said.
Deryck Burkett, the prepress manager, characterized him as a “big, gentle guy with a big heart.”
“(He had) the greatest attitude of anybody I’ve ever worked with,” Burkett said.
Sieglinde Welsh, postpress manager, said, “Any time somebody couldn’t solve a problem, Danny would come in.
“On production, it’s important that you have somebody that reliable.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. Crain is survived by sons Bryon and Danny; three grandchildren, Clayton, Trevor and Sydney; his mother, Mae; brothers David and Charles, all of Tucson; sisters Paulette Langon of Tucson and Lynette Tucker of Mesa; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Donations may be made to the Danny Crain memorial fund at any Bank of America branch, under account number 004671446772.
All contributions will go directly to aid in the fight against cancer.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 5 at St. Pius X Church, 1800 N. Camino Pio Decimo.
(Dated Jul 07, 2000)
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Irwin ‘Buddy’ Goldman, 87, a PCC founder
A private memorial service will be held for Irwin “Buddy” Goldman, a founder of Pima Community College who devoted his retirement years to helping college-bound students.
Mr. Goldman died Friday at age 87 of congestive heart failure. Born in the Bronx, New York, he was a medic in World War II and moved to Tucson for his health in the 1960s.
Mr. Goldman earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Arizona and later helped start PCC.
After his retirement from jobs in journalism, public relations, college administration and teaching, Mr. Goldman devoted himself to helping young people get a start in life by choosing the college that was best for them.
“I get this great feeling when I know there’s someone out there in New Haven, Conn., holding a good job because I helped him out when he was choosing a college,” Mr. Goldman said in an interview last year.
“Buddy was very much into helping young people get into college,” said Paul Cisek, one of the owners of Rincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St., where Mr. Goldman and his wife of 57 years, Eleanor, ate several times a week.
Mr. Goldman’s office was on the second floor of the Robinsons-May store in El Con Mall. He was always ready with college literature and advice, helping to place thousands of students in schools across the country.
Mr. Goldman’s counseling efforts were recognized in 1997 with the Jefferson Award, a national honor from the American Institute for Public Service.
Mr. Goldman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Notre Dame in 1936, often wore a Notre Dame shirt or jacket when he went to the Rincon Market.
Known for his sense of humor, Mr. Goldman “used to laugh that he was one of the only Jewish guys that graduated from Notre Dame,” Cisek said.
“He embraced life – walked briskly,” said Mikki Bizak, another of the market’s owners . “He in no way resembled someone we know of that age.”
Mr. Goldman and his wife met after their mothers, who were taking singing lessons together, thought the pair would make a good match.
Eleanor Goldman recalled that his mother sent him to the optometrist’s office where his future wife worked on the pretense of ordering glasses.
Eleanor Goldman said he approached her, saying “My mother says there’s a cute girl working here. Where is she?”
Mr. Goldman also is survived by sons Jom and Bill and grandson, Ethan, all of Tucson.
Donations may be made to the Irwin “Buddy” Goldman Memorial Scholarship in Education.
Checks payable to the UA Foundation should be sent to the Scholarship Development Office, 1111 N. Cherry, Suite 312, Tucson, 85715.
(Dated Jun 20, 2000)
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TPD vet ‘Duke’ Schnur
As a detective in the sex crimes unit and as a school resource officer, he built a reputation as a caring person. He retired in 1991.
Services will be held tomorrow for Bob Schnur, a former Tucson Police Department detective and student resource officer who had a love for law enforcement and the West.
Mr. Schnur, whose nickname was “The Duke,” died Monday of pancreatic cancer. He was 68.
He was best known for his 11-year stint as a detective in the sex crimes division, as well as working with children in Tucson schools.
He had been with TPD for 26 years, retiring in 1991.
On his last day with the Police Department, Mr. Schnur was treated to a horse-drawn carriage ride to work. He dressed like a movie cowboy.
“Bob was somebody everyone liked,” said retired detective Ray Gorena, who worked with him.
He remembers Mr. Schnur as being strong yet compassionate.
His love for the West and John Wayne spawned him the nickname The Duke, Gorena said.
Capt. Kevin Mayhew, Mr. Schnur’s supervisor in the sex crimes division, remembers him for his compassion for the victims.
He made them comfortable and showed he cared about their cases, Mayhew said.
Mr. Schnur also worked with students in Tucson schools as a student resource officer, where he talked to youngsters about safety and offered advice and assistance to them with their problems.
Cancer was diagnosed six months ago. Mr. Schnur died at Tucson Medical Center.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; a daughter, Lisa Russell of San Diego, Calif.; and two brothers, Ed and Matt, both of Chicago.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m., at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, 3809 E. Third St.
The family is requesting contributions be made to the Arizona Cancer Center for research on pancreatic cancer and the Tucson Medical Center hospice program.
(Dated Jun 01, 2000)
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