Fallen Heroes

Officer William Murie #721
 
Officer Murie was en route to Phoenix from Flagstaff on Nov. 16 when he stopped just north of Phoenix on Interstate 17 to assist at a crash scene. He was struck by a passing vehicle, crushing his legs and a wrist. Complications resulting from these injuries led to his death on Nov. 19, 1980.
( MAP )
End of Watch:
Wednesday, November 19, 1980
Tour: 8 years
Badge # 721
 

 
 
 
 

Jordan Mahoney

Flagstaff student died Sunday as she rode her bike
 Jordan Mahoney's
smile could light up anyone's day.
 
That's how friends and classmates of the 21-year-old NAU student are remembering her in the wake of her death on Sunday night.
 
Mahoney was killed when a suspected drunk driver hit her while she was riding her bike in a south Flagstaff residential neighborhood.
 
A few candles and a lone flower marked the accident site on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old suspect has been arrested on charges of manslaughter and fleeing the scene of an accident.
 
The university is shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of Jordan, said university spokesperson Thomas Bauer. "It is always difficult to lose a member of the NAU family, and the circumstances surrounding Jordan's passing make it extremely upsetting."
Mahoney, a double major in English and psychology, was set to graduate in the spring semester. The university is making on-campus counseling available.
 
Family friends said that Mahoney's parents drove to Flagstaff on Monday from her hometown of San Jose, Calif. She graduated from Catholic Presentation High School in 2009.
EMBRACE THE CHAOS
 
Friends began leaving condolences for the family on an online obituary for Mahoney on Tuesday.
"While your passing is tragic, we can only take comfort in the fact that you are now in heaven and watching over us all," wrote Jennafer Lane of San Jose. "Your senior quote is tragically appropriate.
 
'Life is divine chaos. Embrace it.'
We will love and remember you always.
 
A rosary, or set of prayers, was said for Mahoney at the Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center on NAU campus Monday night, where she was a parishioner.

Pastor Brendan McGuire of Holy Spirit Church in San Jose broke the news to members of her family's church on Monday.
 
"Please give your loved ones a hug and kiss tonight," he said. "Remind them of your love for them and do not allow all the petty things of life to take a moment away from the joy of being alive. Life is too precious to waste."
 
Mahoney was an active member of that church, where she worked to organize youth Mass.
 
"She was a special young woman who will be dearly missed," McGuire said.
The priest described Mahoney as "the gem" of her parents' lives.
"This is a devastating loss for their family," he said.
 
 "She was a beautiful human being with a generous and open heart. She ministered to so many young people in our community and had an effervescent smile that would light up anybody's day."
 
GOING 60 MPH
Flagstaff Police have not released additional details of the collision, but witnesses told the Daily Sun that the truck was going at least 60 mph down Walapai Drive in the moments before the accident. By the time neighbors left their homes and reached the scene, the truck had already turned down a nearby street.
 
Flagstaff police officials said they arrested Kelsey Lou Cody of Flagstaff on charges of manslaughter and fleeing the scene of an injury or fatality accident. Investigators believe that alcohol was a factor in the incident. She is being held in the Coconino County Detention Facility on $250,000 cash bond.

Carol and Patrick Mahoney, the victim's parents, wrote in a message to the Daily Sun.
"Her beaming, smiling face is 100% Jordan! She means the world to us. We are so very, very proud of her. She touched many lives here at NAU and Flagstaff as we have learned since arriving Monday. Jordan is a true gift from God and is very special to our family, friends, classmates, and parishioners back home in San Jose."
 
Melissa Birkett, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Northern Arizona University
"I knew Jordan as a student in an upper division psychology class last semester. The class worked closely together and the group came to know each other well. Jordan was a good student and a wonderful person. She was positive, energetic and engaged. She approached every situation with an open-minded attitude and a willingness to learn and collaborate. She will be missed by many in the student and faculty communities. My heart goes out to her friends and family - this is a staggering loss for all."

Stone Dam Ash Fork Arizona

Railroad Dams



Darren


Trying to stay calm water on one side and 20 foot drop on the other
 and a strong wind blowing. 





The old U.S. Route 66
That's Darren standing the old U.S. Route 66

Till Next Time!!

Tara Michelle Shermerhorn



Memorial

Crown King Arizona
What began as a missing-persons report Thursday afternoon ended as an apparent murder-suicide Friday morning that shocked residents in the southwest Valley.

Thomas Watson, 47, and Tara Shermerhorn, 31, both of Goodyear, were found dead inside a truck near the Horse Thief Basin Recreation Area, north of the Valley.

It appears that Watson shot Shermerhorn and then himself, said Cmdr. Ralph McLaughlin with the Goodyear Police Department.


The pair had broken up in December after dating about a year, acco
rding to authorities and friends.
Shermerhorn was well-known in the community, having worked for a foundation supporting area charities and as a volunteer for Luke Air Force Base.
Litchfield Park Councilman Peter Mahoney, who owns the Old Pueblo Cafe and Pub in Litchfield Park where Shermerhorn was a longtime regular, said her death "was like a punch in the stomach."
Her family had reported her missing Thursday afternoon.

Watson left a note that morning saying he was despondent, with instructions on how to dispose of his property, McLaughlin said.
The pair had e-mailed one another on Wednesday and agreed to meet, McLaughlin said.
Authorities looked for the pair near Crown King after tracking her cellphone to the area.
Deputies with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office found the bodies Friday shortly after 10 a.m. inside Watson's Ford F-150 pickup. They believe the pair died that morning.
Goodyear and Yavapai County authorities continue to investigate.
Those who knew the couple are struggling to cope.
"She didn't deserve what she got," said Peter Katsars, owner of Dino's Greek and Italian Bar and Grill in Goodyear, where Shermerhorn worked as a bartender.
Friends described her as "classy, sophisticated and beautiful."

Luke officials had met Shermerhorn at community events when she oversaw the House of Elliott foundation, the charitable arm of a local publishing group. A couple of years ago, they invited her to be part of an honorary squadron-commander program.
She embraced it with gusto, said Steve Yamamori, the former director of Fighter Country Partnership, which supports Luke.
"She was so excited to be part of the program," he said. "She lived life to the fullest. She was very active in the community, and it's a huge loss for us in the West Valley."
A friend, Sara Nicholas, described her as always smiling.


Birth:
Dec. 10, 1979
Sydney Nova Scotia, Canada
Death:
Feb. 3, 2011
Yavapai County Arizona, USA