THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
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This Week
NEWS .............. 4 APS rate hike kicks in
SPORTS ........ 13 Phoenix ready to scorch the competition
9 DAYS ......... 16 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ..........................9 BUSINESS..................... 11 SPORTS ..........................13 FEATURES .....................19 NEIGHBORHOOD......25 OBITUARIES .................26 CLASSIFIEDS................27 SOUTH
Chocolate keeps family together The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
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August 23, 2017
Avondale woman fulfills promise By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
As a child in Virginia, Stephanie Small was fascinated with stories about her family. She remembers her greatgrandmother, Mary Kennedy Rowe, keeping their spirits alive by sharing tales with her nightly in bed as the breeze came in through the windows. Small was particularly intrigued by her great-uncle Willie Rowe, a corporal in the U.S. Army who went missing at age 22 during the Korean War. “I used to constantly hear stories about him,” said Small, who now lives in Avondale. “She never believed he perished in Korea. She believed he was injured or had amnesia and that was keeping him from coming home. “She would cry about it and talk about it. She constantly made me promise to bring her baby home. Being a child, I said, OK, but I had no idea what that really meant.” Mary Kennedy Rowe died in the mid1980s, but Small made it her mission to bring her great-uncle home. “At her gravesite, I told her I would figure out how to find him,” she said. “In the mid1990s, I saw an ad in the local newspaper.
It wasn’t a big story. It didn’t have a big photo or headline. It was just a really, really small ad that said, ‘If you have family members missing from any foreign war, just call this number.’” Small did and from there she embarked on a decadeslong journey.
Fight for great-grandmother That same day, Small spent hours on the phone, being transferred from one office to another, and trying to prove that she, indeed, had a missing relative overseas. Avondale’s Stephanie Small tirelessly tracked down the remains “They didn’t know me of her great-uncle, Willie Rowe, who was captured during the from a hole in the wall,” she Korean War. (West Valley View photo by Ray Thomas) said. “Finally, they gave me all of this information about to him and collected them in two 3-inch, him. That was around 1994.” three-ring binders. Small read witness accounts of what Despite learning much about her happened to her great-uncle, how he was grandfather’s last days and how he perished, captured and spent time in a POW camp. She asked for every piece of paper related Promise...continued on page 2
Avondale Vice Mayor Nielson passes away By West Valley View staff
Avondale Vice Mayor Sandi Nielson died Saturday, August 19, after a long illness, she died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). “She was my inspiration over these last two years,” said Mayor Kenn Weise. “Every time I wanted to complain about something, I would always think about what she was going through. That slapped me back to reality. “Her and (her husband) Curtis epitomized what love and faith truly mean. Their love for each other, and their faith in God, were truly inspiring. She will be missed, and I know, as a city, we will never forget how much of herself she gave to Avondale.”
Nielson was elected as councilwoman in 2014, with her four-year term beginning in January. Earlier this year, she was selected by her peers to serve as vice mayor. She has been actively involved in her community. Since 2006, she served as president of her neighborhood homeowners association; and board president of the Littleton Elementary School District Governing Board. Recently, she served on the Contributions Assistance Council Subcommittee and the Boards and Commissions Council Subcommittee. Previously she was a member of the board of directors for the Southwest Valley Chamber and was
chairwoman of the Avondale Interfaith Council. She was also on the National League of Cities Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy Committee. Nielson grew Sandi Nielson. (Photo up in an Air Force courtesy City of Avondale) family and was a Girl Scout when she was younger. She earned the First Class Award, now known
Nielson...continued on page 6