MORTENSON, Arnold Roger

Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home, Prescott, Arizona Arnold Roger Mortenson (February 12, 1936 ~ November 29, 2012) Arnold Roger Mortenson, 76, of Prescott, AZ died November 29, 2012 in Prescott, AZ. He was born February 12, 1936 in Des Moines, IA to Arnold & Mona (McCoy) Mortenson. Service: 1:00 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012 A memorial service is scheduled for 1 pm, Thursday, December 20, 2012 at the Calvary Chapel located at 2313 Arizona 69 in Prescott. ~~~~~~~~~~~ The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Wednesday, December 07, 2012 A. Roger Mortenson On Nov. 29, 2012, Arnold Roger Mortenson heard his Lord and Savior say "Come" and Roger left this world for his heavenly home. Suffering with heart problems, his body was ready to rest in the arms of His Lord. He is survived by his wife Winnie; his children; grandchildren; and his sister, Joyce Wilson. Roger was born Feb. 12, 1936, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Arnold and Mona McCoy Mortenson. He attended school in Des Moines until the family moved to Pomona, Calif., in 1951. After he graduated from Pomona High in 1954, followed by his BA in electronic engineering from UCLA in 1959, he began working for Hughes Aircraft Co. as a field tech rep. His first Hughes assignment was with the army in Okinawa. There he met and married Winnie Wildforster, the love of his life, in 1962, while she was living with her uncle who was in the American Army. After marrying, they moved to Germany where they had their three children, Michelle Loeza (Victor), Annette Kelly (Mike) and Andy Mortenson. Roger's assignments for Hughes took him to several countries, his last assignment being in Egypt. While there, he suffered from a heart attack and returned home in Southern California, taking an early retirement. After recovering from a triple bypass heart surgery, Roger got his general contractors license at Fullerton College since he had always wanted to build his own home like his father. Roger and Winnie moved to Prescott, Ariz., in 1993, and purchased acreage to build their home. Besides building his own home, Roger taught advanced construction for two years at Prescott High School. His students built two homes on the back lot of the high school for Habitat for Humanity. His hobbies were woodworking, genealogy, traveling and camping. Roger and Winnie enjoyed attending Calvary Chapel. As an avid student of the Bible, he also loved weekly Bible Studies and Prophesy classes in his home led by Paul Philpot. Roger was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and active in their Color Guard for many years. At the time of his passing, he was the Chaplain of the SAR and also a member of the Evening Lions. He served for several years on the board of Tri-City Prep High School, retiring recently due to illness. The joys of his life were his grandchildren, Jonathan, Christopher and Andrew Loeza, Ashton, Kiersten and Joshua Kelly. In January 2012, Roger and Winnie celebrated their 50th anniversary. The Celebration of his Life will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, at Calvary Chapel in Prescott. Information provided by survivors.