NIGHSWONGER, James Ellison

James Ellison Nighswonger 92, of Phoenix, Arizona entered the Kingdom of our Lord peacefully in his sleep on March 6, 2007. His beloved wife Evelyn preceded him in death. Jim or Grandpa as he liked to be called, made Arizona his home in 1957. Born in Cunningham, Kansas, on April 22, 1914, from the union of William and Stella Nighswonger, he was one of four children. In Kansas high school athletics, his prowess in the field and gym earned him numerous awards and honors, and scholarship offers from several major colleges. In the late thirties, he moved to California, WW2 started and he attempted to enlist in the military, but hearing loss from childhood prevented his joining. Persistent to help his country, he assisted the war effort by building Liberty ships for the allied cause. In the late fifties he moved to Arizona, become a sheet metal worker, and retired from Goettel Brothers. An early member of the Sheet Metal Workers Union, he served 56 years. His joys and interests included hunting and fishing in his early years, and travel, entertaining friends, gardening, and tinkering around his home in his later years. He is survived by one son, Alan Nighswonger, two grandchildren Nancy Nighswonger and Vicki Daggy, her husband Arron Daggy, and two great-grand children Alex and Tyler Daggy. Other close family members include step sons Harvey Day and Bill Fees, and their numerous loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Special acknowledgement is given to his close friend and caregiver Sharon Crow, who unselfishly helped him daily in his twilight years. He affectionately called her his guardian angel. We will miss you Jim! A private celebration and life remembrance is being planned for family and close friends. A donation to Hospice of the Valley would be appreciated, in lieu of flowers. Published in The Arizona Republic on 3/13/2007.