In Passing

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Joan Dora Lichtvert

Joan Dora Lichtvert passed away peacefully on Sept. 11, 2025, in her home. Joan was born in Bourneville Village, England, on May 28, 1932.

She came to the U.S. in 1954. Joan lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, for the first two years and then in Phoenix, Ariz., for six years. She moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1961, where she met and married Joe, her beloved husband of 37 years before his death in 2009.

Joan and Joe lived in the Bay Area until 1987 when they moved to Grass Valley, Calif., where they lived until they relocated to continue retirement in Green Valley, Ariz., in 2005.

Joan had several different careers, working as a preschool teacher, dental assistant, medical office manager, tour guide, and owner of a bookkeeping service. Joan has always given of herself volunteering. She has served as an usher for performing arts groups in California and Arizona. Due to her great love of animals she was a volunteer at the Animal League. She volunteered at senior day care centers and the Green Valley hospital.

Joan was a member of the British Teapot Club, Red Hat Society, Critter Club, and Women of Quail Creek. Joan was an active and supporting member of Unity of the Valley Church. Before moving to Green Valley, she was an active member of Unity Church of Grass Valley, Calif.

Joan loved gardening and especially enjoyed the garden at her home in Quail Creek. She loved music; singing in choirs; playing guitar, piano, and Celtic Harp; and writing and reading poetry. She liked hiking, camping, bicycle touring, and tennis. She especially enjoyed spending time in our Santa Rita Mountains. Her love of travel took her and Joe to our national parks, and other places of interest in the U.S. as well as in many other countries.

Joan had a lifelong love of learning. She took many Ollie classes and Spanish classes. She participated in small groups and religious classes at her church. She never lost her love of learning. Joan will always be remembered for her curious mind and generous heart.

Joan was a wonderful friend to many all through her life. Kindness, loyalty, and love were her guiding lights in all her relationships. Once a friend of Joan’s, always a friend.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Oct. 14, 2025, at Unity in the Valley Church. Anyone wishing to gift in her memory, please consider Unity in the Valley Church or a charity of your choice.

LaFrank Newell

LaFrank Newell was born in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 1956, to the late Frank Newell and Doris Dorton. LaFrank was unique as his name. He passed away at age 68 on May 22, 2025, in Tucson, Ariz.

LaFrank is survived by his wife, Toni Belcher of 20 years. LaFrank found Toni “again for the first time” in 1999 having dated her in high school. They reunited after 25 years, married in 2005, building a life upon their young love.

LaFrank is survived by daughters, Teya Williams, Andrea Whitman and husband Russ Whitman, Jennifer Newell and partner Branden Graves, plus his mother-in-love Jacquelyn Belcher and sister-in-love Terri Belcher.

LaFrank is a grandfather to Tyler, Braden, and Nash Whitman. Tyler and Grace Whitman blessed LaFrank with a great-granddaughter, Naomi, in 2024.

LaFrank grew up in Seattle, a Black youth impacted by its cultural socio-economic challenges. After graduating from Roosevelt High in 1974, LaFrank joined the Air Force in 1975. He left the military to join Boeing in 1979, becoming the first Black graduate of the Model Maker Apprenticeship Program in 1984. LaFrank chaired the state Apprenticeship Council passing a 2001 bill that rewrote apprenticeship rules making paid programs more accessible. LaFrank completed Shingijutsu Lean Manufacturing training in 2002. He earned a B.S. and M.A. in business management in 2003 and 2005. LaFrank left Boeing to join Terex as Operations Director. He joined Caterpillar as a Global Operations Director in 2006, travelling the world. At Caterpillar, LaFrank joined Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest intercollegiate Black fraternity.

LaFrank retired from Caterpillar in 2013 to the home he and Toni built in 2006 in Green Valley. His retirement was filled with golf, cooking, entertaining, music, fishing, and movies. LaFrank loved many things but absolutely loved his family.

Go to greenvalleymortuary.net and click obituary to learn more.

Brandon H. Armstrong

If you are familiar with Unit 10 in Quail Creek, there sits a corner house that flew the Stars & Stripes on one side of the driveway and the United States Marine Corps flag on the other—from sunrise to sunset almost without fail. That was my dad’s house … Brandon H. Armstrong.

My dad loved living in Quail Creek. He and Sylvia, his second wife, really enjoyed retirement here. They found fast friends to share impromptu meals, books, movies, and even a few road trips—one to Albuquerque to see the Gathering of Nations and another to San Diego where my dad served as tour guide. Sylvia joined the Lady Putters and a book club, while my dad enjoyed hunting rocks and making jewelry with the Lapidary group. He joined the volunteer Fire Corps helping relocate errant rattlesnakes and maintaining residents’ smoke detectors. But probably Brandon’s favorite endeavor was championing the Horseshoe Club. He loved to share his passion and techniques for throwing horseshoes and lobbied to get improved facilities for the club. The pits are located behind the dog park near the Administration building going out the back gate. If you listen closely, you can hear the clink of a shoe hitting the stake as Rick Root and a group of friends carry on the tradition.

Dad and Sylvia enjoyed night swims, stargazing, exploring Madera Canyon, and attending local talks and workshops. They were glad to share the amenities Quail Creek offers whenever friends or family visited. My kids all learn to play Bocce Ball with Papa on the courts next to the pool, always taking advantage of a cool swim afterwards. Sadly, Sylvia started to show signs of dementia; many of their extracurricular activities had to be curtailed.

Here is where Dad’s Marine Corps training really proved helpful. He believed in the unofficial motto “improvise, adapt, and overcome” … he saw it as his new mission to become the best caretaker he could be for his beloved wife. Many friends in Quail Creek were helpful, some giving them a ride home when Sylvia insisted on walking too far, others sharing a meal or stopping by to visit as she became more housebound. Dad said he could not have done it without the help of these Guardian Angels, especially MaryEllen Pruess and the members of Unit 10. The Quail Creek Semper Fi Club was a welcome addition to Dad’s life. He was instrumental in getting embroidered club shirts and covers (caps) with the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor logo. Celebrating the Marine Corps birthday became a favorite event, especially when he was the oldest Marine in attendance—a true honor!

I told my dad he made it easy for me to believe in a good, kind, and loving Heavenly Father. He was so generous with his time and resources and so committed to his loved ones. Brandon buried two wives, our mom Beverly in 2001 and Sylvia in 2020. He passed away on Oct. 30, 2024, at the age of 88. He is survived by my brothers and I, our spouses, nine grandchildren—five of whom are married, and seven-plus great-grandchildren (a new one due this July). We are grateful to the community of Quail Creek for being an extended family to our dad in his later years.

May God bless you all,
Kim A. Byrd