In Passing – June 2025

Robert Lewis Adams

Robert Lewis Adams, 75, of SaddleBrooke, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2025. Robert was born in Pittsburgh, Kansas, to Joseph and Mary Adams on July 8, 1949. Robert attended the University of Oregon and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in June of 1972. In August 1972, Robert joined the Air Force and served over four years as an imagery intelligence officer and tactical fighter pilot. In 1978 he was honorably discharged from the Air Force and started working for Procter & Gamble as a salesman and at a handful of other jobs along the way. In 1987, Robert was offered a job with the ARTCC FAA as a computer technical specialist and  retired after 31 years of service. Robert had many hobbies, including flying, golf, tennis, and painting.

He is survived by his wife, Lillian Adams; his son, Scott Adams and wife, Chris; his daughter, Stephanie Silani and husband, Andrew; his son, Brent Adams and wife Nadine; and six grandchildren: Cody, Brandon, Trenton, Serena, Tyler, and Shawn. He was a loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather, and he will forever be remembered.

A Celebration of Life was held on May 24. Donations can be made to the Community Church at SaddleBrooke Parish House, 36768 S. Aaron Lane, SaddleBrooke, AZ 85739.

Harold Louis Peel

Harold Louis Peel, nickname Joe, was born Nov. 3, 1944, in Santa Monica, Calif., to Harold S. Peel and Marge Biondi. He passed away at Banner Hospital on April 4, 2025. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a master’s in civil engineering. During his career he worked for Kennedy Jenks Consulting in San Francisco, Calif., and CDM Federal Programs Corporation in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Joe and Cheryl were married in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 29, 1970. In 2005, they retired and moved to SaddleBrooke. You would always find him on the golf course practicing and enjoying playing golf with friends.

Joe was preceded in death by his mother, father, and sister. He is survived by his beloved wife, Cheryl. In lieu of flowers, donations made to the American Heart Association would be welcome.

Deborah Hammar

Deborah Kay (Conway) Hammar passed away at her home on Wednesday, April 23, 2025,  after a recurrence of a rare form of leukemia. Deb was born Dec. 16, 1951, in Evansville, Ind., where she lived throughout her childhood and high school years. She attended Purdue University and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She worked in Denver most of her career in the insurance industry where she met Jack Hammar. They married and lived in Colorado for many years before moving to SaddleBrooke in 2000 where she jumped into many SaddleBrooke activities. She was President of the Niners Golf League and was also involved with political initiatives and philanthropic activities. Among her many other interests were travelling, golfing, hiking, skiing, and reading. Deb was a ray of light to all who knew her, leaving an indelible mark of kindness, generosity, and friendship, and she will be sorely missed by her many, many friends and family members.

Deb is survived by her husband of 37 years, Jack; sister, Rebecca Conway; sister and brother-in-law, Marsha and Henry Vieu; brother and sister-in-law, Clark and Linda Conway; two stepsons, Mark Hammar and Scott Hammar; stepson-in-law, Dave Miller; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her parents, two brothers (Frank Conway and Tim Conway), and stepdaughter, Jill Miller.

At her request, there will not be a memorial service.

Larry F. Klages

Larry Fredrick Klages was born on May 8, 1941, in Clyman, Wis., to Fred (Bud) and Lorraine (Mickey) Klages. He went home peacefully to be with the Lord in Tucson, Ariz., at the age of 83.

The oldest of four children, Larry joined the Army immediately following high school. He served as a psychiatric technician for several years before attending Officer Candidate School and becoming a counterintelligence officer in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence branch. Larry completed two tours in Vietnam, the first with the 173rd Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. At the end of that tour, Larry was seriously injured with a traumatic brain injury that resulted in epilepsy for the rest of his life. After recovering, he was redeployed to Vietnam with the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). Larry retired honorably in 1978 as a major, with 20 years of service.

After retirement, Larry met and married his second wife Gerta Klages (nee Rottman). They ended up settling down in SaddleBrooke, in North Tucson, Ariz. Larry took up distance running and then he began lap swimming, which he enjoyed until just a few months before passing. Through all of these years, Larry enjoyed golfing most of all.

One thing about Larry Klages that stood out to everyone he met was his height. At 6’8” he became accustomed to ducking through many doorways, especially when living in Korea, and receiving comments from passersby. When asked how tall he was, he would frequently reply, “Five foot twenty,” leaving many confused and trying to work the math.

Larry is survived by his wife of 45 years, Gerta; his sister, Diane Carly; his brother, Joel Klages; his three daughters with his first wife, Julie Cerberville, Ricki Klages, and Lisa Burton; his stepdaughters, Tamara Leal and Christina Kersey; 15 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Larry was a good grandfather and he welcomed his grandkids by holding them to his chest so they were placed over his heart, which would put them fast to sleep!

Funeral service will be held at Vistoso Memorial Chapel, 2285 East Rancho Vistoso Blvd., on June 23 at 10 a.m.

A memorial service will be held at Catalina Lutheran Church, 15855 N. Twin Lakes Dr., on June 23 at 12:30 p.m.

Sherry Marmorstein

Sherry Marmorstein, age 82, passed away on Nov. 22, 2024, after battling lung cancer for a year and a half. Sherry never lost her spirit and she kept her sense of humor to her last days. She was beautiful, brainy, and fun, and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

Sherry was born Sept. 13, 1942, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the eldest daughter of the late Aaron Kaplan and the late Esther Menahen Kaplan Levy. She attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn.

She married the love of her life, Joel Marmorstein, at age 19. She was a loving and involved stay-at-home-mom for several years.

Sherry enrolled at the College of Staten Island in her 30s, and was an ambitious student, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.

Sherry worked as a laboratory technician at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center on Staten Island before becoming a Research Scientist in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, N.Y. Sherry worked at Downstate for 24 years, and was acknowledged in articles in The Journal of Biological Chemistry and The American Association for Anatomy Journal. 

Sherry was very creative; she put a lot of effort into decorating her homes, and she was always busy with crafts like sewing, crochet, and needlepoint. She especially enjoyed creating afghans and baby blankets. Another passion was travel; Sherry and Joel visited at least 53 countries together.

After retiring, Sherry lived the snowbird lifestyle, summering at the Village Grande in West Windsor, N.J., and wintering at the Sunflower community in Tucson. She became a year-round resident of SaddleBrooke in 2016.

Sherry made the most of her life at SaddleBrooke; she was an enthusiastic participant in her unit activities and is remembered for the theme parties she hosted. She enjoyed chatting with her neighbors while floating at the pool. She was an avid lifelong Mahjong player and was a member of the Knit-Wits, the book club, and the Jewish Friendship Group. She was also a lifetime member of Hadassah.

Her funeral was held Nov. 27, 2024, at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson. Sherry is survived by her husband of 62 years, Joel Marmorstein, her daughter Stacy Alynn Hiemstra, her son-in-law Dirk Hiemstra, her son Alan Marmorstein, her daughter-in-law Lihua Marmorstein, and her grandchildren, Jade and Jessica Marmorstein.