Tag: obituary

Arizona GOP Tipsheet Founder and Editor Frosty Taylor Passes Away at Age 86

Rachel Alexander

Frosty Taylor, founder and editor of Arizona’s GOP tipsheet known as Republican Briefs, died in early November at age 86. The retired journalist dutifully updated the site, referred to as “Briefs” by insiders, almost every morning, even on weekends, up until August. John Strasser, who assisted her with the technical aspects of the site, took over for her in August, and posted a remembrance page that included statements from Republican activists who knew her well.

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Legendary Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, Sponsor of SB 1070, Dies at 75

Rachel Alexander

Longtime Arizona Legislator Russell Pearce of Mesa, who served as Senate President in 2011, passed away Thursday at age 75. The sponsor of Arizona’s nationally known SB 1070 curbing illegal immigration, which Governor Jan Brewer famously signed into law in 2010, died peacefully at a hospital surrounded by family and friends after becoming sick earlier in the week. 

Pearce was loved on both sides of the aisle, famous for his friendship with Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) going back to when she was in the state legislature and considered the most liberal member — the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers awarded her the Vladimir I. Lenin Award. According to one source, Sinema moved her desk at the legislature to sit next to Pearce. 

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Longtime Arizona Legislator, Husband, and Father: Rick Murphy Dies at Age 50

Rachel Alexander

Rick Murphy, who represented the areas around Glendale and Peoria in the Arizona Legislature from 2005 to 2014, passed away Thursday, leaving behind his wife, Penny Murphy, their five children, and many foster children. Born with hemophilia, he received a tainted blood transfusion as a child that led to hepatitis and finally liver disease, which ultimately took his life at age 50.

His widow, Penny Murphy, who was married to him for 22 years, told The Arizona Sun Times, “He was so deeply loved by his family and friends. He was a loving husband and father. He cared deeply for all of us. Shortly before he got so bad, he insisted on a quick trip to the beach with just the two of us, and I believe that was his way of saying he knew the end was near. There is so much I could say about him but there are not enough words to say how much I loved him. A part of me died with him that day. He will forever be in my heart.”

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Arizona Citizens Defense League’s Founding President and Chief Lobbyist Dave Kopp Has Died

Rachel Alexander
David Kopp

Dave Kopp, the longtime lobbyist and founding president of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), a Second Amendment organization in Arizona, passed away at age 56.

Kopp fought cancer for 12 years but succumbed to the illness on August 24. Several people in the Arizona gun industry told The Arizona Sun Times Kopp was responsible for transforming Arizona into the top-ranked state for Second Amendment-friendly laws.

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