The Dripping Springs and Tortilla Mountain ranges still surround our horizon with scenic beauty. Old Man Sol shines brightly and the Arizona skies above are crystal clear blue. But our skies are crying. Vikki Kaufhold went to heaven the evening of Jan. 31, 2018. We miss her very much. Everyone who knew “our loverly Miss Vikki” remembers her laughter and her signature feisty attitude. She loves the hummingbirds on our back patio, and viewing magnificent sunsets in the evenings. Her favorite daypart is dusk because the colors become subtle and the shadows are more nuanced. The back-lit silhouette of the mountains adds visual drama.
Vikki was Executive Director of the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce for several years. For over a decade she was an officer of the Copper Basin Sportsmen’s Club. She enjoyed running events for the Chamber and working with the youngsters on Range Day for the Hunting and Gun Safety Classes.
Thank you to all those in the area who stopped by, extended cards, condolences, flowers and food. The Kearny Health Mart and Norm’s Hometown Grocery were our go-to places to keep Vikki’s regimen going smoothly. We would have been lost without these two local businesses. We appreciate the effort you put in every day just to be open for us, and Myra’s marvelous flowers brighten our lives every day.
An effervescent free spirit, Vikki surrounds us. Each room in our home is decorated in a style Vikki dubbed “Eclectic Hippie Garage Sale” and we made many fun visits to and from The Hand Me Up Shop. Nearly every day we adjourned to our back patio and had a “Z-O-E” afternoon. Z-O-E stands for the Zenith of Evolution and mainly just means that life is as good as it’s going to get: problems and work get set aside, we have our loved ones near, and we invest our time enjoying each other. I hope everyone reading this gets to have some ZOE moments this spring.
Here are two silly small-town stories:
I walk around town a lot and make note of what I see. I coined the term “the cowboy cellphone” to describe when two pick-up trucks meet, one going up Tilbury Hill, the other going down. Both drivers stop. They roll down their windows and chat at length oblivious to the blocked traffic. But there are no horns blaring like you’d have in the big city. People around here are okay with taking things a little more slowly and I relish that about our area. Recently, I’ve been the recipient of many “cowboy cell phone” traffic stoppages as drivers pull up next to me during my walk, put on their parking brake, get out, and come around just to give me a hug. Thank you for that.
The very first night we arrived in Kearny 20 years ago the landline phone was on. We dialed up Old Time Pizza and ordered a Doctor Pizza Special for delivery, and Mary Birkett brought it down. We were so delighted that we could get Pizza delivery in Kearny! The night after Vikki went to heaven, friends came by and we ordered a Doctor Pizza Special and had it delivered. Vikki arrived in and left from the Copper Corridor with Old Time Pizza. Thank you for that.
Vikki donated her remains to the University of Arizona Medical Center where she’s helping doctors with cancer research. We have no plans for a formal service at this time. Thank you to everyone who has been so generous and caring during this difficult transition for us.
Donations can be made to Kearny Fireman’s Fund, P. O. Box 1314, Kearny AZ, 85137, Fire Chief Kenny Piggott.