7 Jan 5th–Jan 11th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | F rom health complications to the heat, accidents, police shootings, and even lethal injections, the cause of deaths we chronicled at Phoenix New Times in 2022 were as varied, tragic, and memorable as the people who passed. A judge and mother, a beloved bar owner, a neighborhood activist, artists, an advocate for the unhoused, a Holocaust survivor, immigrants, and so many more. Their stories weaved together help make the fabric of the Valley that’s so special. Our list is by no means comprehensive. But it does highlight the impact that even a single person can have in Phoenix. Rosa MRoz February 5, 2022 Rosa Mroz, the first Asian-American woman to serve as a Maricopa County Superior Court judge, was struck by a vehicle as she crossed an intersection in Arcadia on February 2. She died three days later at the age of 56. Mroz left behind her husband, Rob Mroz, two adoring children, and her mother, Jane Peng. Mroz was born Peng Shao Ching in Taiwan, moved to the U.S. at the age of 7, and naturalized at 18. During her formative years, Mroz moved from coast to coast and beyond — Chicago to Queens, New York; Miami to Hawaii. Mroz earned her bachelor’s and law degrees from Arizona State University. Her judicial career was filled with accolades, including the 2020 Arizona State University Judge of the Year, the 2020 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Trailblazer Award, and the 2014 Maricopa County Superior Court’s Penny Gaines Collegiality Award. Even though she often toiled late into the evening, Mroz would always check her kids’ homework after dinner, family members recalled. If they were working through the night, she was up with them. Mroz was ever-present at the events of her children and often volunteered along- side parents who knew her as a mom, not as a judge. Following her death, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Howard Sukenic described Mroz as “the truest friend and colleague one could have.” Mroz’s death highlighted the dangers pedestrians face in Maricopa County. Some 460 pedestrians were killed in the county in 2021. Final numbers for 2022 are not yet available. — ELIAS WEISS Pat olivo March 7, 2022 When Pat Olivo died from unspecified health reasons in March at the age of 80, the Valley lost a longtime LGBTQ ally, mentor, and benefactor. As the owner of Pat O’s Bunkhouse Saloon, he was a generous and larger-than-life figure who kept things inclusive at his namesake Melrose District joint. Hoping to foster an atmosphere of acceptance, belonging, and community, Olivo welcomed anyone and everyone, regardless of their orientation or gender identity. This spirit carried over to the varied events his bar hosted, the DePaRteD >> p 8 A final farewell to notable Arizonans we lost in 2022. By New Times staff • illustRations By lusteR KaBooM
