Departed from p 18 On assignment in south Tucson, a man who had just buried two young children, shot by their mother, opened up to Oza and told him where to find the gravestones. It led to an iconic image for a series about child abuse, making the issue real to readers. In September, Oza was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash in Phoenix; it eventually took his life. He was 57, and left behind a wife and daughter. His death re- verberated among friends, colleagues, and those who knew his work: Tributes came in a flood, telling of his patience, his lumi- nous presence, and the impact of his work. Oza was born in Mumbai, India, and moved to the United States when he was in his early 20s, where he continued his stud- ies of photography. His own experience as an immigrant, he Maxine Johnson 1943-August 8, 2021 Child singing star and Phoenix native Maxine Johnson was discovered as a jazz sensation in her youth. Johnson was a jazz singer who rubbed elbows with Diana Ross, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald before she was a teen- ager. Johnson died at 78 from complica- tions of a stroke. When she was 5 years old, she was al- ready singing solo at her church and fre- quently won local singing contests in the Valley. A talent scout scooped her up for a children’s television show in 1948 known as Lew King Rangers. For years, Johnson was out of the lime- light as she raised her family of nine chil- dren. After her children had grown up she returned to show business and began sing- ing in jazz clubs alongside her daughter Laydee Jai as a duo. The mother-daughter pair performed together for more than a decade after going solo again in 2006. Several years later, Johnson suffered a stroke that affected her mobility, so she had to retire from singing in 2011. Local music aficionado John Dixon re- called her memorable voice, even when she sang cover songs. “She would cover songs that other people made famous but she had this very distinct sound. She made those songs her own,” Dixon told New Times. KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER Hans Hughes February 22, 1978-September 21, 2021 Hans Hughes died doing what he loved — cycling through the streets of Downtown Phoenix. But if there’s one thing he loved more than that trusty bike, his primary mode of transportation, it was helping people. Thousands of people. Hughes was tragically struck by a 20 drunken driver near First and Fillmore streets in late August. He succumbed to his injuries in September. A 12-year veteran Downtown Phoenix Ambassador, he was almost always clad in his signature orange polo shirt, much the same color as his dis- tinctive beard and mustache. He settled on Roosevelt Street after moving to the Valley from his native Michigan. Nick Oza September 14, 1964-September 27, 2021 “Be like a child” is the advice that the pho- tojournalist Nick Oza once gave for street photography, “and understand your sub- ject.” It was this discerning curiosity that would draw the longtime Arizona Republic staff photographer to makeshift migrant camps in Tijuana, to flooded nursing homes in Texas, to grieving families in Guatemala. On assignments, Oza would embed with his subjects, capturing inti- mate, human moments, always looking for a deeper understanding. He was a joy for reporters to work with. He would often ask questions that led to better stories. People wanted to talk to him. Paul Keeler December 11, 1947-October 9, 2021 Valley restauranteur Paul Keeler was a fa- miliar face in the Cave Creek, Carefree, and Scottsdale communities as the founder of two Liberty Station American Tavern and Smokehouse restaurants in Scottsdale and Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse in Carefree. Keeler passed away on October 9 from complications related to COVID-19, but he’ll be best remembered for his unmatched passion for hospitality. “His smile was contagious, and he could work a dining room better than most sea- soned restaurant industry veterans,” said his obituary. Hughes died too early at age 43. Even after death, Hughes’ spirit continues the work he accomplished in life — helping people. His untimely death sparked a wave of pedestrian safety efforts in Downtown Phoenix. Colleagues told New Times that Hughes was “a beloved member of the Downtown Phoenix community who made an indeli- ble impression on tens of thousands of resi- dents, employees, students, and visitors.” ELIAS WEISS would later say, influenced his work on im- migration in the Southwest. This was the subject to which Oza would become deeply dedicated, gaining renown for his stark portraits of migrants and, often, the inhumanity of our immigration system. Projects he worked on twice won Pulitzer prizes. He collected dozens of awards. The work, though, was challenging: “Some- times,” he told an interviewer last summer, “I feel that I soak in a lot of their pain.” Still, he did not look away — instead, choosing to bear witness. KATYA SCHWENK Early in his career, Keeler co-owned restaurants in Boston and upstate New York. He was later recruited as vice presi- dent of food and beverage by Beacon Hotel Company. He spent 20 years with Hilton Hotels before founding Keeler Hospitality Group in Scottsdale in 2008. Keeler was born in Palo Alto, California, in 1947 and studied business at the College of Marin in Kentfield, California. In 1975, he married Judy Maeder. The couple has three children, Matt, Ryan, and Jessica. KEVIN BURTON Grant Woods May 19, 1954-October 23, 2021 When they name a courtroom after you, you’ve left your mark. But even though he was a two-term state attorney general from 1991 to 1999, and a lawyer by trade, Grant Woods will be remembered, a little wistfully, for his role in politics. He was a rare set of things in modern politics: a moderate, a bipartisan, and a statesman. Woods was born in Elk City, Oklahoma. After high school, he graduated from Occi- dental College before getting a law degree from Arizona State University in 1979. He was later named alumnus of the year at the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, where a mock courtroom is named for him. He was best known for his bonds with former U.S. Senator John McCain, whom he eulogized at his funeral. Woods served as McCain’s chief of staff before stepping into the political fray himself. As Arizona’s attorney general and in the years after, Woods was always available and amenable to the press. He gave inter- views and seemed to enjoy the exchanges. He was generous with his time. Sometimes to a fault. He had an image, like many leading Arizona politicians of his era, of being a moth to the media. One time, New Times set up a photoshoot with a hot- dog vendor, who happened to be an es- caped convict. Not knowing, Woods joked the paper was going to name him Best Hot Dog that year, but the paper had another jibe in mind. The headline ran: >> p 22 JAN 6TH– JAN 12TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
