Roy Arnold Jesperson, 92, left this earth on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Bellavia LDS Ward Chapel, located at 3440 S. Signal Butte Road, Mesa, Ariz., with a viewing at the church prior to services from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. Interment will be at the National Cemetery of Arizona.
He was born in Tucson, Ariz., in an area formerly known as Binghampton on Jan. 2, 1919. His father was Oscar Fernando Jesperson. His mother was Martha Louise Abegg.
The family moved to Phoenix in 1936. That is where he met his wife, Berniece Ruth Larson, through his sister, Irene, because Berniece wanted to ride with him on his motorcycle. On their ride, he took her to the airport, where he was learning to fly. She became interested in flying and later started taking lessons.
Roy moved to Hollywood, where he worked for Douglas Aircraft. When World War II started, he entered the Army Air Corps and served in the South and Southwest Pacific as a crew chief on B-17s and B-24s.
When he was discharged, he went back to Hollywood. On a trip back to Phoenix to see his family, he was reunited with Berniece and they were married shortly.
Roy loved trucks, and they owned their own truck for a while. Berniece’s father was a chiropractor, and because of the help Roy received with his health problems, he was inspired to go back to school and become a doctor. When he graduated, he opened his practice in Holbrook, Ariz., which was so successful he built his own clinic. Then he was struck by a neuromuscular disease, which made him unable to continue his work as a doctor.
They lived in Holbrook for 41 years, then moved to Mesa.
Roy was preceded in death by Berniece in 2008 after 60 years of marriage. He and Berniece had two chil-dren, Patrice Crossman (Michael) of Payson, Ariz., and Gary (Kim), Mesa; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
They will miss his gentle healing hands and his happy heart.
Premier Funeral Services of Salt Lake City, Utah, was in charge of the arrangements.
