01/08/2026
A lovely obituary written by the family of Roy Hejhall. Roy was trusted into our care by his devoted daughter Jody Hass and family. We are honored and privileged to have taken care of him. Thank you for trusting us to care for your most precious family members.
OBITUARY
Roy Charles Hejhall
AUGUST 11, 1932 – OCTOBER 29, 2025
Roy Charles Hejhall, 93, born on August 11, 1932, in Duluth, MN, passed away peacefully on October 29, 2025, in Scottsdale, Arizona, with several family members and friends sharing their love, memories, music, and scriptures with him during his final days. He was the son of Charles J. Hejhall (Olga) (deceased) and Florence M. Wales (deceased), with sister, Loraine Gilbertson (Jack) (deceased) of Minnesota, and stepsister, Diane Johnson (Harold) of Arizona, and later, uncle to June Lang (Ken), Wayne Gilbertson (Linda), Bradley Gilbertson (Sharon), Timothy Gilbertson (Susan), and Candace Gilbertson.
His teen years were spent working in his parents’ coffee shop, the Glenlake Cafe, and developing his interests in singing, playing the accordion, and learning about ham radio. He graduated from Hopkins High School with his sights set on attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
In 1952, Roy received a commission to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and studied Electrical Engineering. He had two 2-month training cruises aboard USS J. Douglas Blackwood (DE-219) and USS Columbus (CA-74) as a midshipman. In addition to his studies, Roy joined the Naval Academy Glee Club and the USNA Pistol Club. The Glee Club performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. He also sang often in the beautiful Naval Academy Chapel as a member of the USNA Chapel Choir.
As a midshipman, he met his first wife, Virginia Hoke (nicknamed Ginger) (deceased) in Minnesota, and they married after his graduation on 9 June 1956. Roy and Ginger became the parents of three children, Jeffrey Hejhall, Jody Hass (Robert), and Julie Tracy (Robert). Roy later became a grandfather of Molly Garrett (Caelan) and Jay Tracy (Miranda), and a great-grandfather of John and Bethany Tracy.
As a naval officer stationed in Newport, RI, Roy served several tours in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea aboard the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser ship, USS Des Moines (CA-134), and three destroyers, USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850), USS McGowen (DD-678), and USS Abbott (DD-629).
Roy was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1961 and began doing the work he loved most as an Electrical Engineer in the Applications Engineering Department and the RF Product Group Department at Motorola in Phoenix, AZ. There he had a distinguished career of 35 years in electronics, designing circuits that used, at the time, state-of-the-art transistors for communication applications.
Through his love of classical music, Roy met and fell in love with his second wife, Audrey Gragg (deceased), and they were married on 28 June 1970. Audrey, a devout Christian, helped Roy come to know the Lord in a deeper way during their marriage. Roy and Audrey were active church musicians, with Audrey serving as the choir director at Second Baptist Church in Phoenix, and Roy singing as a bass in the choir. He sang in church choirs for 51 years at 5 different churches starting in 1968, to include the choir at Camelback Bible Church, where he and Audrey were members in their last years. Both Roy and Audrey also sang with the Phoenix Symphony Chorale. During their years together, they enjoyed spending time with family, attending concerts, and traveling. Through this marriage of 47 years, Roy became the stepfather of Stephen Tait (Wendy) and Deborah Carpenter (Donald) and later the step-grandfather of Stephen Tait, Jr. (Janae), Melissa Kaminsky (Joseph), Carissa Adams (Sean), D. Justin Carpenter (Penny), and the step-great-grandfather of Cody and Stone Tait; Jackson, Charles, and Theodore Kaminsky; Ashleigh, Aiden, Aaron, and Abigail Adams; and Logan, Piper, and John Carpenter.
Over the years, Roy had many interests that led him to become involved in the B.P.O.E. Phoenix Elks Lodge #335 for 61 years, as well as the Arizona Macintosh Users Group (AMUG) when Roy had become an Apple Computer enthusiast beginning in 1984. “I don’t do Windoze” was a favorite phrase as Dad remained a loyal Apple Computer user throughout his life.
In his later years, Roy married Eleanor Zakala (deceased) on 22 July 2018. She was a retired violinist of the West Valley Symphony in Arizona, and she naturally shared Roy’s deep love of classical music.
In the last year of his life, Roy met Peggy Olson on Valentine’s Day, and they hit it off instantly. They enjoyed spending time together, going to the Elks Club and attending family gatherings with Peggy’s family in San Diego and with Roy’s family in Phoenix.
Roy is survived by his younger sister, his extended family, as well as many longtime co-workers and friends, Peter Bachert and Carl Martens, to name just a few.
A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2025, at 10AM in the main sanctuary of Camelback Bible Church with reception to follow. Dr. James Johnston will officiate the ceremony. The church’s location is 3900 E. Stanford Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Roy’s life.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Phoenix Symphony, KBAQ Radio Station, B.P.O.E. Phoenix Elks Lodge #335, and/or the Camelback Bible Church Music Ministry, all of which Roy appreciated during his lifetime. Condolences to the family may be made at Neptunesociety.com.
The family would like to thank Corina Mateu, RN, Catalin Mateu, and the staff of Arizona Royal Care Home, Scottsdale, AZ, as well as the nursing staff from Hospice of the Valley, Central Arizona, for their compassionate care of Roy in his last days.
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