The Mingus Mountain Republican Club luncheon at the VFW Hall in Cottonwood on Tuesday, Sept. 12, included a commemoration of the death of former club president Niles Haton, with club member Al Bradshaw leading a remembrance.
Haton died on Sunday, Sept. 3, at the age of 83. He served as the club’s president for the last two years.
“He came [to the Verde Valley] from southern California,” Bradshaw said. “His profession was doing computer work; he designed and maintained computer programs for small businesses. He came here with his partner of many years [Sandy Noble] … she was with him until the end. Niles served in the U.S. Navy, as a medic during Vietnam. He flew on air evac helicopters doing battlefield rescues.”
Bradshaw reminisced about Haton’s political dedication to getting campaign signs put up during election seasons and his generous contribution of volunteer hours.
“[Haton] called me several days [after a health episode], he sounded pretty darn good to tell you the truth. He wanted me to go over to his house and water his plants … and almost as an aside, he said ‘I’m going to get married’ … Niles was a good friend of mine. In recent years, our routine was to get together every two weeks for coffee, and just sit and talk … Niles was a good solid person … God bless Niles Haton, may he rest in peace.”
