Elvin Grant Nowak

Nowak, Elvin Grant
On Saturday, February 7, 2015, Elvin Grant Nowak, 82, passed away at Hospice of the Valley, Eckstein Center, after a yearlong fight with colon cancer. He is survived by his wife Shirley, son William (Donna), brother John (Sherri), sisters Frances Dean and Inez Dandridge, nephews Gary Abney, John Chambliss (Pat), Raymond Lee, John Nowak II (Jill), nieces Karen Heup, Amy Wilms (Jeffrey), Elizabeth Cutrer, Carolyn Connell, Juanita Travis (Jimmy), Diane Robinson, Evelyn Lott. He will also be missed by his many grand nieces and nephews and cousins Melanie (Patrick) Arce. Elvin was a cat lover and his cat Lucy misses him very much. Elvin was born in Mobile, Alabama on September 6, 1932. He was brought to Phoenix in 1943 where he was adopted by John and Grace Nowak. He attended Phoenix Technical High School until joining the U. S. Army in 1951 serving during the Korean War. He was discharged in 1953 and he and Shirley were married shortly after--almost 62 years. He was a hard worker and had a very strong work ethic. For many years he was self-employed distributing Shamrock Dairy products, He retired the end 1997. He was a great husband and a wonderful father. Elvin had a very unusual childhood and after his retirement, he starting writing down some memories from his early life. These memories became a book, which he had printed just for family. However, the book received such acclaim, he had it published. It is available on Amazon and is called "Nowhere to Call Home." A memorial will be at Phoenix Christian Assembly, 2030 N. 36th Street, Phoenix, at 2 p.m. on February 17. Burial will be held privately for the family at the National Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Cancer Research Center or any animal shelter of your choosing.