Sedona AZ (August 5, 2014) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor announcing the unexpected death of incumbent Arizona Senator Chester Crandell on his ranch yesterday:

Friends,

I’m writing you today in sadness because we lost a dear friend and patriot. Senator Chester Crandell passed away yesterday afternoon while on his ranch. He was a dear friend that made going down to the Capitol a joy as we worked to make Arizona a better place every day.

It feels like 2009 was not so long ago when then Representative Sylvia Allen and I recruited Chester to be part of the “ABC Team – Allen, Barton & Crandell.” A team brand that is still remembered today in the Mountains of Eastern Arizona.

The Senator left for a one-hour ride at about 10:00am Monday morning on what investigators have been told was a “new colt”. When Chester did not return as planned, family members conducted a search on the DeSpain Ranch, which is north and east of Heber-Overgaard. The family members found Chester at about 2:00pm on the same route that he had described before leaving. They immediately called 911 and dispatchers sent deputies and medical personnel to the scene. Family members reported that Chester had passed when they found him. His horse was found in the area.

Supervisor David Tenney also expressed his sympathy and love to the Crandell family, “I have known Chet for more years than I can count. He has always been a good example of hard work, decency and fairness. His office, his phone and the gate to his ranch have always been open to friends and strangers alike, and I am so glad that I count him as one of my friends. I know that his family will be surrounded by the community in a loving, tender and appropriate manner, but there is no doubt that this tragic event leaves a great hole in our community. He has a great legacy in this area, and I am sure that we will all want to honor him in our own way. I trust that we will all do so with great respect and dignity.”

Chester’s passion for education and rural Arizona was admired by all. He is missed, he was a true statesman for rural Arizona, and he’s riding another range & keeping his eye on us. I will continue to stand up for the beliefs I proudly shared with Chester.

Warmest Regards,
Brenda

Brenda Barton
PO Box 983
Safford, AZ 85548