One loved to ride his motorcycle despite a heart problem. Another could fix anything. A third was "easy as pie to get along with." Still another had six children.

Four of the five victims in Wednesday's shooting spree in Peoria were described by neighbors and relatives as good folks, nice neighbors, active in the Ventana Lakes community.

One who was killed, Nila Lynn, a mother of six, moved from Glendale to Ventana Lakes about five years ago after retiring from a college teaching job, said JoEllen Wyatt, whose son married Lynn's daughter, Patricia.

"She was a lovely Christian woman. She loved the Lord very much, and she loved her children very much," Wyatt said.

Lynn, a member of Bethany Bible Church, and her husband, Duane, married more than 50 years ago, Wyatt said. They raised six children: Thomas, David, Phil, Patricia, Cindy and Cathy.

"She was very caring. She was just a very sweet woman," she said.

Among the wounded was Gilbert McCurdy, 63, who was shot in the leg during the attack. He and his wife JoAnn, 59, have lived at Ventana Lakes for about a year, said Peg Coyne, his sister-in-law visiting from California.

A retired master mechanic, McCurdy and his wife lived in metro Phoenix before they recently retired.

They have two adult children who also live in the Valley. "Gil," as McCurdy is known to his friends, is good with his hands and can fix just about anything. He still does some side work with marble and is considered a jack of all trades, Coyne said.

Both McCurdy and his wife, a retired nurse, are active in the community, but they are not on the homeowners association board.

Coyne awaited word Wednesday from John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain on McCurdy's condition, and whether he will need surgery, she said.

Another victim, Paul Ettinger, loved his motorcycle. He loved it so much that even a heart condition couldn't keep him from it.

"He was one of the nicest people in the world," said his neighbor, William Baker. "He was an electrical engineer, and he did a lot of work for the association. He re-did the sound system over at the club."

Ettinger and his wife, June, moved into Ventana Lakes in 1996, Baker said.

"I think he's an intelligent person," neighbor Carl Hovander said. "A nice person. He donated his time to making things better."

Charles K. Yankowski, 69, was wounded in the leg. He and his wife, Joan, moved to Ventana Lakes about five years ago, neighbor Patricia Kidd said.

The couple retired to the Valley nearly 10 years ago from New Jersey, she said. Joan Yankowski is a member of the Ventana Lakes Pride Committee, which keeps the community's gutters and streets clean. However, neither is on the homeowners association board, Kidd said.

Yankowski, known as "Kenny" to his friends and neighbors, is loved by everyone, Kidd said. He loves people, and he is as easy as pie to get along with, she said.

Yankowski was described as a tall, handsome man with blond hair and a youthful appearance. The couple have two adult children, and were planning to leave this week to visit their daughter in Colorado for Easter, Kidd said.

Copyright 2000, Arizona Central

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to go to the Arizona Republic

• 1. Violence begets violence (4/22/2000)

• 2. Heroes stop rampage (4/20/2000)

• 3. Suspect known in neighborhood for bad temper (4/20/2000)

• 4. Violence mars community's quiet lifestyle (4/20/2000)

• 5. Violence by seniors likely to escalate (4/20/2000)

• 6. Good folks, nice neighbors become violence victims (4/20/2000)

• 7. Gunman told victims he was getting even (4/20/2000) 

• 8. Home foreclosure racket causing violence (4/20/2000) 

• 9. Complex's shooting puts homeowners groups in spotlight (4/20/2000) 

• 10.. 12 millions dollars for faulty buildings (4/15/2000) (Association lawyer Curtis Ekmark)

• 11. Owners groups - ogres or godsends? (4/15/200)

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Homeowner associations: Witnesses & Experts and Victims of political, legal and judicial corruption and abuse, including several of the victims mentioned in the above AHRC article, are available for broadcast interviews, government hearings and investigations. Please call, write or email requests to American Homeowners Resource Center.