Paul Cota Licano

Paul C. Licano, 86 passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and children on Saturday, September 16, 2023, after a lengthy illness. He was born on November 21, 1936, to Frances Cota and Pablo Licano in Jerome, Arizona. He graduated from Miami High School in 1957. He attended EAC earning an Associates of Arts Degree in 1997. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1957. He served as a Power Plant Operator at one of the Titan Missile Complex and was supervisor at KIMPO Air Base in South Korea also at Ellsworth Air Force Base South Dakota and YOKTA Air Force Base in Tokyo, Japan before being honorably discharged in 1967. During his time in the Air Force, he married the love of his life Emilia Ybarra Medrano. They were married at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Miami, Arizona on December 30th, 1961. In 1969 he enlisted in the Arizona National Guard serving with the 161 Air Refueling Group (Copperheads) with deployments to Alaska, Florida, Maine, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, and Canada and he also served in the middle east during Desert Storm in total he served our country for thirty-three years, retiring in 1996 with the rank of Sr. Master Sergeant. He also worked for Cities Services - Pinto Valley Copper Company for thirteen years and the State of Arizona Emergency Management for fifteen years. He also served as the Vice Mayor for the Town of Miami, Arizona. He was a member of the Miami VFW and the Bullion Plaza Historical Museum. He volunteered numerous hours at the museum and was the caretaker of the religious shrine as you enter Miami, Arizona. Paul was a devout Roman Catholic and his faith in God and love for his country were such an important part of his life until the very end. He is proceeded in death by his mother, Frances and father, Pablo, his brothers Ruben, Raymond and his sister Guadalupe Badilla and son-in-law Phillip Griego. He is survived by his wife, Emilia, his children, Paul (Nancy), Terri Griego, Mark (Shannon), Meg Pierce, and James Licano and eleven grandchildren and his brothers, Robert, Manuel and Tony and his sisters Carmen Eriksen, Rosa Bitar, and Mary Mejia. Visitation will be at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on Saturday, October 7th, 2023, at 8:30a.m. Rosary at 9:30a.m. and funeral mass at 10:00a.m., followed by a burial at Mountain Breeze Memorial Gardens. Assisting the family; Lamont Mortuary of Globe located at 328 S. Hill St., Globe, AZ. (928) 425-5491