Quail Run Golf Course

9774 W. Alabama Avenue
Sun City, AZ

Sunshine Service

9980 W. Santa Fe Drive
Sun City, AZ

It could not have been a more perfect day for a golf tournament as 72 players gathered to participate in the Stanley Liang Memorial Golf Tournament at Quail Run Golf Course, 9774 W. Alabama Ave.

Nearly $1,700 was raised and donated to Sunshine Service, 9980 W. Sanata Fe Drive, a group that assists residents of Sun City with the loan of durable medical equipment.

Stanley Liang and his wife, Linda, moved to Sun City in 2013 from West Lebanon, New Hampshire. They owned their own motel and ambulance service.

Wearing his orange knickers, matching hat, white shirt and socks, Liang was a familiar site on all golf courses in Sun City. A great golfer, he never hit a hole-in-one, but golf, next to his family, was his passion. He also was known for his beer and beef Memorial Day festivities, where friends, old and new, gathered. The family continued that tradition as part of the memorial golf tournament.

The Liang family, over the years, demonstrated their support for Sunshine Service with their personal donations, but last year Linda decided to make a difference by conducting the first annual golf tournament to honor her husband.

Area residents were appointed to the Sunshine Committee in 1961 to help residents who were unable to pay their $40 Recreation Centers of Sun City dues, the organization’s brochure said. Four members of the former Sun City Civic Association, now the Sun City Homeowners Association, each contributed $40 to establish a fund for the Sunshine Committee. From there, a Sick and Visiting Committee was established led by the Rev. E. Duane Thistlethwaite.

After learning that a Sun City resident had to rent a hospital bed for $35 for one month, the committee purchased three hospital beds as well as other second-hand equipment. In addition, Sun City residents also donated items and the first bed and wheelchair was loaned out in April 1962.

In 1965, the Dell Webb company donated a building site and constructed the first Sunshine building on Coggins Drive. It had $8,000 worth of equipment. Then in 1971, Del Webb again donated land and constructed a building at 9980 Santa Fe Drive, the present location. The organization has 22,000 square feet to house everything from medical beds, to wheelchairs, to bedside commodes, crutches, walkers and rollaway beds. It’s all free for residents in need.

Although there is no charge for the equipment, donations are appreciated, and that is where the Liang family stepped in. Linda and their three children last year planned the memorial tournament with an eye to donations for Sunshine Service and they accomplished their goal. They already made a commitment to conduct another tournament next year.

Following the tournament, the beer and beef tradition continued with lots of beef rounds sizzling on the grill with beans, corn bread and salads nearby. In addition to the usual tournament challenges, like the longest putt and most accurate drive, there were some memorable moments, like stopping on Hole No. 4 shortly after teeing off to raise a toast to Stanley, whose home adjoins the fairway. On Hole No. 5, players had to use Stanley’s specially designed putter to sink the ball in the cup — one team birdied the hole.