RIP Jana Bommersbach

 

Legendary Arizona journalist passes away

Arizona’s Family

By Tyson Milanovich

July 17, 2024

 

Arizona author, columnist and investigative journalist Jana Bommersbach has died after battling a long illness. She was 78 years old.

Born in North Dakota, Bommersbach moved to Arizona in 1972 and took a job with the Phoenix New Times. Over the years, Bommersbach amassed a diverse body of work as dynamic as she was. By 1983, she was named Arizona’s Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club.

“Jana was an intrepid reporter who always sought the truth,” said Bill Shover, a retired executive of The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette. “I had great respect for her. She was a tiger, loved this community and did her best to make it better.”

Bommersbach’s Phoenix Magazine column, “Jana’s View,” earned her Gold Medal accolades in 1997 and 1999 from the National City and Regional Magazine Association as the nation’s outstanding columnist.

Her work on 3TV included political reporting and commentary for Good Morning Arizona.

“And while she was good at stirring emotions with her commentary, Jana was also a very loving person with a great sense of humor,” said Arizona’s Family anchor Scott Pasmore. “She will be missed and remembered as an important part of making Good Morning Arizona very popular.”

Her work on 3TV earned her several awards, including a Rocky Mountain Emmy in 2001 for her profile on a camp that helps children deal with the death of a loved one.

“Jana was one of a kind, a true Arizona treasure,” said longtime former 3TV news director Phil Alvidrez. “Whether you agreed with her or not, she always made you think.”

“Jana was bigger than life, touched so many issues and so many people in our Valley and state,” said Marlene Klotz Collins, retired director of community relations, who worked with Bommersbach at both the Arizona Republic and at Arizona’s Family. “She hosted epic Christmas parties for decades, with Santa and plenty of presents, for dozens of children each year. This cherished tradition would transcend generations of children and families, expanding her legacy to include yet another dimension of beloved memories.”

Bommersbach also published several notable books, including A Stolen Life: The Debra Milke Story, a compelling investigation into the story of the second woman in U.S. history to be exonerated from death row.

Bones in the Desert: The True Story of a Mother’s Murder and a Daughter’s Search dove into the 2004 murder of Loretta Bowersock.

The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd looked at a bizarre Phoenix double murder case from 1931 that captivated the nation.

In 2012, she collaborated with state historian Marshall Trimble and Arizona PBS on the “Outrageous Arizona” series marking Arizona’s statehood centennial.

In 2005, Bommersbach was an inaugural honoree in the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was inducted virtually into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.

Bommersbach also gave back to her community in several ways, working over the years with Girls Ranch of Arizona, the Downtown YMCA and the Phoenix Public Library, to name a few. She also taught creative writing at Phoenix College.

“She loved life and lived it on her terms,” Alvidrez said. “Not a bad legacy.”

BOMMERSBACH, Jana (Jana Ann Bommerbach)

Born: 12/5/1945, Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.A.

Died: 7/17/2024, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

 

Jana Bommersbach’s westerns – author, writer:

True West Magazine – 2003 [writer]

Outrageous Arizona – 2012 [co-author]

Cattle Kate: A Mystery - 2014 [author]

Hellraisers & Trailblazers: The Real Women of the Wild West - 2023 [co-author]