Author Topic: Obituaries for 2015 (Read 71744 times)

EC · « **Reply #75 on:** April 18, 2015, 08:38:11 am »

Former Sen. Robert Griffin, who hastened Nixon resignation, dies

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Robert Griffin, a staunch Michigan Republican whose withdrawal of support hastened Richard Nixon's resignation, has died. He was 91.

Griffin's death was confirmed Friday by Reynolds Jonkhoff funeral home in Traverse City. No other details were immediately released.

Griffin was appointed to the Senate in 1966, and went on to serve 12 years in the chamber. He was a staunch Republican who initially backed Nixon, but whose withdrawal of support hastened the president's resignation in 1974.

Griffin lost his Senate seat when defeated in 1978 by Democrat Carl Levin. He later served eight years on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/former-sen-robert-griffin-hastened-nixon-resignation-dies-117084.html

jmyrlefuller · « **Reply #76 on:** April 27, 2015, 10:48:46 pm »

[float=right]

[/float]Jayne Meadows Allen, film and television actress, dies at 95

Jayne Meadows, a longtime television actress who was the widow of TV legend Steve Allen and the elder sister of actress Audrey Meadows, died of natural causes at her home in Encino, Calif., on Sunday night. She was 95.

Over a showbiz career that spanned six-plus decades, Meadows took to the Broadway stage — in “The Gazebo” in 1958 — appeared in films including 1946’s “Undercurrent,” starring Katharine Hepburn; toured in her one-woman show “Powerful Women in History” for seven years; appeared with Allen onstage in A.R. Gurney’s “Love and Letters” off and on for 11 years; and was a regular panelist on the hit CBS gameshow “I’ve Got a Secret.”

Meadows was a prominent Republican.

Obituary from Variety

Wikipedia

Machiavelli · « **Reply #77 on:** April 28, 2015, 07:13:18 pm »

Marcel Pronovost, Hall of Famer on 5 Stanley cup winners, dies at 84

Quote

Hall of Famer Marcel Pronovost, who spent 15 years with the Detroit Red Wings before capping his playing career with a five-year run in Toronto, has died. He was 84.

Pronovost won the Stanley Cup five times as a player and recorded 88 goals and 257 assists in 1,206 regular-season games. He moved into coaching after his retirement and had served as a scout for the New Jersey Devils since 1990.

More

Wikipedia

EC · « **Reply #78 on:** April 28, 2015, 07:18:07 pm »

Suzanne Crough, of the 'Partridge Family,' dies at 52

Suzanne Crough, who played Tracy on the sitcom "The Partridge Family," died on Monday, according to Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg. She was 52 years old.

Fudenberg said an autopsy was scheduled Wednesday, but that a finding of the cause and manner of her death would remain pending the results of forensic laboratory testing.

Crough played the youngest Partridge daughter from 1970 to 1974. A family member told TMZ, she died suddenly in her Nevada home.

After her role on "The Partridge Family," Crough appeared in several TV shows including "Mulligan's Stew." Her last on-screen role was in the 1980 film "Children of Divorce."

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2015/04/28/suzanne-crough-dead-52-partridge-family-actress-report-says/

Machiavelli · « **Reply #79 on:** April 28, 2015, 07:22:17 pm »

Legendary wrestler Verne Gagne dies

Quote

Legendary wrestler and promoter Verne Gagne died Monday surrounded by his family in Minnesota, according to close friends. He was 89.

News of his death reverberated through the wrestling world in tweets and Facebook posts that paid tribute to the Robbinsdale High School wrestler who went on to make a mark in the worlds of both amateur and professional wrestling.

More

Wikipedia

Machiavelli · « **Reply #80 on:** April 28, 2015, 07:23:34 pm »

Former middleweight world champion boxer Gene Fullmer dead at 83

Quote

West Jordan • Many professional boxers have colorful and jarring nicknames designed to instill fear in opponents, capture the imagination of the general public and perhaps bring some extra publicity and headlines.

But when it came to having a trademark moniker, Utah's Gene Fullmer wasn't like many of his counterparts. In a 2009 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, Fullmer said he just preferred to be called by the name his parents, Tuff and Mary Fullmer, gave him when he was born in 1931.

The former world middleweight boxing champion died late Monday night at a care center near his home in West Jordan. He was 83.

More

Boxing record

Wikipedia

mountaineer · « **Reply #81 on:** April 28, 2015, 08:07:39 pm »

Quote

Meadows was a prominent Republican.

That's good to hear, I guess. My late father worked with Steve Allen on his 1962-65 talk show, and candidly described Jayne as a pain in the neck.

jmyrlefuller · « **Reply #82 on:** May 01, 2015, 02:18:28 pm »

[float=right]

[/float]Ben E. King, R&B legend, dies at 76

R&B and soul singer Ben E King, best known for the classic song Stand By Me, has died at the age of 76.

King started his career in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing on hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me. After going solo, he hit the US top five with Stand By Me in 1961. It returned to the charts in the 1980s, including a three-week spell at number one in the UK, following its use in the film of the same name and a TV advert. The song has charted nine times on the US Billboard 100 over the years - King's version twice and seven times with covers by artists like John Lennon and Spyder Turner.

Obituary from the BBC

Wikipedia

EC · « **Reply #83 on:** May 02, 2015, 12:19:52 pm »

Crime Writer Ruth Rendell Dies

Best-selling crime writer Ruth Rendell has died, aged 85, according to her publisher.

http://news.sky.com/story/1476554/crime-writer-ruth-rendell-dies

mountaineer · « **Reply #84 on:** May 02, 2015, 07:28:36 pm »

Ruth Rendell is one of my favorite authors.

jmyrlefuller · « **Reply #85 on:** May 10, 2015, 05:08:48 pm »

[float=right]

[/float]Marv Hubbard, Pro Bowl fullback, dead at 68

Hubbard was the pride of Red House, New York, population 38 as of 2010 (and about 10 miles south of where I live). He rose from those humble beginnings to become a star at Colgate University, the Atlantic Coast Football League and ultimately the NFL, where he played for the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1975, finishing his career with the Detroit Lions in 1977.

Hubbard died two days short of his 69th birthday after a long battle with cancer.

Wikipedia

Tom Flores discusses Hubbard's career with his hometown newspaper, the Salamanca Press

Machiavelli · « **Reply #86 on:** May 10, 2015, 05:47:10 pm »

Joanne Carson dies at 83; ex-wife of 'Tonight Show' host (2nd wife of Johnny Carson)

Quote

She was a struggling model and he was the host of a TV game show who shyly asked her if she wanted to watch some film clips of his comedy.

It was the first date in 1960 in New York City for the future Joanne Carson and Johnny Carson, long before he became the king of late-night television ...

Joanne Carson, 83, who later in life became a close confidant of Truman Capote, died Friday at home in Los Angeles. She had been in declining health and was in hospice care ...

More

IMDb

New York Daily News article with more pictures: Joanne Carson, second wife of 'Tonight Show' host Johnny Carson, dead at 84

EC · « **Reply #87 on:** May 10, 2015, 05:54:20 pm »

Errol Brown: Singer and songwriter with Hot Chocolate dies at 71

Errol Ainsworth Brown, singer and songwriter: born Jamaica 12 November 1943; MBE 2003; married 1974 Ginette (two daughters); died Bahamas 6 May 2015.

A very nice review of his life and music here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/errol-brown-singer-and-songwriter-whose-band-hot-chocolate-had-a-string-of-infectious-hits-but-also-dealt-with-serious-subjects-10233519.html

DCPatriot · « **Reply #88 on:** May 15, 2015, 06:05:11 am »

'King of the Blues' blues legend B.B. King dead at age 89
By KEN RITTER

http://news.yahoo.com/king-blues-blues-legend-b-b-king-dead-054620960.html

alicewonders · « **Reply #89 on:** May 15, 2015, 06:16:34 am »

Quote from: DCPatriot on May 15, 2015, 06:05:11 am

'King of the Blues' blues legend B.B. King dead at age 89
By KEN RITTER

http://news.yahoo.com/king-blues-blues-legend-b-b-king-dead-054620960.html

RIP B.B. Saw him in concert once, he was great!

flowers · « **Reply #90 on:** May 15, 2015, 03:37:32 pm »

Quote from: alicewonders on May 15, 2015, 06:16:34 am

RIP B.B. Saw him in concert once, he was great!

I would love to have seen him in person. The last time I saw him play on TV it was at the WH with Mick Jagger. It was on cspan.

truth_seeker · « **Reply #91 on:** May 15, 2015, 04:36:41 pm »

I saw him at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano 24 years ago when he was 65. He billed that as his final tour, as he was retiring from the road. He gave a great performance. The opening act for him was Leon Russell, who gave only a mediocre show.

Of course King did not retire from the road, but kept on going to the end. My brother in law was in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago, for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions, at the invitation of Jimmy Vaughan, brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and I know they will be am saddened.

Obama should order flags flown at half mast, for the King.

jmyrlefuller · « **Reply #92 on:** May 16, 2015, 12:39:08 pm »

[float=right]

[/float]Garo Yepremian, NFL kicker for 14 seasons, dies at 70

Yepremian, a Cypriot who originally played soccer before learning the American game, eventually played 14 seasons in the National Football League over 16 years, nine of them with the Miami Dolphins. His most infamous game was Super Bowl VII, in which the undefeated Dolphins were on the verge of a shutout before Yepremian, whose hands were too small to handle an NFL football, nevertheless tried to throw the ball away after a botched field goal attempt. The pass fell out of Garo's hands mid-throw and ended up being returned for a touchdown.

Yepremian died aged 70 after a battle with cancer.

Obituary from NFL.com

Obituary from the Miami Herald

Wikipedia

DCPatriot · « **Reply #93 on:** May 16, 2015, 12:48:18 pm »

I can still 'see' that play in my mind. All he had to do is kick the ball out of bounds. Instead he picked it up and tried to throw it. it was pretty sad....

Machiavelli · « **Reply #94 on:** May 19, 2015, 02:11:06 am »

Maurie Berman, founder of Chicago's iconic Superdawg, dies at 89

Quote

Several veterans opened food stands to supplement their student incomes on the GI Bill after World War II, but Maurie Berman wanted something different.

"He wanted to open something more noteworthy," said his son, Scott Berman, 64. "A building, a tower, something with some identity."

So was born the friendly, family-run Northwest Side vintage drive-in Superdawg, with its order booth that looks like an airport control tower and its two 12-foot-tall papier-mache hot dogs designed in 1948 that stand on its roof.

Mr. Berman died Sunday, May 17, of heart problems at 89, his son said.

More

Superdawg

jmyrlefuller · « **Reply #95 on:** May 20, 2015, 10:52:55 am »

[float=right]

[/float]Margaretta "Happy" Rockefeller, wife of former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, dies at 88

Happy Rockefeller, the socialite whose 1963 marriage to Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York, soon after both had been divorced, raised a political storm in a more genteel time and may have cost him the Republican presidential nomination in 1964, died on Tuesday at her home in Tarrytown, N.Y. She was 88. The family said in a statement that she died after a brief illness.

In an era when marital infidelity and divorce were toxic for presidential candidates, many Americans were shocked when Margaretta Fitler Murphy, called Happy, and Mr. Rockefeller, who was nearly 18 years older than she, married on May 4, 1963. He was in the second of his four terms as governor and a leading contender for the presidency at the time, having run strongly in 1960.

Full obituary from The New York Times

Wikipedia

mountaineer · « **Reply #96 on:** May 20, 2015, 11:38:35 am »

Quote from: jmyrlefuller on May 20, 2015, 10:52:55 am

Happy Rockefeller, the socialite whose 1963 marriage to Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York, soon after both had been divorced, raised a political storm in a more genteel time and may have cost him the Republican presidential nomination in 1964 ...

That really was scandalous. I remember my mother had a very low opinion of him. Didn't he die in flagrante delicto with another woman?

Machiavelli · « **Reply #97 on:** May 20, 2015, 02:40:36 pm »

Quote from: mountaineer on May 20, 2015, 11:38:35 am

That really was scandalous. I remember my mother had a very low opinion of him. Didn't he die in flagrante delicto with another woman?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_Marshack

DCPatriot · « **Reply #98 on:** May 21, 2015, 01:35:13 pm »

I Was Dying

First, I was dying to finish high school and start college.
And then I was dying to finish college and start a career.
And then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work.
And then I was dying to retire.
And now I am dying...and suddenly I realize I forgot to live.

.....Anonymous.

jmyrlefuller · « **Reply #99 on:** May 24, 2015, 04:50:02 pm »

[float=right]

[/float]John Forbes Nash, Jr., famed schizophrenic mathematician, dies at 86

Nash, a West Virginia Native, shared a Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994, the year before he joined the Princeton mathematics department as a senior research mathematician. He is known for his work in game theory and his struggle with paranoid schizophrenia, depicted in the 2001 film, "A Beautiful Mind," starring Russell Crowe.

Nash and his wife were in a taxi traveling southbound in the left lane of the New Jersey Turnpike when the driver of the Ford Crown Victoria lost control as he tried to pass a Chrysler in the center lane, crashing into a guard rail, according to State Police Sgt. Gregory Williams. They couple was ejected from the car(.)

Full story from the Newark Star-Ledger

Wikipedia