Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
James Kupferschmidt
Founder of the Milwaukee Beer Museum and local historian -- via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Hilda Oates
Actress -- via the Cuban News Agency. Sweet lord, she was in "Patakin! quiere decir 'fabula,'" the 1985 Cuban film that is indeed the only Spanish-language Socialist musical comedy ever made. That I know of.
Weekly reader: 'Too Young to Die, Too Old to Care'
Leonard Cohen's going to take up smoking again, now that he's 80. From this premise, an excellent meditation on the end of life and how one might look at it and at death. A lovely piece in the New York Times by Jason Karlawish.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Audrey Long
Actress -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Hey, you remember Audrey Long! She was in "Tall in the Saddle" with John Wayne in 1944, in Anthony Mann's brilliant "Desperate" in 1947, and Robert Wise's first film noir, "Born to Kill," with Lawrence Tierney!
WEEKLY READER: Our roundup of stories on death, dying, mourning, and more
The bones of Richard III, as they were found in August of 2012. |
529 years after his death, the coroner’s report on Richard III is in – via Agata Blaszczak-Boxe at CBS News
Physician
Ezekiel Emanuel believes medical advances have “extended the dying process,”
plans to refuse medical care at age 75 – interview with Ezra Klein of Vox
Journalist Carol Rosenberg writes about the
discomfort of being assigned to Tweet at a funeral – on Poynter.org
DEATH
On KevinMD, James C. Salwitz reports on what
happens when you don’t make end-of-life decisions
Tricycle editor Helen Tworkov interviews Andrew
Holechek on his new book, “Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual
Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition”
In
Japan, karoshi – death from overwork – sparks a movement to lighten employees’
burdens – via Rowan Wolfe at Cyrano’s Journal Today
A
symposium on art and mortality – from Australian National University
MOURNING
A
mother’s orgiveness for a child’s murderer – from Robert Mann at
Something Like the Truth
“Museum
explores Victorian mourning customs” – via Bob Page at the Times Herald
Digital
mourning and online grief – from Carl Hoover of the Waco Tribune
FUNERALS
Mortician
Bob Dyer wins Embalmer of the Year . . . via Newsvine
12
of the worst things ever said at a funeral – via Caleb Wilde at Confessions
of a Funeral director
Funeral
potatoes: the recipe – from Barbara Schieving at Barbra Bakes (Editor’s
note: It is fairly common to share such recipes in the Midwest, where
post-funeral potlucks often take place in the church basement!)
Via Carol Hopkins at the Oakland Press – library
donates kids’ books to local funeral homes
Pastor Timothy Raymond on “The
Funeral that Was Almost a Fist Fight” in Credo Magazine
Five
Myths about Funeral Directors – from Confessions of a Funeral Director
(guest poster Pastor Dieter Reda)
Nightmare:
Funeral home loses baby’s body – from Fox Cleveland
Disabled
mortuary student not allowed to park her hearse at her apartment complex –
via Rob Hayes at KABC-TV
Sheldon Patinkin
Improvisational comedian, director, teacher, and writer -- via the Chicago Tribune. One of the great figures in the Chicago theater scene, and an excellent chronicler of the subject ("Second City: Backstage at the World's Greatest Comedy Theater" and "No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance," a history of the American musical.
Linda Griffiths
Actor and playwright -- via the CBC. Best know for her one-woman show "Maggie and Pierre."
Linda Griffiths - 7 - Maggie and Pierre from Theatre Museum Canada on Vimeo.
Linda Griffiths - 7 - Maggie and Pierre from Theatre Museum Canada on Vimeo.
George Sluizer
Filmmaker -- via the Deccan Chronicle. Best known for making the original 1988 Dutch version of "The Vanishing" and its 1993 American remake.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Polly Bergen
Actress, singer, writer, and cosmetics entrepreneur -- via the New York Times. AKA Nellie Paulina Burgin. She was busy on stage, in TV and on film. She played the wife in the original "Cape Fear"; she won an Emmy for portraying Helen Morgan; she did solid work in the Herman Wouk WWII saga "Winds of War" and its sequel; she played the female lead in a number of Martin and Lewis films; she wound up being a big hit in a revival of Sondheim's "Follies."
Friday, September 19, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Johnny Rotella
Multi-instrumentalist, studio musician, and songwriter -- via the Los Angeles Daily News. His big hit, recorded by Sinatra: "Nothing But the Best."
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Jackie Cain
Half of the jazz/pop duet of Jackie & Roy -- via the Washington Post. I kid Jackie & Roy; they represent the suburban bossa nova style that rock 'n' roll saved us from in the 1960s. And Roy couldn't hit the low notes on "Samba Triste," their biggest hit. They worked for a half-century, however; they were pros.
Bill Smithies
Journalist -- and obituarist! -- via the Guardian. "His
most enjoyable assignment was the five years he spent running the obituaries
department – and his most memorable moment when he was asked to organise a
Christmas lunch for the comment section's staff and contributors at the Kolossi Grill, a
local haunt. Asked whether they would like a belly-dancer, Bill took advice and
accepted. During the inevitable consternation that greeted her appearance, Bill
recalled, a leading feminist contributor was asked for her response: 'She
is a working woman – we should all support her!'" My kinda guy.
Teddy Riedel
Pianist and songwriter -- via Family Funeral Service. His big hit, "Judy," was released by Elvis in 1961.
Davie Lee White
Voiceover artist, drummer, radio host; best know for pronouncing the tagline, "This Bud's for you" -- via St. Louis Public Radio. At 18, at KDNT Radio, he spun records; Willie Nelson sold ads, and Bill Moyers did the news!
Lonnie Lynn
Poet and performer -- via the New York Daily News. AKA Pops His spoken-word work can be heard on the albums of his son, the rapper Common. And hey, he played for the old ABA Denver Rockets!
Tom Skeeter
Music studio owner -- via Ultimate Classic Rock. He ran Sound City Studios, which recorded Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Metallica, and Nirvana.
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