http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/obituary/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:02:19 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051208/posts US professor Randy Pausch, who shot to global fame because of the inspirational "Last Lecture" he delivered just weeks after learning he had terminal cancer, died Friday, the university where he taught said. "He died today," Alyssa Mayfield, a spokeswoman for Carnegie Mellon University, where Pausch had taught computer science since 1997, told AFP. Pausch was 47. Celebrated in his chosen field and praised as an inspirational teacher, Pausch sprang to worldwide fame for his "Last Lecture," delivered at Carnegie Mellon on September 18 last year after he learned he was dying of pancreatic cancer and had months to live.... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051208/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:02:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051135/posts Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor whose final lecture inspired millions, has died of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Pausch, 47, who turned the lecture into a book, said that no one would have been interested in his words of wisdom were he not a man in his 40s with a terminal illness, leaving behind a wife and three young children. According to Dr. Pausch's Web site, a biopsy last week revealed that the cancer had progressed further than expected, based on recent PETscans. Pittsburg Post Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051135/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:47:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050854/posts Dinko Sakic arrived at the concentration camp known as the “Auschwitz of the Balkans” riding a white horse, wearing a tailored black uniform with polished black boots and carrying a whip and a submachine gun, survivors remembered. His brazenness continued even after Croatia went down to defeat with Nazi Germany, its ally. He fled to Argentina, where he lived for a half century under his real name, making no attempt to hide. In his last decade of freedom, he gave interviews saying he was proud of what he had done and would gladly do it again...... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050854/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:34:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050773/posts United States Army Corporal Matthew Britten Phillips, age 27, of Cumming, GA, died Sunday, July 13, 2008 while bravely and proudly serving his country at a forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Cpl. Phillips was one of nine soldiers to die that day; just days before his unit was scheduled to leave the base. "We feel angry, even bitterly so, because our young men lived better lives, had higher hopes and more perfect love, than their attackers," Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Stevan Horning said during a memorial service held in Vicenza, Italy. "Please help us to not become... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050773/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:13:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049469/posts Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84. Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica. "She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."... 7online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2049469/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:46:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047361/posts FORMER Victorian Liberal premier Lindsay Thompson, who has died at the age of 84, was praised yesterday for his humility and decency, but most of all for his bravery. Mr Thompson, who held the top job for just nine months in the early 1980s, was chiefly remembered for his heroics in two kidnap dramas while he was education minister in the 1970s. Liberal and Labor politicians also paid tribute yesterday to his integrity, decency and commitment to education. A war veteran who rose from humble beginnings, Mr Thompson served as state education minister from 1967 to 1979, establishing a reputation... The Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047361/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:44:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047119/posts Squadron Leader Frank Day Last Squadron Leader Frank "Fearless" Day, who has died aged 91, came close to freedom during the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III; he was near the end of the tunnel when the exit was discovered, by which time 76 airmen had broken free, but he was forced to retreat and was soon in solitary confinement. In the spring of 1943 the escape committee decided to construct three tunnels and make a mass breakout. Day volunteered to assist but his health did not allow him to go underground as a digger. He became one of a... Telegraph UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047119/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:52:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2047059/posts Jo Stafford, who died yesterday, is mostly forgotten now, save by those who were young a half-century ago, but back then she was one of the most popular singers in America, a wholesome beauty with a smooth, perfectly produced voice who sold millions and millions of records. Some of them were silly novelties, others bland period ballads, but when she had a good song to sing, nobody sang it better. Stafford dealt in reassurance, a commodity much appreciated during World War II and in the Age of Anxiety that followed it, which may explain why she is not so nearly... Arts Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2047059/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:49:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045182/posts I have the sad news of reporting that also succumbing to cancer on Saturday was Patricia “Trish” Bozell, beloved sister of WFB. Our sympathies to our good friend Brent and the entire Bozell family, to Priscilla, Jim, and Reid Buckley, and all friends and family. I read this from Philippians (1:12) as if St. Paul wrote it from Heaven: “To me life is Christ, and death is gain.” It's hard not to read it today as if a message from Tony and Trish, as if to say: Do not be afraid. We’re in good shape. Make sure you come and... The Corner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045182/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:21:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044634/posts Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, founder of Benihana, died on July 10. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044634/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:57:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044551/posts FOX Sports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044551/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:20:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044369/posts Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, internationally acclaimed as the father of modern cardiovascular surgery — and considered by many to be the greatest surgeon ever — died Friday night at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. He was 99. Methodist officials said DeBakey died of natural causes. They gave no additional details. Medical statesman, chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, and a surgeon at The Methodist Hospital since 1949, DeBakey trained thousands of surgeons over several generations, achieving legendary status decades before his death. During his career, he estimated he had performed more than 60,000 operations. His patients included the famous... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044369/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:11:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044355/posts Fox News is announcing that Tony Snow has died. Heartbreaking news. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044355/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:03:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044363/posts Tony Snow, Former White House Press Secretary and FOX News Anchor, Dies at 53 July 12, 2008 Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary and conservative pundit who bedeviled the press corps and charmed millions as a FOX News television and radio host, has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 53. A syndicated columnist, editor, TV anchor, radio show host and musician, Snow worked in nearly every medium in a career that spanned more than 30 years. Snow joined FOX in 1996 as the original anchor of FOX News Sunday, and hosted Weekend Live and a... FOX News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044363/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:47:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044245/posts Actress Evelyn Keyes, who played Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister, Suellen, in "Gone With the Wind," has died at age 91. Friend and producer Allan Glaser says Keyes died of cancer at her Montecito, Calif., home on July 4, but word was withheld until Friday because attorneys were waiting for the death certificate was filed. Keyes' other notable roles were Robert Montgomery's lover in 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," the Ruby Keeler role as Al Jolson's wife in 1946's "The Jolson Story," and as Dick Powell's wife in 1949's "Mrs. Mike." ktla.trb.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044245/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:15:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043560/posts NEW YORK, July 10 (UPI) -- Ruth Greenglass, who helped send her sister-in-law Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair in the '50s Rosenberg atomic bomb spy case, has died at the age of 84. Greenglass, whose damning testimony was later called into question, died April 7 in New York where she had lived under an assumed name for more than four decades, the New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported. Her death was disclosed in court papers June 23, the day the federal government agreed to release secret grand jury testimony, 57 years after Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy... United Press International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043560/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:48:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043251/posts Sir John Templeton agreed with the proverb that it's "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." "There's a lot of truth in that," the billionaire philanthropist once said. "When people trust in something other than God, it's difficult to be truly spiritual. ... Don't fall in love with money." Sir John, a pioneering mutual fund manager, global investor and founder of the Templeton Prize, died Tuesday of pneumonia in the Bahamas, a spokeswoman at his foundation said. He was 95. Sir John was born... Ottawa Citizen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2043251/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:45:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043068/posts RALEIGH, N.C. — L.F. Eason III gave up the only job he'd ever had rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. Eason, a 29-year veteran of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, instructed his staff at a small Raleigh lab not to fly the U.S. or North Carolina flags at half mast Monday as called for in a directive to all state agencies by Gov. Mike Easley. When a superior ordered the lab to follow the order, Eason decided to retire rather than pay tribute to Helms. After several hours' delay, one of Eason's employees... TimesArgus.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043068/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 20:35:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2041923/posts Mando Ramos, a two-time lightweight world champion, died Sunday morning at the age of 59 at his home in San Pedro. Los Angeles Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2041923/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jul 2008 17:27:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041848/posts Thomas M. Disch, science fiction writer and poet, committed suicide July 4 in New York. He was sixty-eight years old. Disch was an exceptionally talented writer. Unfortunately, he was a man without hope, without which no man can survive. A futurist who had little use for the future, Disch specialized in stories of humans struggling to survive against inhuman, invincible forces outside of their control. His first novel, 1965's The Genocides, is a bleak no-future tale in which the entire human race is wiped out by aliens; his (arguable) magnum opus, 334 (1972), is a detailed examination of the grim,... brucelewis.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041848/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jul 2008 15:14:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2041709/posts SF author, critic, and poet Thomas M. Disch, born 1940, died July 4, 2008, of suicide in his New York City apartment. Ellen Datlow reports that Disch had been depressed for several years, especially by the death of long-time partner Charles Naylor, and worries of eviction from his rent-controlled apartment. Biographical details shortly. Locus http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2041709/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jul 2008 06:00:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040790/posts Jesse Helms died today at age 86. In his day, he gave the liberals fits of rage. And he gave back as good as he got. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040790/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 17:46:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040722/posts jesse helms has passed away WRAL.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040722/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 14:30:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040669/posts Larry Harmon, the man behind 'Bozo the Clown' for more than 50 years, has died of heart failure. According to Reuters, Harmon's spokesman said that the performer, a native of Ohio, died at his home in Los Angeles. Harmon purchased the copyright and trademark to the clown in the 1950s and as a result was responsible for keeping Bozo in the entertainment industry for more than half a century. Harmon once recalled: "We didn't have satellite, syndication and networking like today. "So, I created my own network of local clowns and productions, a cross-country operation that kept me on the... RTE Entertainment http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040669/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 12:28:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2040489/posts Larry Harmon, the man credited with making Bozo the Clown the icon he was, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83. Harmon wasn't the original Bozo, but built up the character and eventually licensed it to television stations across the country. Born in Toledo, Ohio, Harmon became interested in theater while studying at the University of Southern California. "Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life," Harmon once said. "People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with." TMZ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2040489/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 23:39:20 GMT