Obituary Stories category, Page 5
What to know about the lives and deaths of Hollywood icon Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa
Hollywood icon Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were found dead in their New Mexico home, and investigators believe they had been dead for some time. A maintenance worker reported the deaths of Hackman and 65-year-old Betsy Arakawa on Wednesday, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s...
Hempfield Italian bakery owner known for work ethic, devotion to family, love of sports
David Linsenbigler was devoted to his Greensburg- area Italian bakery business, but even more so to his family. “Regardless of how hardworking he was, we always came first,” said daughter Peydon, one of the Hempfield man’s three children. “He always wanted to be there to support us.” That included volunteering to...
Gene Hackman, wife and dog were dead for some time, warrant shows
SANTA FE, N.M. — Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home, according to investigators. Hackman, 95, was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom and his 63-year-old wife, Betsy...
Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Harriet the Spy’ star, dies at at 39
NEW YORK — Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” — has died. She was 39. Police responded to a 911 call...
Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer with an intimate style, dies at 88
NEW YORK — Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style on “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and other hits made her one of the top recordings artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long...
Eddie Fisher, an All-Star reliever with the Chicago White Sox in 1965, dies at age 88
ALTUS, Okla. — Eddie Fisher, the right-hander whose 15-year major league career included an All-Star selection for the Chicago White Sox and a World Series title with Baltimore, has died. He was 88. The Lowell-Tims Funeral Home & Crematory in Altus says Fisher died Monday after a brief illness. Born...
Mike Lange’s legacy with the Penguins goes beyond his phrases
When Mario Lemieux joined the Penguins as the franchise’s savior in 1984, there wasn’t an abundance of ways to watch the team’s games outside of the Pittsburgh area. After all, this was decades before the Internet made virtually every sporting contest on Earth viewable through streaming services. But you could...
Legendary Penguins broadcaster, Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Lange dies
Mike Lange didn’t think he would make it in Pittsburgh. Beyond the first week. After arriving in Western Pennsylvania to begin his new job as the play-by-play voice of the Penguins, Lange took up temporary residence with a co-worker and the two went out to a local establishment on his...
Columbine survivor Anne Marie Hochhalter, who forgave gunman’s mother, dies at 43
DENVER — Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was partially paralyzed in the Columbine High School shooting but found strength to forgive and to heal her soul after bonding with another family devastated by the tragedy, has died. She was 43. Hochhalter was found in her home in suburban Denver on Sunday....
Bellefonte native found second career as history teacher at Valley High in New Kensington
As a father, Ronald Lee Sheetz was fun, but you couldn’t pull anything over on him, according to his daughter, Michelle VanHorn. “I was never given a curfew, but I knew I needed to be home,” she said. “I never wanted to be an embarrassment to my parents because I...
Longtime NFL player and coach Dick Jauron dies at 74
Longtime NFL player and coach Dick Jauron, who led the Chicago Bears to the playoffs and was voted AP coach of the year in 2001, died Saturday. He was 74. The Bears confirmed his death, which came one day before Philadelphia — where Jauron briefly served as an assistant to...
Roy Marburger, longtime entrepreneur and McCandless resident, dies at 94
Roy Marburger, of the clan known for Marburger Farm Dairy, died Jan. 10 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was 94. Marburger lived in McCandless with his wife, Janet Lindsey Marburger, for nearly 70 years. Born to Victor Wahl Marburger and Hazel McCandless Marburger in 1930, he grew up on...
Tiger Woods says his mother has died. He called Kultida Woods a ‘force of nature’
Kultida Woods, the Thai-born mother of Tiger Woods, died Tuesday morning, a week after being seen attending his indoor TMRW Golf League in Florida. Woods did not reveal how his 78-year-old mother died in his social media post announcing her death. He described her as a “force of nature” who...
Carol Ann Banaszak, a Woodland Hills coach and pioneer, dies
Carol Ann Banaszak was everyone’s biggest cheerleader. As an ardent supporter of the initial “no cuts” policy for athletics and extracurricular activities, she believed that all students should have an opportunity to participate and represent Woodland Hills School District, where she was one of the first coaches in the inaugural...
Pete Ramage, longtime pillar of Etna, dies at 86
In Etna and among those who knew him, Pete Ramage will be remembered as someone who always “stepped up.” The longtime community pillar died on Jan. 17 at 86. Ramage was born Oct. 30, 1938, to the late Peter and Margaret Ramage. He graduated from Etna High School in 1956...
Dick Button, Olympic great and voice of skating, dies at 95
NEW YORK — Dick Button was more than the most accomplished men’s figure skater in history. He was one of his sport’s great innovators and promoters, the man responsible not only for inventing the flying camel spin but describing it to generations of fans. He was an athlete and actor,...
Marianne Faithfull, singer and pop icon, dies at 78
NEW YORK — Marianne Faithfull, the British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones’ greatest songs and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied, has died. She was 78. Faithfull passed away Thursday in...
Ed Blank, former Tribune-Review critic and reporter, dies at age 81
Ed Blank, former critic and reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, passed away Wednesday at 81. No immediate cause of death is known, though he had been in ill health for some time, his family said. Edward L. Blank was the youngest of five children and moved from Shadyside to Mt....
Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes who lived in exile in Nicaragua dies at 65
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes, who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences, died late Tuesday. He was 65. Nicaragua’s Health Ministry said in a statement that Funes had died of a serious chronic illness. Funes governed...
Garth Hudson, master instrumentalist and last surviving member of The Band, dies at 87
NEW YORK — Garth Hudson, the Band’s virtuoso keyboardist and all-around musician who drew from a unique palette of sounds and styles to add a conversational touch to such rock standards as “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Weight” and “Rag Mama Rag,” has died at age 87. Hudson was the...
Tony Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, widow of Laurence Olivier, dies at 95
LONDON — Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, who with her late husband Laurence Olivier did much to revitalize the U.K.’s theatrical scene in the decades after World War II, has died. She was 95. In a statement Friday, her family said Plowright died the previous day at Denville Hall, a...
Gus Williams, who led Sonics to NBA championship, dies at 71
SEATTLE — Gus Williams, the point guard “Wizard” who helped lead the SuperSonics to their only NBA championship in 1979, died Wednesday nearly five years after suffering a stroke. He was 71. Nicknamed “the Wizard” for his combo of speed, athleticism and scoring, Williams spent six seasons of his NBA...
David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive,’ dies at 78
David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks,” has died just days before his 79th birthday. His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. “There’s a big hole...
Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship in 1990, has died
BOULDER, Colo. — Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship in 1990, has died. He was 84. The charismatic figure known as Coach Mac died Friday night “after a courageous journey with dementia,” according to a family statement. His family announced in 2016 that he had...
Sam Moore, who sang ‘Soul Man’ in Sam & Dave duo, dies at 89
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Sam Moore, the surviving half and higher voice of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave that was known for such definitive hits of the era as “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin,’” has died. He was 89. Publicist Jeremy Westby said Moore died Friday morning...
