ShowMeBlog

Ben Gazzara dead at 81

“Biagio Anthony Gazzarra (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012), known as Ben Gazzara, was an American film, stage, and Emmy Award winning television actor and director…”

 

Ian Abercrombie actor dead at age 77

“Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor, best known for playing Alfred Pennyworth inBirds of Prey. He appeared as Elaine Benes' fastidious boss, Justin Pitt during the sixth season of Seinfeld, and later as an even more fastidious butler on Desperate Housewives.

Life and career

Abercrombie was born on 11 September 1934 in Grays, Essex, England.^[1] He began his theatrical career during the Blitz in World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in stage dancing, he performed in London, Scotland, Holland and Ireland. He moved to the United States aged 17.^[1] He made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of Stalag 17 with Jason Robards and Jules Munshin. Many plays in summer stock, regional and off-Broadway followed in a variety of theatrical offerings, from revues to Shakespeare (in a particularly low period, he worked as a magician's assistant for $10 a performance).

In 1957, he was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany as part of Special Services, where he directed the continental premiere of Separate Tables. In the United States, he went to California for a backers' audition, which went nowhere but he began a long film and television career. He received awards^{[clarification needed]} for his work in Sweet Prince with Keir Dullea;Teeth N'smiles; A Doll's House with Linda Purl; and The Arcata Promise, opposite Anthony Hopkins. He received acclaim for the one-man show, Jean Cocteau - A Mirror Image.

He shared two roles with actor Clive Revill. Revill was Alfred Pennyworth in early episodes of Batman (1992), a role Abercrombie played in the television series Birds of Prey (2002). Revill was also the first actor to play Palpatine, in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Abercrombie portrayed the character in the animated Clone Wars series and film. He is the second actor with the name Ian to portray Palpatine: The first was Ian McDiarmid who played Palpatine in 5 of the 6 Star Wars films as well as Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron.

Abercrombie was known to cult film audiences as Wiseman in the comedy horror film Army of Darkness (1993). He guest-starred in many television series such as The Nanny, Wizards of Waverly Place, Airwolf, Babylon 5, and NewsRadio. He portrayed evil chancellor Palpatine in the film The Clone Wars (2008) and reprised his role as Palpatine in the television adaption and its two spin-off video games: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes and Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels. On radio he was heard in several productions of the Hollywood Theater of the Ear.^{[citation needed]} Abercrombie voiced Ambrose in 2011's Oscar-nominated Rango. He also portrayed Ganthet in Green Lantern: The Ani­mated Series, completing his work on the latest episode of the Cartoon Network show just before his death.^[2]

Death

Abercrombie died in Hollywood, California on 26 January 2012, aged 77, from a fatal heart attack. He is survived by his wife, Gladys.^[1]”

Robert Hegyes has died

Robert Hegyes (pronounced Hedges; May 7, 1951 – January 26, 2012) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Epstein on the 1970s American sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.

  Photo on the left is Robert Hegyes in October of 2008. 
He died yesterday at age 60.
  On January 26, 2012, after suffering from chest pains at his Metuchen, New Jersey home, Hegyes died from an apparent heart attack at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey.^[1][3] He was 60 years old.

Looking at the Obituaries

  I try and catch up on the obituaries from The Kansas City Star.  I lived in the Kansas City area from 1941 until 2000.  I wish the newspaper had all the obituaries online for searching.  They like, I am sure, other papers use a service (www.legacy.com) and if a death is not current you get kicked over to the service where you have to pay to get the information.
  One day my name will be in the obituaries.  Some other person will be looking and see my name and being saying “oh I remember him.” 
  I can remember my father reading the newspaper at home and telling my mother that someone passed away and they would remember the person.  At the time I was thinking they knew a lot of dead people.  I understand now.  You reach a certain age and people you knew start ending up in the obituaries.

  The newspapers may soon be in the obituaries!  There may soon be no more printed newspapers.  Everything will be online.  I hope all the old obituaries will be online someplace were you do not have to pay to look up one.
  Maybe the AARP could work out some deal.  You have an AARP membership and you get access to all obituaries.

  If you read obituaries you sort of get a feeling for our nation and of the history of our nation.  You see a lot of great stories about a lot of great normal people.
  I wonder what you will think when you read obituaries 50 years from now.
 
  I see that Maurice Francis Perll M.D. passed away on January 6th of 2012.  He was on the staff of all the hospitals that I worked at from St. Joseph Hospital (old location) on. 
  I remember the name but I can not put a story to him.  He was an Orthopaedic doctor.  But his partner Donald Kirk Piper M.D. I had a lot contact with and talked to many times.  I did not know he had passed away until I read this Perll obt.    
  Doctor Piper was very nice.  He had a fancy car when I worked at the old St. Joseph Hospital (72 to 75).  I forget the name but it was one you noticed and could not miss. He would pull into the doctor’s parking lot and have his radio going loud.  He often would sit in his car and listen to the radio.  Often the PBX operator would call out to the parking lot guard shack and ask if Doctor Piper was here yet.  Then I would go over to his car and tell him that the operator was asking about him and he had call or something.  He was always very nice and would thank me and go on into the hospital.
  The morning that I came into work and my friend John’s blood was on the ground in the parking lot he is one of the doctors that when he pulled in I went over and told him and showed him John’s blood and I told him that I had just talked to the hospital administrator and he laughed and said he was not going to do anything about it.  (I had told the administrator a few months before that the hospital needed to get us bullet proof vests and put up a gate between the church parking lot and the doctor’s parking lot.  I told him then if they did not do that we would have another officer shot.  It did happen again.)  When I told Doctor Piper he said something to the effect of “Jim I will take care of it.”  He went right into the hospital and went right to the office of the administrator.  He had to line up because I sent every doctor on the medical staff to the administrator’s office! The assist administrator came out a few minutes later and told me the hospital WAS going to get us vests and would put up a gate.  I stayed until they did that and then gave two weeks notice and went to work at TLH because I knew my name was on a list with a big red circle around it.

Jessica Joy Rees - “never ever give up”

Jessica Joy Rees

  

“RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (AP) - A 12-year-old Southern California girl who started a blog and a Facebook page to raise awareness about child cancer has died of a brain tumor.
Jessica Joy Rees was diagnosed in March. Her family says her 10-month battle with cancer ended Thursday.
The Orange County Register reports (http://bit.ly/yJwyF3) that Jessica was mourned by tens of thousands of people on Facebook.
Jessica began her blog after she became sick, with posts that described her feelings and urged readers to pray for children with cancer.
The seventh-grader always signed off with the acronym "NEGU" (NEE'-goo), short for "never ever give up." Jessica and her father, Erik Rees, also started a foundation to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.”

 

 

“IN LOVING MEMORY…

On January 5, 2012 Jessie earned her angel wings after her ten month fight with brain cancer. Her courageous legacy will go on forever as the amazing team of compassionate people known at TeamNEGU continue to spread hope, joy and love to kids fighting life altering medical conditions. You can join TeamNEGU at www.teamnegu.org. “

Ben Breedlove

“Ben Breedlove On Christmas night, our son, Ben Breedlove received a gift greater than any we could have given him. He stood in the presence of his Lord and Savior and felt the peace that surpasses all understanding. Ben's 18-year-old heart may have been afflicted with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, but his physical limitations didn't keep him from experiencing the things he loved---in fact, he found extraordinary ways to expand on those experiences and take us all along for the ride. He had a curiosity for learning (remember the drum kit?), and his quick, analytical mind sought ways to be the best at whatever captured his attention. He loved wakeboarding, shooting, and playing Call of Duty. His claim to fame was when he and little brother, Jake, beat Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley in an online match. And they did it gleefully! There are so many ways to describe Ben: he was witty, sharp and funny, and his pranks were legendary. Just ask the unsuspecting drivers on City Park Road! He knew how to operate outside the system, while accomplishing his goals in an honorable fashion. While Ben never seemed to take anything seriously, his happy- go-lucky nature was matched with a warm, loving and candid personality. His YouTube channel gives witness to what his legion of female admirers thought of him! And now the world has come to know our Ben. He was a genius at using the Internet to reach and influence his peers. Through his brilliance with maneuvering the capabilities of YouTube, Ben has left a message for his generation. In the weeks prior to his death, he had faced some scary situations with his health, but had been given an amazing gift that he was determined to share; first with us, his family, and then, not surprisingly (and generously) with his YouTube audience. We know the Lord used the amazing life of our precious son to reach a weary world on Christmas night, just as He did over 2000 years ago with his own Son. We invite you to visit YouTube, and just enter "Ben Breedlove" and receive the gift that Ben hoped would change your life. Ben was abundantly loved by his devoted family: parents, Shawn and Deanne; sister, Ally; and brother, Jake. Waiting to start the party in Heaven were both his grandmothers, Jan Breedlove and Sue Raine. Ben left grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, countless friends of the family, fellow students at Westlake High School, and members of the Internet Generation to mourn the loss of his creativity, wittiness and beautiful smile. Ben has left a lasting impression and legacy far beyond his 18 years. While the pain of losing Ben will never be far, his life is serving a greater purpose. You were always full of surprises, Ben, and this is the best one yet! "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord." Memorial services will be conducted at three o'clock in the afternoon, Thursday, the 29th of December at Gateway Church, 7104 McNeil Drive, Austin, Texas 78729. Tributes may be made at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome. com”

Teen leaves message after death

  Ben Breedlove died on Christmas Day from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but left a message behind. KXAN reports.

Robert B. Ross

“ROBERT B. ROSS   |   In loving memory of our Dad and Grandpa, Robert B. Ross (USA Major Ret) who joined Dottie, the love of his life for over 50 years on December 11, 2011. Best remembered for his amazing Christmas Hat Creations, his passion to design Stained Glass and his Ababian Horses. Now they can truly be "Heaven's New Food Critics." He is survived by daughters, Valerie Hervert and husband, Lyle Olathe, KS, Carol Baker and Shawn Burns, Overland Park, KS, 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Graveside Service, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, 2:15 PM at Leavenworth Nat'l Cemetery, 150 Muncie Rd, Leavenworth, KS 66048. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: Wounded Warriors, AUSA(in memo line WSF-Ross), PO Box 134, Manhattan, KS 66505. Kansas City Funeral Directors 913-262-6310. Published in Kansas City Star on December 28, 2011”

  The above is all the information that I have about the death of Robert B. Ross.  But I feel sure that it is the Robert B. Ross that I knew and that I worked for at Trinity Lutheran Hospital for almost six years.
  I began working there in 1975.  During that time I learned to like Mr. Ross.  We had a lot of fun times.  He had a great sense of humor.  We had problems with each other but I respected him and liked him.  He drove me crazy many times. 
  He was very smart.  I met his wife and saw her at TLH a number of times and talked with her.  She was a very nice woman. 
  Even when he fired me I was never mad at him.  Truth is I was happy to get away from there because I liked him but he was driving me crazy.  He had set it up that I was to transfer to the BioMed department as soon as they had an opening but I could not hold out even the few short days or weeks until they had an open spot. 
  We had more good times than bad times.  I always “had my ducks inline.” He had a great sense of humor but he never knew when I was kidding him and I sent him into screaming rages a few times and I never told him I was joking with him.
  I always respected him and I could understand what made him the person he was but he could still drive me crazy.
  I was sent back a couple of times to work at TLH after he fired me.  The hospital that I was working for then had taken over TLH.  I also exchanged a couple of emails with him.
  When I meet up with him one day it will be fun to tell him all of the times that I was joking with him and that he did not know it.  We will have some laughs with each other.
  I hope if he did not find who he was looking for before his death I hope that now he has found them in heaven. 

Kim Jong-il dead

     “Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim (according to Soviet records)^[2][3][4][5] (16 February 1941/2 – 17 December 2011),^[6] was the supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). He was the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party since 1948, Chairman of the the National Defence Commission of North Korea, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, the fourth-largest standing army in the world.

In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended to refer to him implicitly as the "Supreme Leader".^[7] He was also referred to as the "Dear Leader", "our Father", "the General" and "Generalissimo".^[8] His son Kim Jong-un was promoted to a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party and is heir apparent.^[9] In 2010, he was ranked 31st in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People.^[10] The North Korean government announced his death on 19 December 2011.^[6]…”

Christopher Hitchens dead at 62

“(CNN) -- British-American author and essayist Christopher Hitchens died Thursday from complications of esophageal cancer. He was 62.

Hitchens was known for his wry monthly columns for Vanity Fair magazine.

"There will never be another like Christopher. A man of ferocious intellect, who was as vibrant on the page as he was at the bar," said Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. "Those who read him felt they knew him, and those who knew him were profoundly fortunate souls."

Hitchens was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1949 and graduated from Oxford University in 1970…”

 

    I was not a fan of Christopher Hitchens.  I have family members and friends that loved him and will feel like he is a saint now.  There is no question that he had a God given ferocious intellect. 
    I just think it was a sin shame that such a great writer used all that great talent to attack Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  
   Christopher Hitchens was violent, irrational and intolerant of religion.  He was, of course, anti-Catholic but then he was born and education in England so it was to be expected.  He went out of  his way to attack the faith of others.  He made his living attacking the faith of people.
   

    
“…In the question and answer session following a speech Hitchens gave to the Commonwealth Club of California on 9 July 2009, one audience member asked what was Hitchens' favorite whisky. Hitchens replied that "the best blended scotch in the history of the world" is Johnnie Walker Black Label. He also playfully indicated that it was the favorite whisky of, among others, the Iraqi Baath Party, the Palestinian Authority, the Libyan dictatorship, and "large branches of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family". He concluded his answer by calling it the "breakfast of champions" and exhorted the audience to "accept no substitute"…[154]”   Wikipedia