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Obituary Stories category, Page 18

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Norman Mineta, transportation secretary in 9/11 era, dies
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Norman Mineta, who broke racial barriers for Asian Americans serving in high-profile government posts and ordered commercial flights grounded after the 9/11 terror attacks as the nation’s federal transportation secretary, died Tuesday. He was 90. John Flaherty, Mineta’s former chief of staff, said Mineta died peacefully at...
Naomi Judd, of Grammy-winning duo The Judds, dies at 76
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died. She was 76. The daughters announced her death on Saturday in a statement provided to the Associated Press. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our...
Aaron Kress was icon of Westmoreland County legal community
When Aaron Kress first met his wife, Dorothy, he told her he was a window washer. “He didn’t want her to get any preconceived notions about him being a lawyer,” said their daughter, Becky Fenoglietto of Penn Hills. “They were married very quickly,” she said. “My dad brought her back...
Leslie McCrae Dowless, key figure in N.C. absentee ballot fraud probe, dies
RALEIGH, N.C. — Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., the key player in a North Carolina absentee ballot fraud probe that led to a do-over congressional election, has died. His daughter, Andrea Dowless Heverly, wrote that her father “passed away peacefully” Sunday morning, according to a social media post. He had been...
Longtime Yukon firefighter served community, country
A longtime Yukon volunteer firefighter was laid to rest Friday in his hometown, given the traditional honor of a procession of firetrucks from several South Huntingdon departments and surrounding communities. The funeral procession for Jeffrey A. Kite, 61, who had been a member of the fire company for 45 years,...
Robert Morse, 2-time Tony-winning actor, dies at 90 
NEW YORK — Actor Robert Morse, who won a Tony Award as a hilariously brash corporate climber in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and a second one a generation later as the brilliant, troubled Truman Capote in “Tru,” has died. He was 90. Morse died at his...
Friends remember Mt. Pleasant area nun, Verna Montessori School teacher
This weekend, friends will gather to celebrate the life of Sister Lucy Paladini, a beloved nun who taught at Verna Montessori School near Mt. Pleasant for more than 25 years. Sister Lucy died in January after moving back to her native Italy in 2014. Saint Pius X in Mt. Pleasant...
Longtime Pittsburgh television reporter Stu Emry dies
A story by Myron Cope about a Brentwood bar where Steelers players and reporters hung out stirred Stu Emry’s imagination. Emry was a corn syrup salesman living in Chicago, dreaming of working in radio or television. When he was transferred to Pittsburgh in 1965 to service his biggest client, Heinz,...
Gilbert Gottfried, standup comic and actor, dies at 67
LOS ANGELES — Gilbert Gottfried, the actor and legendary standup comic known for his raw, scorched voice and crude jokes, has died. He was 67. Gottfried died from a rare genetic muscle disease that can trigger a dangerously abnormal heartbeat, his publicist and longtime friend Glenn Schwartz said in a...
Mimi Reinhard, who typed up Schindler’s list, dies at 107
JERUSALEM — Mimi Reinhard, a secretary in Oskar Schindler’s office who typed up the list of Jews he saved from extermination by Nazi Germany, has died in Israel at the age of 107. Reinhard died early Friday and was laid to rest Sunday in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, her son...
George Guido: Har-Brack grad, former college hoops coach Tom Young dies
Tom Young, the 1951 Har-Brack graduate who coached Rutgers to the NCAA Final Four in 1976, died recently in Virginia Beach, Va., at 89. His death first was reported by his son, Tom Jr., to Rutgers. Young played basketball at Maryland, but he interrupted his college career for a 19-month...
Former Westmoreland County commissioner Richard Vidmer dead at 77
Richard “Dick” Vidmer was a fighter, whether it was on the football field as a star quarterback for Hempfield Area High School and the University of Michigan, as a Westmoreland County commissioner from 1985 to 1999, or as one who engaged in an almost 40-year battle — both public and...
Media critic Eric Boehlert killed in bike accident
NEW YORK — Media critic and journalist Eric Boehlert has died following a bike accident in New Jersey. He was 57. Boehlert was fatally struck Monday night in Montclair, where he lived with his family, about 20 miles northwest of New York City, his wife, Tracy Breslin, confirmed to the...
Bobby Rydell, Philly teen idol known for ‘Wild One’ and ‘Volare’ dies at 79
Bobby Rydell, the singer who rose to fame as a South Philly teen idol with hits such as “Kissin’ Time,” “Wild One” and “Wildwood Days” and maintained a career in show business that lasted six decades, has died at age 79. Rydell’s death was confirmed by his marketing and event...
Longtime Arnold firefighter, No. 2 Chief Keith Dziobak dies
The Alle-Kiski Valley firefighting community is mourning the death of longtime Arnold firefighter and officer Keith Dziobak. Dziobak died Tuesday night. A cause of death was not immediately known. He was 57. A firefighter with Arnold No. 2 since he was 17 years old in 1982, Dziobak was in his...
William Hurt, star of ‘Broadcast News,’ ‘Body Heat,’ dies
NEW YORK — William Hurt, whose laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of the 1980s foremost leading men in movies such as “Broadcast News,” “Body Heat” and “The Big Chill,” has died. He was 71. Hurt’s son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died...
Singer Traci Braxton of ‘Braxton Family Values’ dies at 50
NEW YORK — Singer Traci Braxton, who was featured with her family in the reality television series “Braxton Family Values,” died at age 50 on Saturday. Her sister, Toni, and family said that Braxton died “this morning as the snow was falling.” According to reports, Traci Braxton had been fighting...
Emilio Delgado, Luis on ‘Sesame Street’ for 45 years, dies
Emilio Delgado, the actor and singer who for 45 years was a warm and familiar presence in children’s lives and a rare Latino face on American television as fix-it shop owner Luis on “Sesame Street,” died Thursday. His wife, Carol Delgado, told The Associated Press that Emilio Delgado died from...
‘Dark Shadows,’ ‘Lethal Weapon’ actor Mitchell Ryan dies
Mitchell Ryan, who played a villainous general in the first “Lethal Weapon” movie, a ruthless businessman on TV’s “Santa Barbara” and had character roles on the soap opera “Dark Shadows” and the 1990s sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” died Friday. He was 88. Ryan died of congestive heart failure at his...
Paralyzing accident didn’t stop Stahltown’s Katie Smith, an inspiration to others
Katie Smith of Stahlstown did not let a car accident that left her paralyzed stop her from living life the way she wanted, from continuing to play sports here and abroad to being a positive impact in people’s lives, according to her friends. Smith, who was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania...
Mac Martin, Pittsburgh-area bluegrass musician ‘known ’round the world,’ dies at 96
Bluegrass musician Mac Martin had his roots in Pittsburgh, but his music was known around the world, according to other bluegrass musicians and fans who knew him. “He was known all over the world. He played in a bar in East Liberty (Walsh’s Lounge) in the 1950s, and people would...
Blawnox resident Ann Casile recalled for tremendous volunteer spirit
Ardent volunteer Ann Casile is being recalled by friends as a true champion of her Blawnox community. Casile died Feb. 17 at age 87. A founding member of Aspinwall Meals on Wheels, which operates from St. Edward Church in Blawnox, Casile left her mark as a woman who was born...
Oscar-nominated ‘M*A*S*H’ actor Sally Kellerman dies at 84
LOS ANGELES — Sally Kellerman, the Oscar and Emmy nominated actor who played Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in director Robert Altman’s 1970 film “M*A*S*H,” died Thursday. Kellerman died of heart failure at her home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, her manager and publicist Alan Eichler said. She...
Former PPG Industries top executive Vincent Sarni dies at 93
Vincent “Vin” Sarni, retired PPG Industries chairman and chief executive officer, died on Feb. 21 at age 93. Sarni served as chairman and CEO of the company from 1984 until his retirement in 1993, concluding a 25-year career with PPG. “Vin was a strong and highly respected leader. He was...
Gary Brooker, frontman of rock band Procol Harum, dies at 76 
LONDON — Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman who sang one of the 1960s’ most enduring hits, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” has died. He was 76. The English rock band said Brooker died at his home on Saturday. He had been receiving treatment for cancer. A statement posted on...


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