Got to Category

Obituary Stories category, Page 3

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ dies at 73
LONDON — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73. Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account...
Leechburg man remembered as a pure soul who brought joy to family, friends, neighbors
Nancy Wickham nicknamed her son, Cameron, “the happy child.” “I would often refer to him as the happy child,” said Wickham of Leechburg. “It was like the only state of emotion he was ever in. It was amazing. He loved people.” About 10 years ago, the family moved from Ohio...
The year in review: Influential people who died in 2024
It was a murder case almost everyone had an opinion on. O.J. Simpson’s “trial of the century” over the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend bared divisions over race and law enforcement in America and brought an intersection of sports, crime, entertainment and class that was hard to...
Stolen base king Rickey Henderson dies at 65
OAKLAND, Calif. — Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball’s leadoff position, has died. He was 65. Henderson died Friday. The Athletics said Saturday they were “shocked and heartbroken by his passing,” but did not specify a cause of death. Known...
Friends recall West Deer’s Rev. James Legge as tireless advocate for less fortunate
The Rev. James Legge, longtime pastor at Bull Creek Presbyterian Church in West Deer, is being recalled by friends as a team player and ardent supporter of leveling the playing field for the less fortunate. Serving on the board at Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE...
Michael Cole, ‘The Mod Squad’ and ‘General Hospital’ star, dies at 84
LOS ANGELES — Michael Cole, who starred as one-third of “The Mod Squad,” has died. He was 84. The actor played Pete Cochran in the hit ABC crime show that aired from 1968 to ‘73. Cole died Tuesday, his Atlanta-based talent agent Christy Clark confirmed to The Times. On the...
Joe Naunchik remembered fondly as athlete, football coach after 40 years on area sidelines
Bill Rometo was 5 when he first met Joe Naunchik, then a three-sport star at Plum High School. “He was probably the best athlete to ever come out of Plum,” Rometo said of Naunchik, who was a football standout under Rometo’s father, Bill Rometo Sr. “At that time, my dad...
Lou Carnesecca, Hall of Fame coach who led St. John’s for 24 seasons, dies at 99
NEW YORK — In the long and storied history of New York City basketball, nobody wore it quite like Lou Carnesecca. The excitable St. John’s coach whose outlandish sweaters became an emblem of his team’s rousing Final Four run in 1985, died at 99 on Saturday, just a few weeks...
Jim Abrahams, co-writer of ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun,’ dies at 80
Jim Abrahams, a writer and director behind slapstick comedies like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” series, has died. He was 80 years old. The cause of death was natural causes, his son Josh said in a statement. He died at his home in Santa Monica, California. Along with childhood friends...
Brian Leri, longtime chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, remembered for devotion to restaurant, customers
Brian Leri, 51, of Natrona Heights, the longtime executive chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco in Oakmont, died Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Leri spent 30 years at the eatery after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1994. He became the restaurant’s executive chef in 2002....
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about covid-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an...
Vladimir Shklyarov, ballet star who dazzled with Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre, dies at 39
Vladimir Shklyarov, who impressed ballet audiences as a principal dancer with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Ballet Theatre, has died. He was 39. Shklyarov died “tragically” Saturday, the Mariinsky announced Monday in a statement on its website. “His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world.”...
Veteran news executive Reg Murphy, who survived abduction decades ago, has died at 90
Reg Murphy, a renowned journalist whose newsgathering career included stints as an editor and top executive at newspapers in Atlanta, San Francisco and Baltimore — and who found himself the subject of national headlines when he survived a politically motivated kidnapping — has died at age 90. Murphy, who lived...
Elaine Effort, former KQV news reporter, dies
Elaine Effort, an award-winning pioneer of Pittsburgh journalism and a longtime broadcaster on news station KQV Radio, unexpectedly died Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, of which she was a founding member. “Mrs. Effort was always willing to listen to new ideas and roll up her sleeve to...
Bob Bordonaro Sr., longtime owner of Hillcrest Volkswagen and Gunny’s Lounge, remembered as ‘personable guy’
At first, Bob Bordonaro Sr. wasn’t too sure about getting into the car business. It was 1962 when he tagged along with a friend buying a car at Hillcrest Motors in Lower Burrell when the owner at the time encouraged him to work there. “Meanwhile, he was only 19, just...
Bernie Marcus, Home Depot co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, dies at 95
NEW YORK — Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement chain, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95. Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson. Marcus was Home...
Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, dies at 91
Quincy Jones, the multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, has died at 91. Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, says he died Sunday night...
Jeffrey D. Smail, Unity auto dealer, enjoyed family, life
Jeffrey D. Smail was a man who worked hard in his family’s successful automobile dealerships east of Greensburg while dedicating himself to his family and enjoying traveling around the world with his wife. “He was one of the most kind and caring and generous persons. He made everyone feel welcome....
Teri Garr, the offbeat comic actor of ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ has died 
LOS ANGELES — Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died. She was 79. Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled...
Retired Lutheran pastor had passion for her faith, helping others
The Rev. Elaine Marie Hower, who was a pastor at Lutheran churches in Spring Church, Natrona Heights and Lower Burrell for more than 20 years, grew up in the church, had a passion for her faith and a compassion for helping others in need, said one of her three sons....
Grammy-winning crooner Jack Jones, known for singing ‘The Love Boat’ theme song, dies at 86
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Jack Jones, a Grammy-winning crooner known for “The Love Boat” television show theme song, has died. He was 86. Jones died Wednesday night at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, after battling leukemia for more than two years, according to a statement from his manager, Milt...
Ron Ely, TV’s ‘Tarzan’ in the 1960s, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES — Ron Ely, the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” has died at age 86. Ely’s daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that her father died Sept. 29 at his home in Los Alamos, California, an...
Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled ‘Fernandomania,’ dies at 63
LOS ANGELES — Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died. He was 63. The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not...
Ethel Kennedy, social activist and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died
BOSTON, Mass. — Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96. Kennedy had been hospitalized after suffering a...
Bob Butter, Pittsburgh’s ‘patriarch of public relations,’ dies
Tree of Life Congregation Rabbi Jeffrey Myers made a daily call to Bob Butter for comfort and advice. Butter, a public relations giant in Pittsburgh, helped Myers handle the media onslaught after the Oct. 27, 2018, attack on Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill. “We knew we would need extra...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >