2010 Deaths

Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, "in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes". 2010 is no exception. Some deaths hit close to home this year, my sister-in-law lost her mother, a close friend did also. Most recently, my daughter-in-law lost her grandfather on Christmas eve. The following people may not have been related to any of you but I think they played a part in all of our lives.

In the world of entertainment we lost;
as Don Cornelius of Soul Train would have said "the mighty, mighty Teddy Pendergrass"
Best know as Adam Cartwright on Bonanza, Parnell Roberts
For over 45 years she was Alice Horton on Days of Our Lives, Frances Reid
I Spy, Robert Culp
He was both Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett, Fess Parker
The movie Airplane! lost both Peter Graves and Leslie Nielsen
The star of Designing Women, Dixie Carter
Movie icon, Dennis Hopper
Eddie Carroll, the voice of Jiminy Crickett
Different Strokes star Gary Coleman
He was Charlie in Charlie's Angels, John Forsythe
Music greats Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath) and Lena Horne (Stormy Weather)
Art Linkletter who showed us that kids say the darnedest things
From The Golden Girls, Rue McClanahan
We all sang along with him, Mitch Miller
Patrica Neal, newsman Edwin Newman, Character actor Harold Gould
Tarzan's son, Johnny Sheffield and the original Dano, JamesMacArthur
We lost the father from Happy Days and the mother from Leave it to Beaver, Tom Bosley and Barbra Billingsly
Movie producers Dino DeLaurentiis and Blake Edwards and movie star, Tony Curtis
Jill Clayburgh and from TV's Barney Miller, Steve Landesberg

The literary world lost;
J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye
Eric Segal, Love Story
Dick Francis
Bob Guccione
Stephen J. Cannell

In politics;
Rep. Charlie Wilson from Texas, the inspiration for the movie Charlie Wilson's War
Senator John Edwards wife, Elizabeth Edwards, after a long public fight with cancer

Sports were not immune;
UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, the wizard of westwood
Oakland Raiders hitman, Jack Tatum
From the Rams, Merlin Olsen
Baseball greats Ron Santo, Robin Roberts and Bob Feller
Standing a mere 7'6" basketballs Manute Bol
He was know as "The Boss", New York Yankee owner, George Steinbrenner
Two of the greatest voices that baseball will ever know. The voice of the Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell and called "The Voice of God" for over 50 years the voice of Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard
He hit the shot heard round the world, Bobby Thompson
Quarterback and place kicker, George Blanda
Manager of the 1970's Big Red Machine Sparky Anderson
and now we can Turn out the lights, the party's over, Dallas Cowboy great and one of the original voices of Monday Night Football, Jeff and Hazel's baby boy, "Dandy" Don Meredith