JESUS AND PETRA ALEGRIA, MARRIED 67 YEARS
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
On Friday, Jesus Alegria, 96, who spent his last two days in a hospice, died first.
Less than 30 minutes later, his wife of 67 years, Petra T. Alegria, died in a Houston hospital of complications from a fall. Both had been admitted on Thursday.
Petra Alegria had predicted, when she entered the hospital, that her longtime husband would be the first to die, said their daughter, Arminda Castillo of Houston.
After one of the couple’s sons, Ramon Alegria of Houston, told his mother that Jesus had died, she didn’t reply and died a short time later, Castillo said. She was 84.
“God broke the mold when he made Mom and Dad. They were the best,” Castillo said.
Jesus Alegria for 27 years was employed by the city of Houston as a custodian.
Born in Brownsville on March 1, 1912, he was the son of Guadalupe Alegria and Dolores Huerta Alegria.
Petra Torres Alegria was born Aug. 4, 1923, in Los Fresnos in Cameron County, the daughter of Justino Torres and Trinidad Luna Torres.
They were married on Aug. 25, 1940.
“They were the most wonderful parents,” Castillo said. “They were always there for us when there was a problem, with any kind of help they could give.”
In addition to their daughter, Arminda, and son, Ramon, survivors include sons Guadalupe and Jose de Jesus Alegria, both of Houston; daughters Juanita Rodriguez and Dolores Vazquez, both of Houston, and Trinidad Benavidez, of Homewood, Ill.; The Alegrias also raised two grandchildren, Luis Alegria of Houston and Michelle Alegria, serving in the Navy in Virginia, and a great-grandchild, Peter Alegria, of Honolulu. Jesus Alegria also leaves a sister, Aurora Solitaire of Brownsville.
Services will be at 1 p.m. today at Holy Name Catholic Church, 1912 Marion. Burial will be in Hollywood Cemetery under the direction of Felix H. Morales Funeral Home.
(Article courtesy of the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com )
______________________________________________________________________
JOE AND ANN MILLER, MARRIED 57 YEARS
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Joe and Ann Miller, together in marriage for 57 years, died only hours apart in their quarters in an assisted living facility in Houston.
“Mother died on April 8 at 9:20 a.m.,” said their daughter, Patricia Gruninger of Coppell. “Dad died at 4 a.m. on April 9. Dad’s greatest gift was that he went with her.”
Ann Miller, who had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for 10 years, probably died of pneumonia, her daughter said. Joe Miller had suffered from multiple circulatory problems, she said.
“He was a party animal, a party boy. He had two martinis — House of Lords gin — at night before dinner,” Gruninger said.
The family emphasized that in a statement, saying, “They lived a good life and he never said no to a good martini.”
Ann Clary Miller was born on Feb. 14, 1921, in Port Glasgow, Scotland, the daughter of Stephen and Emily Clary. The family came to the United States in 1925 and settled in New York.
She graduated from high school on Staten Island, attended secretarial school and joined an insurance firm in New York City, where in 1940 she met her future husband, a salesman for the firm.
Joseph Miller was born on Nov. 1, 1916, in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he graduated from Brooklyn High School.
He served as an enlisted man during World War II and later as an officer and bombardier in what is now the Air Force. He flew missions over Germany and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
Joe and Ann Miller were married on Oct. 21, 1950. In 1962, they moved to Houston, where he worked as a salesman for W.A. Taylor Co., a liquor distributing firm. After rising to vice president in charge of regional sales, he retired in 1982.
The Millers were active in St. Cecilia Catholic Community, especially in the school, which their children attended, Gruninger said. Ann Miller was a member of the Charity Guild of Catholic Women and the Newman Circle.
Survivors include two other daughters, Peggy Fair of Cape Cod in Massachusetts and Betty Flock of Houston; and two sons, Joe and Michael Miller, both of Houston. Ann Miller also leaves a brother, John Clary of Cape Cod.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 11720 Joan of Arc Drive, under direction of Earthman Funeral Directors Hunters Creek, 8303 Katy Freeway.
(Article courtesy of the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com )
____________________________________________________________________________
CEDELLA BOOKER, BOB MARLEY’S MOTHER
Associated Press
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Cedella Booker, the mother of Jamaican music legend Bob Marley, has died, a family spokesman said Wednesday. She was 81.
Booker died in her sleep Tuesday night at her home in Miami, apparently from natural causes, spokesman Jerome Hamilton said.
Booker, a Jamaica native, was 18 when she married Norval Marley, a British man 32 years her senior. Their son brought Jamaican reggae music to international prominence, becoming its international image. Bob Marley died in Miami of a brain tumor in 1981 at age 36.
“Mrs. Booker was the matriarch of a movement so powerful that the mystical qualities of the Marley musical legacy remain strong and potent,” Jamaica Information Minister Olivia Grange said.
After Norval Marley died in 1955, Booker married an American man and settled in Delaware. She wrote two biographies of her famous son and recorded two albums, “Awake Zion!” and “Smilin’ Island of Song.”
“She was a star in her own right,” Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding said in a statement. “Her life was one of hardship, struggle and eventual fulfillment, and through it all, she exuded hope, strength and confidence.”
Everyone in St. Ann’s parish knew Booker as “Mama B,” said Harry Shivnani, a family friend and general manager of Bob Marley’s mausoleum.
“She loved cooking,” Shivnani said. “Mama would make you the best pudding ever.”
Robert Lalah, a columnist for the Jamaica Gleaner, interviewed Booker in February while she celebrated her son’s birthday.
“She was a typical Jamaican grandmother,” he said. “She was very warm, very friendly.”
Booker is survived by two children and several grandchildren, including Ziggy Marley, who won four Grammys with the Melody Makers, a band that included brother Stephen and sisters Sharon and Cedella.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
(Article courtesy of the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com )
_________________________________________________________________________
EUGENE S. “CODDOU, RETIRED LAWYER, INVENTOR MADE HIGH-GRADE FUEL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Eugene S. “Gene” Coddou — chemical engineer, lawyer and inventor — has died in a Sugar Land hospital. He was 88.
During World War II, Coddou, deferred from military service because of his training in chemical engineering, assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in preventing sabotage at the Port of Houston as a volunteer.
“He had a happy and content disposition,” said his son, Houston lawyer Wesley Coddou.
“He loved practical jokes and knew how to throw a good party. He also loved people and engaging in vigorous debate.”
Coddou also enjoyed automobiles and drove a coveted 1957 Thunderbird until shortly before his death, his son said.
Eugene Sebastian Coddou Jr. was born in Houston on Nov. 2, 1919, the son of Julia McLennan Coddou and Eugene Sebastian Coddou.
Coast Guard Reserve
He grew up in Park Place, near the present intersection of Loop 610 and the Gulf Freeway, attended Deady Middle School and in 1937 graduated from Milby High School. In the same year, he found work as a messenger boy with Gulf Oil Corp. at $65 a month, his son said.
In 1943, Coddou earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Houston. In that same year, he joined Sinclair Rubber Co. in Pasadena as a research chemist.
During World War II, Selective Service classified Coddou as 2-B, an exempt status that includes those training for essential jobs in defense of the nation. Because Coddou was a chemical engineering student, his draft status denoted that he was “a necessary man,” according to a Selective Service document.
Even so, Coddou in 1941 enrolled for temporary, part-time duty without pay in the Volunteer Port Security Force of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He was assigned to night duty at the Port of Houston. His service ended in 1945.
After the war, Coddou joined the chemical departments of Pan-American Refining Corp. and American Oil Co. (Amoco), both in Texas City.
Award recipient
In this work, Coddou was a co-inventor of a process for producing high-octane motor fuel at low cost. In 1949, he became an assistant patent adviser and in 1956, after earning a law degree at the University of Houston, was promoted to patent attorney at Amoco.
At UH, he co-founded the Hutcheson Inn (chapter) of Phi Delta Phi, an international legal fraternity established in 1869 to promote high standards of professional ethics. Coddou also was a recipient of the W. St. John Garwood Award for Scholarship at UH.
In 1960, Coddou joined the legal department of Standard Oil of Indiana, which posted him to Chicago. Two years later, he returned to Houston where he became a member of the law department of Tenneco.
During this period, Coddou was active in the Houston Bar Association, receiving two awards for his service. In 1975, on his recommendation, the corporate counsel section of the State Bar of Texas was established. Coddou was involved in the formation of the section and was its first chairman.
Retired in 1986
Also in 1975, Coddou began an 11-year stint in the legal department of Texas Eastern Chemical Co. in Longview. Coddou retired in 1986 and he moved to Sugar Land in 1999.
He was a member of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church and a scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop at the church.
Survivors of Coddou, who died March 25, include his wife, Mary Ann Stanley Coddou of Sugar Land; sons Stanley Coddou and Wesley Coddou; and a sister, Julianne Hunt, all of Houston.
In a private service, Coddou’s ashes will be interred beside his mother at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. The time and place of a memorial service and organ recital in May will be announced.
(Article courtesy of the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com )
_________________________________________________________________________
NONA BEAMER, HAWAIIAN TEACHER AND MUSICIAN
She died in her sleep, said Mark Nelson, administrator of the Aloha Music Camp, which she founded and operated with her son Keola, a Grammy-nominated slack-key guitarist.
Ms. Beamer, a songwriter, performer, hula teacher and author, had been ailing in recent years but remained active. She last performed with her family at the music camp in February.
Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer was born in Honolulu and raised in Napo’opo’o on the Big Island. She was of Hawaiian, German, French, Scotch and Swedish ancestry. Her Hawaiian name is an ancestral name that comes from Princess Manono and means precious flower. She was commonly known as Aunty Nona.
Ms. Beamer attended Colorado Women’s College, Barnard College and Columbia University. In 1949 she began teaching Hawaiian culture at the Kamehameha Schools, where she remained for nearly 40 years. She also took over her mother’s hula studio and taught hula in Waikiki for 30 years.
Since retiring as a classroom teacher, she had spent her days sharing her extensive knowledge of Hawaiiana, or Hawaiian culture. (She had coined that term in 1948.)
Ms. Beamer’s survivors include her sons Keola, Kapono and Kaliko Beamer-Trapp; her daughter, Maile Beamer-Loo; and a grandson.
(Article courtesy of The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com )
________________________________________________________________________
JOHN HERLITZ, DESIGNER OF MUSCLE CARS
John E. Herlitz, an automobile designer who styled a signature American muscle car and left his imprint on many notable Chrysler Corporation models of the late 20th century, died March 24 in Naples, Fla. He was 65.
The cause was complications of a fall in his winter home in Naples, a son, Kirk Herlitz, said. Mr. Herlitz also lived in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Mr. Herlitz made his reputation with the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, which brought a touch of class to the “pony car” segment, a genre of sporty compact cars started with the Ford Mustang, with long hoods and short rear decks.
His Barracuda replaced designs that were only mildly successful, starting with an awkward 1964 fastback based on the Plymouth Valiant economy car. In contrast, the Herlitz Barracuda was clean and largely unadorned, with a wide body and a hunkered-down stance that hinted at the considerable power available to customers who checked the right boxes on their order forms.
When a huge V-8 engine was crammed into a coupe like this, its status changed to muscle car, capable of tire-smoking burnouts and blistering straight-line acceleration — but generally mediocre handling.
Today, the Herlitz-redesigned Barracudas of the early 1970s, especially Hemi ’Cudas with fearsome 425-horsepower engines, remain some of the most sought-after muscle cars. At collector-car auctions frequented by celebrities, bids have exceeded $2 million for Hemi ’Cudas with rare high-performance options.
In another indication of the timeless nature of the design, Chrysler is resurrecting the Barracuda’s sister car, the Dodge Challenger, as a 2008 model. Chrysler shut down its Plymouth brand seven years ago, precluding a return of the Barracuda.
Mr. Herlitz followed up his 1970 tour de force with well-received makeovers of other revered performance cars, including the 1971 Plymouth Road Runner and the GTX. Then, as the muscle-car era wound down amid fuel shortages and new safety and emissions rules, Mr. Herlitz assumed ever-increasing responsibility in the Chrysler studios.
He worked with the teams of designers who created the boxy K-car compact cars, which staved off a bankruptcy filing; the first modern minivans; and a family of large sedans in the early 1990s that were notable for their “cab forward” design and spacious passenger compartments.
By 1994, when he was named vice president for product design, Mr. Herlitz had become chief lieutenant to Tom Gale, the engineer turned designer who headed the Chrysler studio. Under their leadership, Chrysler designers gained a reputation for bold cars and trucks that often borrowed from the past. This retro look was exemplified by a series of Chrysler-brand concept cars — design prototypes often intended to elicit reactions — including the Atlantic, Phaeton and Chronos, that evoked voluptuous motorcars, including the Bugattis of the 1930s.
Mr. Herlitz was also associated with the Dodge Copperhead, a roadster in the vein of British classics like the Austin Healey, which was a favorite at auto shows in 1997. The next year Daimler-Benz took over Chrysler; the Copperhead, like many other innovative show cars of the time, never went into production.
In a telephone interview last week, Mr. Gale said that in a studio, where designs are usually collaborative even if individuals sometimes get the credit, Mr. Herlitz was notably reluctant to step into the spotlight. But in the case of the Barracuda, Mr. Gale said, “I think he really deserves a lot of credit.” He praised the car’s proportions, width and stance.
Dan Gurney, the driver and racecar builder, was associated with the Barracuda through All American Racers, the name of his team and his shop, for which a limited-edition model, the AAR ’Cuda, was named.
About Mr. Herlitz’s basic design, Mr. Gurney said: “It was a stunning car. I don’t know what makes one shape of metal stand out more than any other, but it had it. The car had just the right geometry and a timeless style.”
At the time of his retirement in 2000, Mr. Herlitz was senior vice president for product design. He helped to establish the Walter P. Chrysler Museum at company headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., and aided in the design of a visual arts building under construction at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in northern Michigan; he served on the school’s corporate advisory council.
Mr. Herlitz was also a director of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology and the Cleveland Institute of Art. He served on the board of Winnebago Industries.
John Eric Herlitz was born in Pine Plains, N.Y., on Dec. 30, 1942, the son of Swedish immigrants. As early as age 13, he was sending sketches of cars to Chrysler. He kept up correspondence with company officials, who gave advice on the education he would need to fulfill his dream of becoming a car designer.
After attending the Salisbury prep school in Connecticut, he received a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute in 1964 and joined Chrysler soon after.
Mr. Herlitz married Joan Elizabeth Neinas on Sept. 20, 1969. She died Jan. 22.
He is survived by two sons, Kirk of San Carlos, Calif., and Todd of Chicago, and one grandson.
Last Saturday at the Chrysler Museum, those arriving for a memorial service walked by an orange 1970 Hemi ’Cuda that was already in a featured position near the auditorium, along with a black 1971 Road Runner that Mr. Herlitz had not only designed but also once owned.
(Article courtesy of The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com )
________________________________________________________________________
STANLEY KAMEL, ACTOR ON ‘MONK’
The cause was a heart attack, his publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement.
Mr. Kamel was born on Jan. 1, 1943, in New Jersey and worked as an actor for nearly four decades, mostly in television. He had a recurring role as an unscrupulous psychiatrist, Dr. Graham Lester, in the 1995 television series “Murder One” and other recurring roles on “Days of Our Lives,” “Melrose Place” and “Beverly Hills 90210,” as well as smaller roles on many other shows.
Mr. Kamel began acting off Broadway and received his first substantial television role playing Eric Peters on “Days of Our Lives” in the 1970s. He also appeared in several movies.
For several years he portrayed Dr. Charles Kroger on the USA Network series “Monk.” As Dr. Kroger he dispensed advice during weekly sessions with Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a brilliant but neurotic private detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Mr. Kamel is survived by his brothers, Stephen and Robert.
(Article courtesy of The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com )
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
P. T. Barnum, Great Showman, Dies at 80
(April 7, 1891)
Henry Ford, Automotive Pioneer, Dies at 83
(April 7, 1947)
Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Prodigious Artist, Dies at 91
(April 8, 1973)
Joe Louis, Heavyweight King, Dies at 66
(April 12, 1981)
2 Comments
April 14, 2008 at 10:00+00:00Apr
Great article.
May 23, 2008 at 10:00+00:00May
Sorry , I have just got to know that Bob Marley’s mother had died.It is painful but what can we do ?Nothing!we can’t question God.My own mother died last August at 79,she died of cancer it was then I knew that kind of pains Bob Marley had and how his mother had felt seeing her son in pains .
When is she going to be buried?I would have loved to be in Jamaica.I am a Nigerian and a journalist by profession.