The Memorial Wall

Marlan was born on December 2, 1940 to Emil & Lillian (Ludvicek) Rohlena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In eighth grade, the one room schoolhouse he attended consolidated to a community school district. This is where he first met Barbara Koutny. They both graduated from Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa. He and Barb married in 1962 and embarked on a nearly 60 year life together.

In 1967, with his draft number about to be called, Marlan enlisted in the Air Force. After 2 years at McGuire AFB in New Jersey, he served in Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay AB as an Air Transportation Supervisor. Following his service in Vietnam, he was stationed in Germany for several years. Marlan & Barb welcomed daughter Sarah in June 1971 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Rumor has always been she was born 9 months + 1 day after Marlan’s return from Vietnam.

After Marlan’s honorable discharge from the Air Force, a serviceman he’d met from Salem said they should consider moving to Oregon. Marlan headed west from Iowa in their VW Beetle looking for his post-service career and a new home for his family. He ended up in the Gresham, Oregon area and immediately loved the green trees, rivers, mountains, and milder climate. He had 2 interviews – Sporting Goods Manager at Kmart, and a position at School Bus Services, a school bus contractor. Luckily he accepted the latter offer and began his almost 50 years in the school bus business. After a few years in the contracting business, he took on the sales responsibility for Western Bus Sales, the Blue Bird school bus dealer in Oregon.

Daughter Mollie was born in February 1977, and not long after, they moved to a rural area east of Gresham, where they would live until 2012. The 3+ acre property offered him opportunities to destress, such as raising farm animals, mowing grass, and tinkering around in the barn that was likely not wired to updated electrical code.

In 1988, and with financial support from his dad Emil and her mom Lenora, Marlan & Barbara Rohlena purchased Western Bus Sales (WBS) and moved the company to Clackamas. At that time, there were just 3 employees. Through hard work, determination, mistakes, and sometimes pure luck, the company eventually outgrew that facility and moved to the current location in Boring, Oregon. Daughter Sarah got her Masters Degree in teaching, joined the company as a temp in 1995, and today is the Director of Sales. Daughter Mollie never wanted to work at WBS, but changed her mind in 1997 and after college joined the team; today she is the President. Son-in-law Colby started in the shop in 1995 which is when he met Mollie. Colby went on to work through the Service Department ranks with a passion to grow the operations side of the company. They’ve been married for 21 years and he is Director of Operations. It remains a true family owned and run business.

Marlan retired from WBS in 2008 but never lost the passion and interest in the customers and the school bus business. He gained many of his greatest friends and life experiences from his nearly 5 decades in the industry.

Marlan and Barb loved to travel, both as a couple and with family and friends. They were able to take some incredible trips to Italy, the Republic of Georgia (that’s a bus sales story for another day), Alaska, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Hawaii, Mexico, Peru, and across the United States.

Marlan loved camping & fishing and he had a real passion for deep sea fishing in the Pacific Ocean. These were hobbies he shared with Sarah and her husband Chad, granddaughter Kaycee and grandson Caleb. They spent many memorable camping & fishing trips together.

More than 15 years ago, Marlan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He found great support in his community through Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon with their exercise classes, as well as caregiver support programs. More recently, he became very involved in fundraising for their annual Sole Support event. It certainly scratched the itch of his competitive nature for a cause close to his heart.

Marlan was exceptionally proud of and loved his children, their husbands, his three grandchildren, and most recently, his three great grandchildren. Before moving off their rural property, the grandkids got to ride and then learn to drive his John Deere tractor. He relished every opportunity to watch the grandkids play their sports, something he missed greatly when his mobility diminished due to Parkinson’s.

In 2021, Marlan & Barb moved to Assisted Living at Bonaventure of Gresham for additional care giving support. The last year at Bonaventure provided fun activities for Marlan such as playing pool, bingo, bus outings, card games, and most recently, competitive cornhole.

Marlan is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years and steadfast caregiver, Barbara; his daughter Sarah Jones (Chad) and granddaughter Kaycee Honey (Casey) and great grandchildren Tristan, Lyncoln and Collins, and grandson Caleb; his daughter Mollie Blagg (Colby) and granddaughter Norah; his brother Larry (Barb); his brother Ron (Robbie); and all his nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends from every walk of his life.

He is predeceased by his parents, Emil & Lillian Rohlena, and his sister Sandra.

Bryce Nelson, a former Los Angeles Times reporter and a longtime professor at USC’s journalism school, where he served as director in the 1980s, died Saturday of complications from Parkinson’s disease, his family said. He was 84.

After stints at the Washington Post, where he reported on Congress and foreign affairs, and Science magazine, Nelson joined the Los Angeles Times in 1969. Over the next 13 years, he served as a Washington correspondent and as Midwest bureau chief, covering the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island, the Attica prison riot and the uprising at Wounded Knee, among other stories. He then joined the science staff of the New York Times, reporting on human behavior.

A long academic career followed. He was director of USC’s School of Journalism from 1984 to 1988, served as chair of the school’s graduate studies from 1993 to 1997 and remained a professor there until his retirement in 2014.

“Bryce had a very strong moral center,” said Joe Saltzman, a USC journalism professor and former colleague. “He wasn’t swayed by trends. He wasn’t swayed by what’s popular today.” He described Nelson as a champion of “old-fashioned values of accuracy, fairness and transparency.”

Nelson was known to students for giving generously of his time.

“You give me a list of professors who are fantastic with students, he’d be on that list,” Saltzman said. “He never said, ‘I’m busy.’ He said, ‘Come on in, let’s talk.’ He would spend literally hours with his students, where few of his colleagues would.”

Nelson was born Dec. 16, 1937, in Reno, Nev., to Herman and Jennie Nelson. He graduated from Harvard, where he was president of the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, and later earned a master of philosophy degree in politics from Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. For years, he encouraged USC students to apply to the scholarship program.

Nelson served as senior advisor for press information for the Christopher Commission, which investigated the Los Angeles Police Department after the beating of Rodney King.

When the commission issued its report in 1991, Nelson had copies distributed to journalists with the proviso that they wait two hours to share it with the public — a method known as an “embargo.”

“He trusted that everybody would abide by it, and we all did, except for one TV reporter,” said Judy Muller, a former ABC news correspondent and later one of Nelson’s colleagues at USC.

“I remember he was so appalled that somebody would do that after he’d worked so hard to get an agreement that was fair to everybody,” she said. “Bryce just looked crestfallen. It was the only time I’d ever seen him express anger about something.”

She said Nelson was a print journalist through and through, coming of age in the decades before student reporters were learning to tweet in the field.

“He was definitely from another era,” she said. “He had this really high sense of the integrity of the profession that had to be adhered to, whether you were tweeting or writing a long piece in the New York Times. That was the bottom line for him.”

After he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which curtailed his mobility, he came by Muller’s office at USC and asked her when she planned to retire.

“He said, ‘Don’t wait too long, because I thought I’d have all this time to travel and do all the things I wanted to do, and now I can’t,’” Muller said.

Nelson was a go-to source when reporters wanted a quote on journalistic ethics or the state of the news industry.

In 1995, Nelson blasted CBS News for being on a “quest for gossipy journalism” after interviewer Connie Chung coaxed Newt Gingrich’s mother into a nasty remark about Hillary Clinton.

In a 1996 Tampa Tribune story about Time magazine’s Most Influential People list, Nelson lamented the rise of “sales-oriented journalism” that crowded out “more important, serious journalism.”

In a 2005 Daily Trojan story about left-leaning political bias among college journalism teachers, Nelson said ideology was irrelevant in his classroom, and he taught students to keep their personal feelings out of their reportage.

“Journalists try to view things as dispassionately and nonpartisan as possible,” he said. “Journalism professors follow a professional model. People aren’t closely identified with a political party, and if they are, as journalists, they tend to be suspect.”

Nelson rarely turned away interview requests, and his years as a reporter gave him a sense of what journalists needed.

“He wouldn’t give flip, quick answers just to get a journalist off the phone,” Saltzman said. “He didn’t mind silence. So if a reporter asked him a question, there might be a long pause on the other end. He would very carefully give a measured, thoughtful answer, which is rare.”

Nelson was married to Martha Streiff Nelson, a children’s therapist, for 41 years before her death in 2002. His daughter, Kristin Nelson Winton, died in 2015.

“Bryce was a beautiful man,” said his second wife, Mary Shipp Bartlett, of Pasadena. “He did everything with grace, even his exit from the world.”

Nelson is survived by Bartlett; his son, Matthew Nelson, of Richardson, Texas; granddaughter Anneka Winton of Bend, Ore.; and two brothers.

East Devon Scout leader Mike Hales has died at the age of 78 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Mike, who was born in Hammersmith, London, dedicated 63 years to the Scouting movement, having first joined as a cub in the 3rd Chiswick Scout Group in 1951.

When he moved to Exmouth in 1984, Mike worked at the former Sharp’s timber yard and later with Jewson’s in Fore Street, Exmouth, from where he retired. However, he continued his Scouting until his illness forced him to stand down in 2014.

Mike initially worked with the 3rd Exmouth and later became treasurer and chairman of the 1st Withycombe Cub Scouts. He was then persuaded to help relaunch the 1st Lympstone Scout Group where he became Group Scout Leader in the early 1990s.

The troop was suspended in 2009 but came back stronger in 2011 with the addition of a Beaver Colony and Cub Pack. His sister Sue Solomon recalled that, at the time of his links to the 18th Chiswick group, Mike and his Scouts assisted with the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley where the boys were kept busy as runners ferrying rolls of film to cameramen sitting behind the goals. Mike had the best view in the stadium for the “They think it’s all over…;” moment as England beat Germany.

A two-year trip travelling through South Africa, Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe and Zambia), Botswana and Mozambique, saw him working for a time with a Scout troop in Boksburg.

Said Sue: “Mike inspired hundreds of boys and girls across the country and abroad to do their best. His sense of fun, lifelong love of the Scouting movement and love of the outdoors, will live on in all the children who have been lucky enough to call him ’Skip’”.

Mike died on August 12 at the Old Rectory Nursing Home in Exeter and a private family cremation was held last week.

Nicholas (Nick) Philip Jones of Summerland BC died on August 11, 2022, battling Parkinson’s disease.
Nick was born May 6, 1944, in Harrogate, England

Nick is survived by his loving wife of 40 years Marina (Calangis-Jones), brothers and sisters Paul Jones (Deep River, Ont.), Mark Jones (Annapolis MD), Fenella Bramwell (Manchester, England), Clare Haire (Belfast NI) Roland Jones (Dubai UAE), many nieces and nephews, in-laws, and close family like friends.
He is predeceased by his parents Joyce (Bird) and William Jones and brother Julian.

Nick immigrated alone to Canada from the UK in 1962 as an 18-year-old boy to work in the high Arctic for the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) settlement stores trading goods and furs. He thrived in the Canadian northern environment and found his true life there. He was posted in what was then Spence Bay, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Belcher Islands and then also after leaving HBC worked in Paulatuk and Bathurst Inlet.

Nick did many jobs after moving “south” to Yellowknife NWT in the late 1960s. His passion was the ice roads which he worked building, driving and maintaining. He was an avid adventurer, snowmobiling, fishing summer and winter, bush whacking and being with friends, many who are still life long. He worked as a fishing guide on Great Slave Lake and had jobs over the years too many to name. His career included being a firefighter with the Yellowknife Fire Department and his final work in the NWT was back on the ice roads.

Moving to Summerland, BC with his wife Marina in 1988, Nick settled into Okanagan life, establishing his own business and taking up golf, always continuing to fish, trap shoot, fossil hunt, geocache, bird watch. He loved all things that took him outdoors. When he became more home bound, he loved the hummingbirds and always was in search of the perfect photo.

Life slowed Nick down with health issues including a final diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease less than one year ago. It took him down quickly, but he was brave in his diagnosis and decline. Nick passed away with dignity and grace with Marina and family like friend at his side.

Former British Columbia New Democratic Party leader Bob Skelly has died at the age of 79. 

Skelly served five terms in the B.C. Legislature representing the Vancouver Island riding of Alberni from 1972 until 1987.

He then ran successfully for the New Democrats in the newly created federal riding of Comox-Alberni, serving for one term from 1988 to 1993.

His wife, Sonia Alex Skelly, says Bob was very active until his death on Aug. 6, in Colwood near Victoria. He died of Parkinson's disease.

In an interview with CBC News, Alex Skelly says away from the political spotlight, her husband was a warm and friendly person who liked to talk to people about their interests, and he himself had many hobbies.

She recalls her husband became involved in politics through the school board when he was a teacher on Vancouver Island.

"We had a hobby farm … and when [New Democratic Party leader] Tommy Douglas came to our farm, he spoke to Robert and told him he'd be a really good candidate for the NDP and convinced him to run as a candidate … and from there he got elected in 1972 when Dave Barrett had his big sweep."

Even though he retired from public life, Skelly says her husband kept busy.

He returned to Vancouver Island and did many things, including tribunal work, was a justice of the peace, and worked with Indigenous groups on land claims.

"He was interested in the environment, in Indigenous affairs. His very first speech in the legislature was recognizing native land claims before anyone else mentioned it," she said.

Bob Skelly was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1998, but kept up with his numerous interests, such as poetry, gardens, anthropology, playing the bagpipes, and had a private pilot's license.

"Right until the last month he was determined to learn Spanish, he was trying to walk, he wanted to learn guitar, so he had all these how-to books sitting around, so he never gave up thinking he was going to do more," Alex Skelly said.

Bob Skelly is also survived by his two children and several grandchildren.

Herma Altshule was born Herma Cecile Goldstein to Sylvia and Gustave Goldstein, on November 22nd, 1939. Herma grew up in Cheviot Hills and was a lifelong LA resident.

Her contributions and accomplishments run the gamut. An avid lover of the arts, she was a founding member at MOCA and remained involved in its Projects Council through the years. She was a docent at the Museum of Science & Industry and a patron of the theater, the opera, and the LA Philharmonic. Besides running an interior design business with one of her best friends, she loved playing bridge and became a Bronze Life Master, and she remained a competitive tennis player until late in her life. Nothing, however, was more important to her than her people.

She met the love of her life Joel Altshule when she was an Alpha Epsilon Phi at UCLA, shortly after she graduated from Los Angeles High School, where she was a Dante. They married nine months later at Brentwood Country Club and got busy starting their family, which halted her studies. She finished her degree at UCLA in 1984, overlapping her time there with her daughter Julie-they each received a bachelor's in sociology. Not many mothers could have their children excited to join them at college and share that experience. Herma had an incredible social ability; she was the spark plug and glue between multiple friend groups, always affectionate and open with the people she loved. "She was a force of nature," her son Andrew recalls, "she instilled in me that a mediocre life wasn't worth living. She always fought tooth and nail for me, for everyone she loved, and took things to the limit in the most loving, positive way. My passion for life is a testament to her."

Herma is survived by her loving family who were always the priority in her life; her devoted husband of 63 years Joel, her children Andrew Altshule (Joli), Julie Schoenfeld (Jeff), and Mark Altshule. She adored her grandchildren, Liv and Winston Altshule and Kate and Max Schoenfeld. She will be greatly missed by her sister Carole Sukman (Richard) of Palm Springs, California, and her brother Robert Goldstein (Claudie) of Ketchum, Idaho, and the numerous nieces and nephews she had special connections with. Many have helped care for her, most notably Ricky Go through these last few difficult years.

Herma well exceeded her life expectancy once diagnosed with PSP, an atypical form of Parkinson's-her loved ones believe it was her sheer will to live and her love for her husband that kept her alive nearly double of what was expected. Up through the end, she never discussed the pain she was in. Every day she said she was doing great and asked for a milkshake. She felt blessed to be next to her husband and surrounded by loved ones. Her verve for life remains unmatched.

From excelling in Spanish enough to teach teenagers to earning another college degree late in life, Kathy Niezurawski was known as a lifelong learner.

“She was just thirsting for knowledge all the time,” said Marcy Anderson, a friend for more than 50 years. “She just soaked it up.”

Miss Niezurawski, a former copy editor at The Detroit News, died Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in Bay City after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, relatives said. She was 72.

In more than 13 years at the paper, the Michigan native honed her linguistic skills to leave a mark on the scores of articles she revised.

“Kathy was about as much a copy editor as a copy editor can get. She had grammar and style in her DNA and was a frequent resource for anyone on the desk,” said Andreas Supanich, news editor at The News. “... She didn’t take any shortcuts; even if deadline was 30 seconds away, she would take the time to do the job the right way. And in the end, the copy would be much clearer.”

Whether filling in on holidays or working late on election nights, Miss Niezurawski deftly trimmed and connected sentences, double-checked titles of sources and authored headlines for the mass of items that would reach readers online and in print.

Honors included a first-place finish in the headline writing category in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Detroit chapter annual awards ceremony.

“I remember her as the go-to person for grammar questions, like when to use lay or laid in a sentence,” said Steve Wilkinson, her longtime colleague on the copy desk.

Miss Niezurawski honed those skills working at publications including the San Diego Union-Tribune and Los Angeles Times, among others, said her cousin, Amy Glaza.

She primarily edited newspapers, which seemed a perfect fit.

“She loved the ability of a newspaper to really inform and educate the community on important issues,” Glaza said. “She really felt it was vital for our country to have an educated and well-informed community.”

Miss Niezurawski’s quest for education started as a youth in Bay City.

While attending Central High School, she joined the yearbook and school newspaper club. Though some classmates viewed the role as an easy way to avoid an English class, Miss Niezurawski relished it, said Anderson, who met her there. “She loved developing stories and coming up with good headlines. That just excited her. She truly loved it.”

After studying history and Spanish at Central Michigan University, she earned a teaching degree from Michigan State University, her family said.

Miss Niezurawski briefly taught in the Thumb region before returning to her love of journalism and taking a job in St. Louis. She later worked for newspapers in Arizona and California, relatives and friends said.

Her western stints were eventful.

“My favorite anecdote of hers was from her time there, when she crossed paths with a young Arnold Schwarzenegger at some kind of media event,” Supanich said. “It was crowded enough that they brushed against each other and that giant of a man ended up stepping on her foot. Instead of apologizing, he just looked at her and said, “Ouch!” in that Schwarzenegger accent.”

During those years, Miss Niezurawski found other pursuits, including serving as a tour guide and taking groups of students to Mexico as well as absorbing the culture in other countries, associates said.

Long active with the Sierra Club, she also loved bird-watching, hiking and camping — sometimes trekking solo, Glaza said. “She was incredibly adventurous and independent. It just astounded me. She was a real inspiration as a single woman forging her way. She just seemed to be fearless.”

Another passion was animals — donating to welfare groups or raising rescues as pets, Anderson said. “They were literally her babies.”

Miss Niezurawski eventually returned to Michigan to care for her mother, Leona, who died in 2003, said her brother, Michael.

While working at The News, she impressed others with her knowledge about far-ranging topics.

Her adoration of the Pittsburgh Steelers “was impossible to avoid,” Supanich said. “She was as well-versed in the ins and outs of football as anyone I’ve met. While the rest of us were suffering through losing Lions season after losing Lions season, Kathy could hold her head high.”

Michael Niezurawski always marveled at the seemingly endless array of facts honed from constant reading, which made his sister a formidable force in trivia games.

“She knew your answers and everyone else’s,” he said. "She was a learner."

To further her interests, Miss Niezurawski earned a degree in library science from Wayne State University before leaving The News in 2016, her brother said.

That led to a part-time library job, where she served as a resource person, Anderson said. “She loved that. That was the teacher in her coming out.”

Besides her brother, survivors include another sibling, David Niezurawski, as well as many nieces, nephews and friends.

Nicholas Charles Moore was an English blues, rock and heavy metal singer, who was best known as a member of the British band Samson. He replaced Bruce Dickinson who left the band to join Iron Maiden in 1982. Moore left Samson in the late 1980s and rejoined in the late 1990s.

After his initial departure from Samson, Moore sang in the band Mammoth, which also featured former Gillan bassist John McCoy. Mammoth released two albums before splitting up in 1989.[1]

In 2006, Moore teamed up with former Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton and three musicians from the Swedish band Locomotive Breath to record an album under the band name "From Behind".[2] The band performed at the Sweden Rock Festival on 9 June 2006.

From 1994, Moore worked with his own band, Nicky Moore and the Blues Corporation, who were voted 'Top Live Blues Band' by BBC Radio 2 listeners in the year 2000.

On 3 August 2022, Moore died at the age of 75 from Parkinson's disease.

The British musician, who was regarded as a pioneer of heavy metal. 

Moore’s death was confirmed by his team in a statement on Facebook, which read: ‘It is with immense sadness and almost unbearably heavy hearts that we have to let you all know that Nicky – a man larger than life in body and spirit – has sadly passed away this morning. 

‘A man that lived a thousand lifetimes in just one has decided he needed a rest. Rest well, dear friend. 

‘We will all miss you x.’ 

According to Louder, Moore had lived out his final days in a nursing home. 

Moore, who hailed from Devon, found his passion for music after becoming a choir boy before launching his rock music career in bands such as Hackensack, formed in 1969. 

In 1974, he became a member of Tiger alongside ‘Big’ Jim Sullivan. 

However, he then found his permanent home with Samson in 1981 and went on to change the direction of their sound with albums such as Before The Storm and Don’t Get Mad, Get Even.

Their journey recording and touring the two albums was featured on a live album, Thank You and Goodnight. In addition to Samson, Moore was known for performing with other bands, including Mammoth alongside Gillan bassist John McCoy, From Behind with late Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton and Electric Sun which also featured Scorpions’ Uli Jon Roth.

Samson has also mourned the death of guitarist Paul Samson, who died in 2002 following a battle with cancer, while bassist Chris Aylmer died five years later.

Former boxing world champion Johnny Famechon has died in Melbourne after a lengthy illness. He was 77.

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame announced Famechon's death in a statement on Thursday. Famechon was struck by a car while jogging in 1991 in Sydney which caused him to suffer a stroke and resulted in an acquired brain injury.

The Australian boxer's most memorable world title victory was his WBC points decision win against Cuban Jose Legra at London’s Albert Hall in 1969. Famechon boxed professionally for more than 20 years and had a record of 56 wins — 20 by knockout — six draws and five losses.

Famechon defended his featherweight world title against Japan's Masahiko Harada, better known as Fighting Harada, six months after beating Legra and won in a controversial points decision. In the rematch for the world title, Famechon knocked out Harada in the 14th round in Tokyo.

Famechon attempted to defend his WBC title in May 1970 in Rome against Mexican Vicente Saldivar but lost the fight. He retired from boxing soon after at the age of 24.

Born Jean-Pierre Famechon in 1945, he moved to Australia from France with his family at the age of five.

“Johnny Famechon was one of the most popular Australian boxers of all time," Sport Australia Hall of Fame chairman John Bertrand said. “Johnny was our humble, skillful world champion, showing the essence of how we see our heroes. He was described as poetry in motion, a master craftsman."

Irwin Kellner, a distinguished economist, and longtime resident of Port Washington North, died at 83 on July 31 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, his family announced.

Kellner was born on Oct. 4, 1938, in Brooklyn. He met his wife, Ann, at a dance in 1958; the two got married in 1961.

Together, they raised two children: Lori and Shari. He later became a grandfather to Sam, Marli and Olivia. He also had a strong relationship with his son-in-law Jeff; the two would frequently go golfing and discuss the stock market.

Initially, Kellner intended to pursue a career in automotive design. He transitioned towards economics after that didn’t work out.

He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from Brooklyn College, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics from the New School for Social Research.

His daughter Lori said that despite switching from wanting to pursue art to finance, he never lost his creative side. She added he wasn’t like other people in his field.

“He loved meeting people,” she said. “He loved talking about [economics] and he made it easy to understand and that was the best part.”

Kellner had a successful career as a financial columnist and economist. During which he was published, cited and made TV appearances on CNN, CNBC, ABC, News12 and other networks.

He worked as an editor at Businessweek magazine; as a research analyst for Philip Morris Inc.; as chair of economics at Hofstra University; as president of Kellner Economics; and as an economist with Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company and its successors as they merged with Chemical Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank.

But, more important than his work, was his family. Lori said he tried to support and be present for his children and grandchildren every chance he had. She said being a grandfather was Kellner’s greatest role. 

“Every morning here, even when he when he was sick, he was constantly talking about the kids,” she said. “Just telling stories from when they were little — that was his life. He was a good family man.”

He also had a close relationship with his father-in-law after losing his father when he was young. They both had a strong passion for professional wrestling. As Kellner made more connections, the two met wrestling legends like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and Freddie Blassie during monthly shows at Madison Square Garden.

“It’s funny, how you can think somebody is a serious finance guy but his thing was professional wrestling, he loved golf and his grandchildren,” said Lori. “He was a mush.”

He was also devoted to his community. In June, the Port Washington North Board of Trustees honored Kellner for his five decades of service on the village’s planning board.

He joined Port North’s planning board on April 3, 1972, and served until the end of his term in April 2022.

Kellner helped to transform the village into what it is now, according to Mayor Robert Weitzner.

“Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that Irwin Kellner be honored this day and henceforth for the wisdom and good counsel he so generously shared with the village of Port Washington North for an unprecedented 50 years,” he read to attendees.

Kellner died peacefully at home in his sleep. His wife Ann, children Lori and Shari, son-in-law Jeff and grandchildren Sam, Marli and Olivia survive him.