The Memorial Wall

Barbara died November 13th, after a long struggle with CMML Leukemia and Parkinson's, at 85 years-old. A seminal lesbian feminist activist and author starting in the1960s and the Second Wave of Feminism, she was fearless in fighting for civil rights and acceptance of lesbian and gay people. Her many achievements continue to influence and inspire.

After graduating from Syracuse University in 1959, she worked in publishing as an editor. Author of many articles and four books, including Sappho is a Right-On Woman (1972) and Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975. Regarding herself as "loud in all the right places," she prevailed in the bringing the National Organization for Women (NOW) to recognize lesbianism as a feminist issue and succeeded.
In 1977, the Carter Administration appointed her as a New York delegate to the National Women's Conference in Houston. A founding member of the National Gay Task Force in 1973, she received a commendation from the group in 1982 "For working tirelessly to educate the public about gay and lesbian concerns."

In 1982, she co-founded the AIDS Project of Greater Danbury with Dr. Donald Evans and others. Barbara is a co-founder of Identity House, a voluntary peer counseling group, and of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), formed with Morty and Jean Manford. She was a board member of Veteran Feminists of America. Barbara was honored recently by Gay City News with its Impact Award.
Born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, she is survived by her wife, Donna Smith; her sister, Ellamae Cobb; and her brother, Anthony Love.

Carol Stitt passed away at the age of 68 — she'd been battling Parkinson's disease for several years.

Stitt was the first executive director of the Foster Care Review Board in 1982

She helped write the child abuse training that is still used by law enforcement across the state.

Lynn Rex, the executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities sent KETV this statement Friday night.

She remembered her close friend as a "dedicated, fearless and extraordinary servant leader" who spent decades successfully advocating for foster children.

"Everyone who now works to protect the interests of foster children does so by standing on the shoulders of Carol Stitt," Rex said.

PLEASANTS, Richard Ewing Richard "Dick" Ewing Pleasants, a giant of the New England music scene for nearly five decades, died peacefully on Tuesday, November 8 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. 

Born on January 28,1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, Dick was the third of four children born to Helen Ewing Pleasants and Richard Rundle Pleasants. He spent his childhood in Groton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Lawrence Academy in 1965. 

He was a gifted athlete who played football, hockey, and baseball. At age 10 Dick discovered his passion for radio, setting up a small transmitter that could broadcast a mile or so from his home. A lover of people, dogs, folk festivals, country drives, cards, good food, and friends, Dick is best known for his generosity and kindness, which nurtured the lives of his friends and family for 75 years. 

After graduating from Emerson College in 1970, Dick began his career hosting folk programs on the South Shore, gathering audiences across the state before joining WGBH in Boston in 1978 as host and producer of the "Folk Heritage" show, which ran for more than 25 years. He spent the last 15 years of his on-air career at WUMB, the public radio station based at UMass-Boston. 

A champion of the local folk scene, Dick presented musicians from across the folk music genre, both known and unknown, launching the careers of many storied acts. For many years, Dick also moonlighted as a concert promoter through his production company, Ear To The Ground Productions, bringing singer/songwriters like Garnet Rogers, Greg Brown, Patty Larkin, and many others to the Emerson Umbrella and other local venues. He also launched numerous folk festivals, music stores, societies, and all manner of organizations to promote the art of folk music. He was the founding Executive Director of Summer Acoustic Music Week camp on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, where aspiring musicians take classes with established folk singers. Among his accomplishments, Summer Acoustic Music Week held a special place in his heart. 

In the many tributes online and in social media since his death, he is remembered by colleagues and fans for his kindness and warmth delivered in his dulcet baritone over the airwaves. He is survived by daughter Julia Pleasants and her partner Zoot Grantham; stepdaughter Hilary (Watt) Sontag and her husband Nick Sontag; grandchildren Seeger and Summer, sisters, Belinda Smith and Cornelia Pleasants. He was predeceased by sister Elizabeth Whitehead. He also leaves behind many beloved nieces, nephews and extended family and former wife, Kathleen Shugrue. 

Published by Boston Globe from Nov. 10 to Nov. 13, 2022.

Jeff Cook, a co-founding member of the trendsetting Country Music Hall of Fame band Alabama, died Monday at age 73.

For a decade, Cook battled Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors. He publicly disclosed his diagnosis in 2017.

A representative for the band confirmed his death Tuesday afternoon to the Tennessean. Cook died at his beachside home in Destin, Florida.

As a guitarist, fiddle player and vocalist in Alabama, Cook — alongside cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry — helped sketch a blueprint for what a hitmaking band can achieve in country music. He and the band filled in that sketch with a slew of hits now considered by many to be essential country music listening: "Song of the South," "Mountain Music," "I'm In A Hurry," "Cheap Seats," and "My Home's In Alabama," among many others.

A native of small-town Fort Payne, Alabama, Cook began chasing his love of music on radio airwaves as a disc jockey in his hometown. In 1969, he co-founded the band Young Country alongside Owen and Gentry — planting the seeds for what later grew into Alabama. By the mid-1970s, the cousins performed as Wildcountry, cutting their teeth in nearby cities — like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the band embraced a balance of country songwriting and Southern rock sensibilities on long nights inside local club the Bowery.

The band adopted a new name in 1977: Alabama. Two years later — after a run of modest radio success and adopting full-time drummer Mark Herndon — Cook, Owen and Gentry accepted an invitation to play the tastemaking "New Faces" showcase at the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.

What came next? It might as well be country music history.

The band inked a deal later that year with RCA, beginning a remarkable run on the country radio charts. Alabama landed eight No. 1 songs on the country charts between spring 1980 and summer 1982, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. That run included pop crossover hits "Love In The First Degree" and "Feels So Right," as well as "Tennessee River" and "Mountain Music" — staple Alabama songs that the group continued playing for decades to come.

And success didn't stall after this rocket-launched start in the early '80s. Between 1980 and 1993, at least one Alabama song topped the country charts every year. The band earned a slew of awards in that time, including a three-year run at CMA Entertainer of the Year from 1982-1984 and five ACM Award Entertainer of the Year trophies from '81-'85.

In a city dominated by solo artists and vocal groups, Alabama proved an instrument-playing band could forge a path to country success matched by few artists at the time.

“Country music was always about solo artists, and I think they capitalized on what the [o]utlaws had started, which was amassing a youth audience for the genre," country music historian Robert K. Oermann said in 2017. He added, "Jeff was the instrumental wizard who could do fiddle and guitar."

On stage, Cook held down fiddle, guitar playing and keyboards, adding layered backing vocals to the band's smooth, inviting melodies. His playing? It sent "people dancing all over the place," said Country Music Hall of Fame member Joe Galante, a former RCA executive who helped shepherd Alabama's career.

"... while he wasn’t front and center all the time, his contributions really made a difference when you listen for the hook," Galante told the Tennessean in 2017. "Those are hallmarks of records that will last well beyond our lifetimes."

For some, Cook's on-stage showmanship and behind-the-scenes friendship helped shape a class of entertainers to follow. Country hitmaker Kenny Chesney — who shared stages with Alabama early in his career — described Cook and the band as being "so generous with wisdom" during the singer's formative years.

"[Alabama] showed a kid in a t-shirt that country music could be rock, could be real, could be someone who looked like me," Chesney said Tuesday. "Growing up in East Tennessee, that gave me the heart to chase this dream."

After an initial farewell tour that wrapped in 2004, Alabama reunited in 2011 for a charity concert benefitting tornado victims in the group's namesake state. In his time away from Alabama, Cook released a handful of solo projects. He toured with his Allstar Goodtime Band and released collaborations with Charlie Daniels and "Star Trek" star William Shatner.

Cook entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of Alabama — joining the most sought-after club in country music.

Alabama returned to touring in earnest with a 40th-anniversary celebration in 2013. Four years later, Cook scaled back performances with the band due to the ongoing impact of his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

He stopped touring with Alabama around 2018. As of 2019, his bandmates told the Tennessean they ensured his gear was set up before each show — just in case he wanted to step on stage.

He co-wrote a song on a 2015 comeback album called "No Bad Days" that in time took a new meaning for the Hall of Fame musician.

“After I got the Parkinson’s diagnosis, people would quote the song to me and say, ‘No bad days,’ ” Cook told The Tennessean in 2019. “They write me letters, notes and emails and they sign ‘No Bad Days.’ I know the support is there. They join me. People I don’t know come up to me and say, ‘How ya feeling?’ You just got to live it every day and take it as it comes. Prayer does work. And I know there was a lot of praying going on.”

Cook is survived by Lisa Cook, his wife of 27 years.

Diane Marie Colonna Prigorac, 71, of Aliquippa, passed away in the comfort of her home, Monday, November 7, 2022, following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Born April 29, 1951, in Rochester, PA, she was the daughter of the late Victor and Mary Jane (Masciantonio) Colonna. Diane leaves to cherish her memory her beloved husband of 45 years, Rudy Prigorac, and four devoted and loving children: Mira (Chris) Raso, Jonathan (Olivia) Prigorac, Joshua Prigorac, and Jeremy Prigorac. Also surviving are her two stepchildren: Amy (Bill) Taylor and Matthew Prigorac. She was “Nonni” to four beautiful grandchildren: Gabriel, Nathan, and Alexandra Raso and Lucija Prigorac. Diane also leaves behind her loving and loyal brothers and sisters: Victor (Jill) Colonna, David (Renee) Colonna, Marianne (Anthony) Marsilio, and Christopher (Deana) Colonna. She will also be remembered warmly by several nieces and nephews.

As a Special Education teacher at Hopewell High School, Diane helped countless students and was known affectionately as “Mrs. P.”. She adored her children, and especially looked forward to putting her grandkids on the bus every morning. She had fun bowling, collecting clocks, playing cards and going out to lunch with her family, traveling with her husband, and watching “The Voice” and “Dancing with the Stars”. She watched her sons play football on Friday nights, and in the fall, football was always on the television. Her favorite teams were Penn State and the Steelers. Diane enjoyed hosting the family’s Christmas Eve celebration every year, where she put out an elaborate spread, including roasted pig, lupini beans, her homemade grape leaves, Russian torte, stuffed cabbage, and Italian baccala. Diane was a devout Catholic and lifelong member of St. Titus Church. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Friends will be received Wednesday, November 9, 2022, from 4pm until 7pm at TATALOVICH FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, INC., 2205 McMinn St., Aliquippa, PA, 15001, where a service will be held Thursday, November 10, 2022, at 9:30am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am, at St. Titus Catholic Church, Aliquippa, PA. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, Hopewell Twp.

The family would like to thank her caregivers, Megan, Lissa, Cindy, and Dr. Sam Urick, for all their kindness and loving care.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Maureen on November 2, 2022. She was 65 years of age.

She was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, on June 27, 1957. She was predeceased by her father, John Kennah. She leaves behind her loving husband of 41 years, Irwin, her daughter Jennifer (Matt) Sigston, and their two sons Levi and Max, and her son Ryan (Kelly Barbeau).
After being diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s in 2007 at 49 years old, she spent the next 15 years “trying everything” to minimize the many symptoms and side effects of the disease. After a valiant effort which included DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery in 2019, she made the decision to investigate MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying).

She leaves behind her mother, Evelyne Kennah, her two sisters Jane (Gary) Williams, and Ann (Lyle) Walker, and her brother, John (Hélène) Kennah and many nieces and nephews.

Maureen and Irwin and their children moved to Salmon Arm in 1992 and she began teaching at Eagle River Secondary in Sicamous until Parkinson’s forced her to stop doing the job that she loved in 2009.
Maureen loved to spend time in her beautiful back yard under her magnificent White Wonder Dogwood with Jellybean, her much loved Yorkshire terrier.

Even though she was an extremely private person, Maureen was committed to making a contribution to Parkinson’s awareness. She described it as a cruel disease and felt compelled to use her personal journey as a way to show the true reality of the disease through a series of articles and videos in the Salmon Arm Observer.

When her symptoms progressed to the point where DBS became the necessary next step, she went to work with the support of her family and friends to lobby for more timely access to this life-changing surgery. Maureen was especially proud of her role in decreasing wait time for DBS surgery in the province of BC and for lobbying to hire a second neurosurgeon.

Because of Covid this has not yet been accomplished. She hopes that others will carry the torch forward and hold the provincial government to their word.

Another project that Maureen was proud to be involved in was the creation of the so-well-used skateboard park in Salmon Arm.

Maureen chose to pass away at 11 a.m., November 2, in Salmon Arm surrounded by her family.

Patrick Derouen, 84, of Lake Charles passed away Wednesday, November 2, 2022, in the comfort of his home surrounded by his children. He was born, raised and lived most of his life in Holmwood. He received his BS and Master of Education at McNeese State University. Started his career in Lacombe, LA teaching and coaching. Later he worked for Lockheed Martin in New Orleans as a draftsman. While there, he assisted teams that designed the Saturn V rockets for the Apollo missions to the Moon and later transferred to Lake Charles. Later he became an instructor at SOWELA Tech until he retired. During his retirement he continued working at Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, AZ and later worked at Galveston Community College.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and sports. He also enjoyed traveling around the world and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his four children, Jody Derouen and wife Cindy of Bridge City, Timothy Derouen and wife Michelle of Gonzales, Suzanne Chapman and husband Randall of Moss Bluff and Laura Fruge and husband Thomas of Moss Bluff; 13 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild and brothers, Rodney Derouen of Woodville, Ralph Derouen and wife Wanda of Lake Charles.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Lionel and Eunice Derouen and Wife of 55 years, Patsy Derouen and brother, Phil Derouen and his loving partner for 8 years, Ruth Baranello.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 12 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM hosted by his children at 1052 Kincade CT, Lake Charles (Moss Bluff).

Interment will follow at a later date at the Derouen Cemetery in Hayes.

Special thanks from the family to all the employees at Brookdale Assisted Living Care facility for giving our father a loving and caring environment. We also would like to thank the employees of Amedisys Hospice who provided the compassion and support for our family.

Scott Richard Temple, who led efforts to ensure the broad ethnic diversity of the U.S. Assemblies of God, died Nov. 1 after a battle with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He was 68.

Temple retired because of the illnesses in October 2020 after 40 years of ministry with the Assemblies of God. His final 17 years of ministry came at the national office in Springfield, where he started leading the newly created Office of Ethnic Relations in 2009. Temple’s duties included serving as a resource to the presidents of fellowship/language groups, assisting groups desiring to pursue conference or district council status, and helping fellowship groups focus on discipleship and building up churches.

In part because of Temple’s endeavors, the Assemblies of God is now the most diverse evangelical body in the U.S. More than 44% of AG adherents are nonwhite. Many ethnic fellowship leaders considered the welcoming, cheerful, and convivial Temple one of their own.

“Scott Temple provided outstanding leadership to our language/ethnic fellowships,” says AG General Superintendent Doug Clay. “Through his relational influence, he brought these fellowships into the life and missional activity of this church. Scott was truly a Kingdom ambassador for the Assemblies of God.”

Dennis J. Rivera, who succeeded Temple in the post, says his predecessor left a legacy of loving service and pastoral ministry to AG ethnic language fellowships and language districts.

“Scott, with the skill and dedication of a true shepherd, walked side by side with many of the leaders of our 24 fellowships as they organized,” Rivera says. “Scott loved these leaders and spent many hours in one-on-one conversations with them as a leader, mentor, and friend.”

Once in the position, Rivera soon realized Temple’s huge heart for racial reconciliation, noting how Temple coined the phrase, “the multiethnic church is God’s antidote to the sin of racism.” Rivera came to understand how much ethnic fellowship leaders embraced Temple.

“They loved Scott because they knew he genuinely loved them and had their interests and ministry success in his heart,” Rivera says. “Scott worked with the goal to make the AG look more like ‘heaven on earth,’ according to Revelation 7:9. Scott will be greatly missed. He served with distinction.”

Even earlier, Temple worked as a catalyst to facilitate healing the divide between ethnic communities. He spent 20 years as an AG pastor before becoming national director of U.S. Missions Intercultural Ministries in 2003. Only eight ethnic/language fellowships existed when Temple started at the national office. In his 17 years, he oversaw the inclusion of 14 ethnic and two language groups, including Samoan, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Japanese, Haitian, Ghanaian, Korean, and Myanmar, the latest to join in 2019. In all, 1,250 ethnic/language congregations now are part of the AG.

Temple grew up in a loving home, the oldest of five children. His father, Donald, worked as an executive with Woolworth’s in New York City.

Yet nobody in the family knew the Lord. All his siblings followed his path into alcohol and illegal drugs in the 1970s. His involvement in drugs and alcohol deepened, and he earned a reputation as a drunk in high school.

He found the Lord through a cross-country trip as a hippie in a minivan as a widow named Dorothy Minnick shared Scripture with him. His family couldn’t deny the witness of his transformed life. Following his baptism in the Holy Spirit, one by one, his parents, brothers, sisters, and their spouses came to accept Jesus as Savior.

He married his wife, Susan, in 1981 and graduated from the AG’s University of Valley Forge in 1982. The couple co-pioneered Lewisburg Assembly of God in Pennsylvania before spending a year at a Bible college in Nigeria. Back in the States, Temple pastored New Testament Assembly of God in Millville, Pennsylvania; Englewood Assembly of God in New Jersey; and Parkcrest Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri.

Survivors include his mother, Grace; wife, Susan; and five children: Kathryn, Amy, David, Christine, and Alyssa.

Producer Stephen C. Grossman, who worked in the entertainment industry for 35 years, including eight as coordinating producer on the comedy hit Newhart, has died. He passed away on Wednesday from coronavirus complications, his family confirmed. He was 76 years old.

Grossman’s 35 years in the entertainment industry began in the late 1960s, when acting aspirations brought him to New York City from his home in Silver Spring, Maryland. He understudied on Broadway, stage-managed at Circle in the Square Theatre, and worked for director Gil Cates.

A job offer brought Grossman, his wife, and newborn daughter to Hollywood in 1977. He served at Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises when it was among the busiest producers in television. In addition to Newhart, Grossman worked in production and post-production on numerous pilots and series, including The Betty White Show, Mary, and The Mary Tyler Moore Comedy Hour.

After leaving MTM in 1990, Grossman was active at numerous production companies, including Warner Bros., Paramount TV, Disney; Turner TV, Spelling Prods., NBC Prods., Carsey Werner Co., Steven Bocho Prods., and CBS Prods.

In the early 21st Century, Grossman served as copresident of The American Association of Producers. He was instrumental in the merger of that group with the Producer’s Guild of America, which at the time doubled its size to about 1,000 members. “It came at a time of huge transition in the production of content and the use of technology,” Grossman recalled for a trade paper.

Grossman’s activity at the PGA included helping launch the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joan; his daughter, Jennifer; a son-in law, Spencer Burke; and a grandson, Brenden, as well as two sisters and a brother.

Dennis Mathew Haggerty, 79, of Kingston, RI, passed away peacefully on October 25, 2022. He was the beloved father of Dennis and Andrew Haggerty.

Born in Santa Ana, California, he was the son of the late Gerald and Leonie (Navas) Haggerty. Dennis had a love for math and was a professor for many years at various colleges in New England, most recently CCRI. He was a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where he received his M.S. in mathematics, and a graduate of the New York School of Visual Arts, where he obtained his M.F.A.

He loved taking pictures since he was a young man, first as an enthusiastic amateur and later as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He traveled regularly from Kingston to Daytona. Florida to photograph a local biker bar, the Boot Hill Saloon. His series on Boot Hill was prominently displayed at the URI library.

Almost everyone who knew him was impressed by his generosity and sense of humor. He came from an incredibly rich family background, and it deeply enhanced his understanding of life and the way he saw the world. Dennis enjoyed traveling, telling old stories, telling outrageous joke, going to the movies, going for bike rides, and going to the bookstore. He especially loved doing all these things with his children. His sons were his whole world and he loved them dearly.

In addition to his two sons, Dennis also leaves behind his uncle, renowned pianist Robert Page of New Jersey, as well as several cousins and friends.