The Memorial Wall

Larry Cox of Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 19, while surrounded by loved ones. Larry was the son of Willard and Ethelyn Cox of Norman, OK.

Raised in Norman, Oklahoma, Larry worked with his father in their body shop and lumberyard before moving to Bend, Oregon. He and Anita moved around the northwest including Mulkiltea and Seattle, Washington. After his wife's death, Larry lived with his children, alternating between Seattle and Bend. Larry loved his family above all and was blessed to spend time with his children and grandsons who took time to listen to his many tales of days gone by. He was lovingly cared for by his son and daughter and their families in his last years battling Parkinson's.

Larry is survived by his son, Steven Cox; his daughter, Annette Adkins and husband, Brad; his three grandsons, Kelly Cox and wife, Sirikul, Dusty Adkins, and Corey Adkins and wife, Anapaula; brother, Mike Cox and wife, Marilyn; his sisters, Vicki Worster and Cathy Naifeh and husband, Clifton; along with several nieces and nephews and other relatives.

He was predeceased by his parents and his wife, Anita Cox, the love of his life.

Lawrence “Larry” Gay, 85, passed away on Monday, April 19, 2021, at Hammond Henry Hospital, Geneseo, IL

Lawrence was born on January 1, 1936, the son of Homer and Vivian (Elliott) Gay in Rose Hill, IA. He married the love of his life, Margie Newport, on August 27, 1955, in Oskaloosa, IA. He graduated from Lacey Consolidated High School in Lacey, IA. Larry graduated from Iowa State University in 1957. Larry was employed at John Deere for 35 years as an agricultural engineer. As an avid agriculturist, Larry wrote four books about tractors. He retired from John Deere in 1992. Larry enjoyed bicycling and traveling with his lovely wife.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Margie, Geneseo; son, Steve (Zhongxi) Gay, Huntley, IL; daughters, Pam (Dennis) Coonfield, Omaha, NE, Marcy (Chris) Cox, Saugatuck, MI; brothers, David (Sue) Gay, Portland, OR; sisters, Patty (Ted) Winegardner, Colombus, SC; sister-in-law, Sandra Gay, Morton, IL; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Homer and Vivian Gay; and brother, James Gay.

What a life he packed into 88 years! Bob Johnson passed away on April 18, 2021, with Lois, his beloved wife of 65 years, near his side. He was born in North Park, Chicago, in 1932, to Walter and Florence (Sandstedt) Johnson. He first showed his independent-mindedness when, at five years of age, he chose not to attend his parents' Saron Lutheran Church, opting instead to walk three blocks with his five-year-old buddy to the nearby (Swedish) Evangelical Covenant Church. The family moved to Glendale, California, when Bob was nine, though he remained a Cubs fan for life. Bob earned his BS in Engineering at UCLA. He then served for two years in the US Army, working in radio electronics in the radar vans at Aberdeen (Md.) Proving Grounds, before returning to UCLA for an MS He remained an avid, lifelong fan of the Bruins.

Bob met Lois O'Loughlin at a Luther League Bible study and dance when he was 20 and she was 16, and he pursued her until she realized how much she loved him. They married and raised three children, each of whom he loved dearly and bragged about often. He always felt he could have done a better job of parenting, yet he was proud of how his children turned out, each successful in their own way and all lovers of people. Bob began his career with Collins Radio Company. With Collins and, later, Rockwell, he designed 14 patented electromechanical filters, presented uncounted papers at Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers meetings, and wrote the captivating(!) Mechanical Filters in Electronics.

In 1988, he and Lois traveled to Helsinki, Finland, for his induction as a Fellow of the IEEE – a recognition of his profound influence and many important personal and professional relationships in the field. When Collins moved to Newport Beach, Bob joined the YMCA to exercise during lunch hour. For a few years, he ran through the nearby hills and valleys. Along the way, he developed a great passion for track and field. He took family members to numerous track meets and Olympic trials over the decades. Eventually, his competitive spirit led him to play full-court, outdoor basketball at the Y, which he continued to do with players of all ages until he was 82.

When Bob and Lois moved to Tustin, they joined Trinity United Presbyterian Church and a new young-marrieds Sunday School called The King's Class. A person of deep faith and a lover of theology, Bob served Trinity as an elder and helped the church form its Community Outreach Committee. Through this committee, Bob helped Trinity and The King's Class become much more involved with the wider community, from greater Santa Ana to the hills above Tijuana, Mexico. Bob and Lois got involved in civil rights protests in the early '60s. Bob began volunteer work as a checker when he joined the Orange County Fair Housing Council in 1966. He joined the board of directors in 1968 and remained on the board until his death. He co-founded the Community Housing Corporation, a non-profit that develops housing for low-income families.

Through connections at Cal State Fullerton, Bob launched a project wherein he collected the oral histories of 22 Blacks who moved to or grew up in Orange County in the 20th century. This resulted in his co-authorship of A Different Shade of Orange: Voices of Orange County, California, Black Pioneers. Bob also served on the board of the Santa Ana Black Historical Society. He began developing Parkinson's Disease before he could publish his magnum opus on mid-20th century Black migration into Orange County, a substantial historical work his daughter Karen is editing and seeking a publisher for. Although Bob never wanted recognition for his work, he appreciated the OC Human Relations Council Legacy Award granted to him and Dorothy Mulkey in 2014 and the Fair Housing Volunteer of the Year award from the Community Relations Conference of Southern California in 1981.

Bob never thought he could save the world; rather, he believed in tackling doable projects – ones that assisted and empowered those marginalized from positions of power and wealth. Bob's way of doing things was moderation, but he had a backbone of steel. He had a profound faith, but he took to the apostle James's dictum that "faith without works is dead."

"Those grateful not only for their existence, but also for Bob's inspiration, include his predeceased grandson Nathan Bayati; his children Christelle (Adnan) Bayati, Karen Johnson (Bert Verrips), and Steven Johnson (Ellen Davis); and his grandchildren Jennah Bayati, Sydney Johnson, Kyle Verrips, and Maria Johnson Davis. He is also survived by his best friend and wife, Lois. In lieu of flowers, Bob would want you to stick up for others. A celebration of life is planned for June. 

David Maurice Mercier, age 81, passed away peacefully in his sleep after complications while battling Parkinson's. David is survived by his loving and devoted wife Tina, and his beloved children Justin, Suzanne, Jacqueline, and Caroline, grandchildren Madeleine and Alexander, siblings Gloria (Stewart) Cooper, Jim (Carol) Mercier and Fran (Adam) Rozyskie, and cousins, nieces, and nephews.

David ("Dave") was born in Vancouver on July 20, 1939. After a brief foray into the RCAF (which ended after the Avro Arrow jet program was canceled in 1959), Dave set his sights on the high-flying world of accounting. David articled with Griffiths and Griffiths, qualified as a chartered accountant and became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC. He was a renaissance man when it came to business, with interests in oil and gas, real estate, and various other entrepreneurial endeavors that took him all over the world.

Dave's lengthy political career began in Burnaby in 1968. Dave served as the Mayor of Burnaby from 1979-1981, as a member of the BC Legislative Assembly from 1986-1991, in addition to various other leadership roles. In addition to his public service, Dave supported a number of charitable organizations and was a founding donor of Minerva BC in tribute to his mother Kathleen.

A natural athlete, David enjoyed rugby, running, golf, and skiing well into his twilight years. Some of his happiest memories were from his many rugby tours, family vacations, and time spent at the cabin in Point Roberts.

True to form, Dave put up a good fight until the end. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered. Special thanks to the incredible nurses and doctors at VGH. Given this time of Covid restrictions, no funeral will be held. A celebration of Dave's life will be held at a later date.

James Earl "Jimmy" Cox, 79, of Sherwood, formerly of Marion and Horseshoe Lake entered his heavenly home on Monday, April 12, 2021, following a courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. He was born on August 28, 1941, in Hughes, Arkansas, to Robert Waring Cox and Jennie Mae Deaton Cox. He was the oldest of eleven children. Jimmy was a Christian and a member of the First Marion Baptist Church.

Jimmy had a kind heart and a passion for helping others. His toolbox was always near. The family and friends could depend on him to fix whatever needed to be repaired. Jimmy took great pleasure in building and remodeling houses for many years.
 

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Tony Cox; brother, Bobby Cox and a sister, Betty Boozer. Jimmy is survived by his wife, Becky Cox; sons, James Earl "Stoney" Cox, Jr. and his wife Teresa of Etta Mississippi; Robert Paul "Robbie" Cox of Ripley, Mississippi; daughter, Erica Lynn Cox of Memphis, Tennessee; bonus son, John-Michael Purifoy and wife Allison of Brownsville, Tennessee; grandsons, Jacob Cook and Silas Muschong; and a bonus granddaughter, Ava Cook; brothers: Joe Cox (Judy) of Hughes, Billy Cox of Horseshoe Lake, Larry Cox (Gail) of Horseshoe Lake; sisters: Lela McCollum of Horseshoe Lake, Dorothy Mooney of Hughes, Virginia Cox of Solsberry, Indiana, Shirley Bailey of Paragould, and Debbie Clark of Franklin, North Carolina, and a host of nephews, nieces and other relatives and friends.
 

The family would like to say a special thanks to Kindred Hospice as well as Dr. Love and his staff at Arkansas Hospice for their kind and compassionate care during the past few months.

Eugene "Gene" Creech passed away April 9, 2021, at his home in Indian Wells, California after a lengthy illness. He was born in Cumberland, Kentucky to Lewis and Matilda Creech, and was the middle child of six. The Creech family moved to Portland, Oregon where Gene attended Gresham High School and graduated in 1952.

Gene met and married Norene "Joyce" Ochsner on June 26, 1953, and they had two daughters, Trudi Lynn, and Patti Ann. The family relocated to Albany in 1959 when Gene became manager of Copeland Lumber Company. He remained there until 1966 when he left to begin his own business, Concord Development Corporation. He was instrumental in bringing the Boys and Girls Club to Albany and served as President. Gene was an active member of the Albany Jaycees and the Chamber of Commerce where he was awarded Junior First Citizen in January 1968. He was also active in the Toastmasters Club and served as an Albany City Councilman.

Gene and Joyce were divorced after 20 years of marriage. He relocated to Reno, Nevada to expand Concord Development Corporation in 1972. It was there that he met his future wife, Mary Johnson. They were married in 1993 and together until Mary's death in 2012.

Gene was a well-known builder in Albany and surrounding areas and developed commercial and residential property in upstate New York, New Jersey, Las Vegas, and Reno, Nevada. He invented and patented Eagle Scoreboard Systems, unique ceramic porcelain scoreboards, for well-known golf tournaments and golf courses throughout the U.S. and other countries.

Gene loved his family, traveling the world and flying his private airplane, in addition to being a licensed glider pilot. Other activities he enjoyed during his life were skiing, scuba diving, golfing, and collecting fine artwork. He was loved by so many family and friends and will be greatly missed.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Matilda Creech; wife Mary Creech; one brother and two sisters.

Gene is survived by his two daughters, Trudi (Creech) Jackson of Bend, Oregon, Patti (Creech) Steiger, and son-in-law Steve of Green Valley, Arizona; brothers Hubert "Dave" Creech of Rhododendron, Oregon and Elmo Creech of Blaine, Washington. He is also survived by stepchildren Ryan Daggett of Reno, Nevada, Danielle Bowen of Severna, Maryland, Christine Barton of Reno, Nevada; grandchildren Tiffany Simmons of Bend, Oregon, Clayton Morgan of Arlington, Washington and Cameron Morgan of Everett, Washington; step-grandchildren Ella and Austin Bowen of Severna, Maryland, Logan Barton of Reno, Nevada; five great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

A special thank you to his wonderful caregiver Brianna of Hope Care Professional Caregiving, Palm Desert, California, and Family Hospice Care, Palm Springs, California.

James Hampton was an actor known for roles including the incompetent bugler Hannibal Dobbs on TV’s “F Troop.”  He died at his home in Fort Worth, Texas of complications of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 84. In addition to the bumbling bugler Hannibal Dobbs on F Troop, the prison inmate Caretaker in the original The Longest Yard he also played Michael J. Fox's furry father in Teen Wolf.

Hampton had just a handful of TV appearances before starring on “F Troop,” guest-starring on shows including “Gunsmoke,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” and “Rawhide.” It was “F Troop” that kickstarted his career as he played Private Dobbs, the bugler for a troop of Wild West soldiers – who couldn’t play his bugle very well at all. He went on to star as ranch hand Leroy B. Simpson on “The Doris Day Show.”

Hampton’s movie career began in the 1970s, and he starred as Caretaker in “The Longest Yard” (1974) alongside his friend, Burt Reynolds (1936–2018). In 1985, he starred as the father of Michael J. Fox’s character in “Teen Wolf,” a role he reprised in its sequel, “Teen Wolf Too” (1987) and in a voice role on the 1986 animated “Teen Wolf” TV series. Other notable films for Hampton include “Pump Up the Volume” (1990) and “Sling Blade” (1996).

Hampton continued appearing widely on TV throughout the 1980s and ‘90s in shows like “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Full House,” and “Melrose Place.” In 1989, he began a recurring role as the villainous Rev. Saul Taylor in “Days of Our Lives.” Hampton also directed TV episodes for shows including “Evening Shade,” “Grace Under Fire,” and “Sister, Sister.”

BERLIN, April 6, 2021 (Reuters) - Swiss theologian Hans Kueng, a rebel Roman Catholic who questioned the doctrine of papal infallibility, has died aged 93, the Foundation for a Global Ethic that he founded said on Tuesday.

Kueng, who had Parkinson's disease, was born in Sursee, Canton of Lucerne, and studied in Rome before being ordained in 1954 and appointed professor of theology at the University of Tuebingen, in southwestern Germany, in 1960.

Kueng championed reform of the Catholic Church since its 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, where he was a young adviser arguing for a decentralized church, married priests, and artificial birth control. The Council did not adopt those ideas.

Kueng was stripped by the Vatican of his license to teach Catholic theology in 1979 after he questioned the doctrine of papal infallibility and ignored Vatican pressure to recant.

The University of Tuebingen responded by making him a professor of ecumenical theology, securing him a post from which he wrote dozens of books, some of them best-sellers, and many articles.

In the early 1990s, Kueng initiated his "Global Ethic" project, aimed at describing what the world's religions have in common and establishing a set of common values.

In 2010, Kueng urged Roman Catholic bishops to defy Pope Benedict and push through reforms from below to restore the credibility of their church shaken by child sexual abuse scandals.

In his memoirs, he cited the late Pope John Paul's public struggle with Parkinson's and the silent suffering of boxer Muhammad Ali, also afflicted with the disease, as models, he did not want to follow.

"How much longer will my life be liveable in dignity?" he asked. "No person is obligated to suffer the unbearable as something sent from God."

His foundation said he died peacefully at his house in Tuebingen.

Frances (Feiga) Reichapel Wendel, a native of Lodz, Poland, and a Holocaust survivor, died peacefully on April 4, 2021, at her home in Los Angeles, after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. Frances was the youngest of four children. Of the immediate family, only Frances and her brother Jacob survived the Nazi onslaught. In 1947, she married a childhood acquaintance, Leon Wendel. Three years later, they arrived in Los Angeles with their infant son, Isadore. For many years the family-owned and operated an egg farm in the San Gabriel Valley.

In 1960, they moved to the Beverly-Fairfax section of Los Angeles, where Leon owned small businesses for many years. Frances stayed home to raise her children, Isadore and Evelyn. Later, Frances went back to work with Leo at the Grand Central Market, where their Peerless Delicatessen was a fixture in the 70s and 80s. She was tireless, focused, fiercely protective of her family, and proud of her immaculate home.

On holidays, she would cook and bake for the extended family, including her late brother and sister-in-law, Jacob and Esther Reich, and their children. Her high standards set an example for everyone who knew her, and she had many friends among other "Lodzers."Small and trim, Frances was blessed with iron health until Parkinson's struck her in 2015. She did her best to cope, even after Leon's death from cancer in 2017. Although Parkinson's took away her ability to move, and eventually even to speak, Frances remained indomitable for nearly six years. Until two weeks before her death, she enjoyed being wheeled around the block where she lived for so many years. She is mourned by her son, Isadore, and daughter-in-law Sylvia (Weiser), her daughter Evelyn Wendel, her grandchildren Nathan Wendel and Miles and Maude Tipton, her nieces Roselyn, Evelyn, and Lillian, and their children, her neighbors, and caretakers. She is now reunited for eternity with Leon, her family, and her dear friends. Her given name, Feiga, means "bird," and she was an eagle. She soared high and is soaring still.
 

Leo Levine, former Mercedes public relations chief in N.A., dies at 90

Levine prolifically wined and dined the trade press, but he also took what he considered any disrespect for the brand personally.

Leo Levine, the former head of public relations for Mercedes-Benz of North America who epitomized and zealously defended the brand in the U.S. for decades, died Saturday at age 90. His death followed a struggle with Parkinson’s disease, said his stepdaughter, Nancy Fournier. Long before he became a spokesman for the brand, he had pushed its cars to their limits.

Levine got a taste for race car driving in Europe, where he served in the Army during the Korean War era. After his discharge, he raced for Porsche in Europe and South America in the iconic 356 Speedster.

He also drove and wrote about driving Mercedes-Benzes, including the 1954 W196 grand prix Formula One race car that had been driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and the legendary gull-winged 300 SLRs.

He was a journalist and a book author, an automotive historian with an encyclopedic memory. He wrote Ford: The Dust and the Glory, A Racing History, Volume 1 (1901-1967), which was published in 1968. Decades later came to the second volume, covering 1968 to 2000.

While Mercedes-Benz certainly is considered a luxury brand in Europe, it’s also a common brand for delivery trucks, taxicabs and stripped-down passenger vehicles without the luxury features of U.S. models. Mercedes-Benz North America cultivated an image as the creme de la creme, and Levine was responsible for much of that.

Levine prolifically wined and dined the trade press, but he also took what he considered any disrespect for the brand personally. (And if he didn’t take it personally, he certainly acted as if he did.) That could include displays of temper. He might ban a reporter from Mercedes-Benz press events for a while for getting a title wrong, such as vice president instead of executive vice president. Years after he retired, he quietly seethed when a journalist showed up to the Mercedes-Benz holiday luncheon at The Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan “without the common decency to put on a necktie.” But he was just as tough, maybe tougher, on his own team. “His mantra was, ‘Never lie,’ ” automotive PR veteran Mike Geylin recalled in a phone interview.

Levine also constantly, and only a little more politely, reminded Mercedes-Benz executives to keep their mouths shut when they didn’t know, or knew and couldn’t share, the answer to a journalist’s question.

'No is an OK answer,’ words to that effect,” said Geylin, president of Kermish-Geylin Public Relations. He worked for Levine from 1978 to 1983.