The Memorial Wall

Bud is survived by his wife Ritchie, his kids Bart (Ronda), Buddy Jr., step daughters Marie and Sharon (Leo), many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and many other family and friends. He was a lover of nature, square dancing, and loved his pets. He will truly be missed by all those who loved him.

John Joseph Havlicek, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully with family by his side on April 25th, 2019 at the age of 79 in Jupiter, FL from complications of Parkinson's Disease. 

On April 8, 1940, John was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio to Frank and Mandy (Turkal) Havlicek. John and his sisters Rose and Marilyn, and brother Fred, grew up helping their parents operate the Havlicek General Store. 

He was a three-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School playing football, basketball and baseball, and in 1958 earned All-State Honors in all three sports. He shared an early passion for athletics with his best boyhood friend, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Phil Niekro. John attended The Ohio State University and played both baseball and basketball. He shared the court with lifelong friend Bobby Knight and great teammate Jerry Lucas from 1958-62. The Buckeyes won the 1960 National Championship, and in 1962 John earned All-American Honors. 

After graduating with a degree in Education from Ohio State, John was drafted by both the Boston Celtics (NBA) and the Cleveland Browns (NFL). John was released by the Browns, opening the door for him to pursue basketball in Boston. John was drafted by the Celtics in 1962 as the 7th pick overall. 

In his rookie year, under the leadership of Coach Red Auerbach, John earned NBA All-Rookie Team Honors. "Havlicek Stole the Ball" on April 15, 1965, when he deflected an inbounds pass in the Eastern Division Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers to secure the win. 

Legendary broadcaster Johnny Most called the game at the Boston Garden and immortalized this iconic play into sports history. 

On June 17, 1967, John married Beth Evans in Painesville, Ohio. They built a beautiful life together in the suburbs of Boston while raising two children, Christopher Evans Havlicek, and Jill Elizabeth Havlicek. 

John retired after 16 consecutive seasons with The Boston Celtics (1962-1978). His number 17 was retired to the Boston Garden rafters on October 13, 1978. In 1980, John was named to the NBA's 35th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1984, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, John was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He remains the Boston Celtics all-time leader in points (26,395), games played (1,270), and minutes played (46,471). He is one of two players in NBA history to score over 26,000 points, over 8,000 rebounds, and over 6,000 assists. John won eight World Championships and was a thirteen-time NBA All-Star. 

In his retirement, John was an avid outdoorsman. He especially enjoyed fishing the waters of Cape Cod and around the world. He was a member of several golf clubs where he built lifelong friendships while enjoying the game. He loved both traveling the world, and relaxing at home with his wife Beth. In recent years, John especially enjoyed watching their seven grandchildren compete in youth athletics. John was proud to have partnered with many charitable causes during his lifetime. His legacy in this important work will especially be connected to The Genesis Foundation for Children, where he hosted The John Havlicek Celebrity Fishing Tournament for 35 years. The tournament raised millions of dollars for the care and treatment of children with genetic disorders throughout New England. 

John is survived by his wife Beth, son Christopher Evans Havlicek (Kimberly), and daughter Jill Havlicek Buchanan (Brian). "Captain" will be lovingly remembered by his grandchildren Elizabeth Grace, John II, Virginia Mae Havlicek, and Walker, Drew, Logan, Connor Buchanan. He is also survived by many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins, and many dear friends.

Jerome B Cagen passed away in Palm Desert, CA on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. He fought a courageous battle against Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a prime-of-life neurodegenerative disease.

Jerry, as he was known by family and friends, was also lovingly called the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) by his eldest grandson, Oliver.
Jerry was born on August 1, 1947, in Boise, Idaho to Milton and Ruth (Blecker) Cagen. Growing up, Jerry attended Borah High School, and later graduated from Arizona State University with his Bachelor's degree in Education. It was also at ASU that he met his future wife, Susi Landis. For several years, Jerry and Susi owned The Sunshine Company Sport Shop. He then decided to re-enter the field of education, obtaining his Master's degree in Counseling from the College of Idaho. He was a school counselor, working most of his years at Eagle Academy. Jerry was loved by his students, and when he would run into them, he was often greeted with "Hey Cagen!", which always brought a smile to his face.

Jerry was an avid tennis player, and he loved golf! He spent many happy days with his friends at Warm Springs Golf Course, and later, at The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert, CA. Unfortunately, his PSP curtailed his golfing activities due to his loss of balance and weakened eyesight, but he handled his situation with grace and dignity.
Above all, Jerry was a devoted husband to Susi. They would have been married 50 years this August 24, 2019. He was a loving and proud father and a powerful influence on his children, Brent (Jenevieve) and Tracie. He was always involved and rooting them on at any sports or school/career-related events, and that soon carried over to his grandchildren's accomplishments as well. He was a beloved grandpa to Oliver, Elliott, Ashton, and August (Gus). They were the light of his life!

Jerry is also survived by his older brother, Robert Cagen (Linda Cagen, deceased), younger brother, Richard Cagen (Terry Cagen), and his sister-in-law, Leni Herst (Doug Herst), all of whom he adored. He loved his many cousins, nieces, nephews, and especially his favorite aunt, Harriet Berenter.

Jerome B, you will be missed by all of us every day, but are now free and at peace from this horrible disease. You were a brave eternal fighter. As the deputy sheriff told you when you passed your driving test at 14 years old, "You've done right fine!"

We will forever love you!

Funeral services, under the direction of Relyea Funeral Chapel, will be held Monday, April 29, at 11:00am, at the Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel social hall, 11 N. Latah St., Boise. Graveside services to follow at Morris Hill Cemetery.

Alvis Forrest Gregg was an American professional football player and coach. A Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), he was a part of six NFL championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in Super Bowl VI. Gregg was later the head coach of three NFL teams (Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Green Bay Packers), as well as two Canadian Football League (CFL) teams (Toronto Argonauts and Shreveport Pirates). He was also a college football coach for the SMU Mustangs.

As a head coach, he led the 1981 Bengals to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 26–21.

Gregg was a key player in the Packers dynasty of head coach Vince Lombardi that won five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls. He played mostly at right tackle, but also filled in at guard. He earned an "iron man" tag by playing in a then-league record 188 consecutive games in 16 seasons from 1956 until 1971. He also won All-NFL honors for eight straight years from 1960 through 1967 and nine Pro Bowl selections.

Gregg closed his career with the Dallas Cowboys, as did his Packer teammate, cornerback Herb Adderley. They both helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl VI in January 1972, making them the only players (along with former teammate Fuzzy Thurston, who was on the Baltimore Colts NFL championship team in 1958 and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) in professional football history to play on six NFL title teams. Gregg wore the number 75 for 15 seasons in Green Bay, but that number belonged to Jethro Pugh in Dallas, so Gregg wore number 79 for his final season in 1971.

It has been reported that Vince Lombardi said, "Forrest Gregg is the finest player I ever coached!" but official Packers team historian Cliff Christl can find no evidence of Lombardi ever saying or writing that. In 1999, he was ranked 28th on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, putting him second behind Ray Nitschke among players coached by Lombardi, second behind Anthony Muñoz (whom he coached) among offensive tackles, and fourth behind Munoz, John Hannah, and Jim Parker among all offensive linemen.

After serving as an assistant with the San Diego Chargers in 1973, he took a similar position the following year with the Browns. After head coach Nick Skorich was dismissed after the 1974 season, Gregg was promoted to head coach in 1975, a position he held through 1977.

After sitting out the 1978 season, Gregg returned to coaching in 1979 with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts. In 1980, he became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals for four seasons through 1983. His most successful season as a head coach was in 1981, when he led the Bengals to a 12–4 regular season record. They defeated the San Diego Chargers 27–7 in the AFC championship game (known as the Freezer Bowl), earning them a trip to Super Bowl XVI, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 26–21.

When his longtime former teammate Bart Starr was fired after nine years as head coach of the Packers in December 1983, Gregg was allowed out of his Bengals' contract to take over in Green Bay. He finished his NFL coaching career with the Packers, leading them for four seasons, 1984–1987, with a record of 25-37-1. Gregg's overall record as an NFL coach was 75 wins, 85 losses and one tie. He was also 2–2 in playoff games, all with the Bengals.

Gregg resigned from the Packers in January 1988 and took a pay cut to take over at SMU, his alma mater. He was brought in to revive the Mustang football program after it received the "death penalty" from the NCAA for massive violations of NCAA rules. Though the NCAA had only canceled the 1987 season, school officials later opted to cancel the 1988 season due to fears that fielding a competitive team would be impossible; nearly every letterman from the 1986 squad had transferred elsewhere. Gregg knew that any new coach would be essentially rebuilding the program from scratch, but when acting president William Stalcup asked him to return, he felt he could not refuse.

As it turned out, when Gregg arrived, he was presented with a severely undersized and underweight roster composed mostly of freshmen. Gregg was taller and heavier than nearly the entire 70-man squad. The team was so short on offensive linemen that Gregg had to make several wide receivers bulk up and switch to the line. By nearly all accounts, the Mustangs attempting to play the 1988 season under such conditions would have been unthinkable.

In 1989, the Mustangs went 2–9, including a 95–21 thrashing by Houston—the second-worst loss in school history. In that game, eventual Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware threw six touchdown passes in the first half, and David Klingler added four more in the second, even with the game long out of reach. Gregg was so disgusted that he refused to shake Houston coach Jack Pardee's hand after the game. Nonetheless, Gregg reflected fondly on the experience. In a 2012 interview with The New York Times, he said the players on the two teams he coached should have had their numbers retired for restoring dignity to the program. "I never coached a group of kids that had more courage," he said. "They thought that they could play with anyone. They were quality people. It was one of the most pleasurable experiences in my football life. Period."

After the season, Gregg was named SMU's athletic director. The Mustangs went 1–10 in 1990, and after the season, he resigned as coach to focus on his duties as athletic director. Gregg's coaching record at SMU was 3–19, and he served as athletic director until 1994.

He returned to the CFL with the Shreveport Pirates in 1994–95, during that league's brief attempt at expansion to the United States. His overall record in the CFL was 13–39.

When former Shreveport Pirates owner Bernard Glieberman bought a stake in the Ottawa Renegades in May 2005, Gregg was appointed Ottawa's vice president of football operations, a position he held through 2006

Gregg married Barbara Dedek in 1960. In the 1970s, he had multiple surgeries for skin cancer.

He retired to Colorado Springs, Colorado. In October 2011, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, thought to be caused by concussions from playing over two decades of high school, college, and professional football.

On April 12, 2019, Gregg died at the age of 85 due to complications from Parkinson's disease.

In addition to his wife, he was survived by a son, Forrest Jr.; a daughter, Karen Gregg Spehar; and several siblings.

September 28, 1933 - April 4, 2019, Irwin Allen died peacefully on April 4th at the age of 85 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. Loving and devoted husband to Joan Allen, his wife of over six decades, he lived in Los Angeles. Born in 1933 in Wilmington, Delaware, Irwin was a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, served in the United States Army, and spent the first part of his career rising to the level of Division Vice President at Scott Paper Company. After additional executive management roles at Sherwin-Williams Paints and Intercraft Industries, Irwin was for twenty-four years the President and CEO of Michels & Company, a furniture manufacturing firm based in South Los Angeles. A longtime member of the Brentwood Country Club, Irwin loved relaxing at the beach, eating good barbecue, and being the family patriarch at dinners with his nephews, nieces, and grandchildren. Irwin is survived by his wife Joan, son Bradley, daughter-in-law Rebecca, grandchildren Cecelia and Garrett, nephews and nieces Linda Berkowski, Carol Gaines, David Lipstein, Steven Lipstein, and Cynthia Olinger, and their spouses and children. Funeral services will be held at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles on Sunday, April 7th at 1:00 pm. After services, the family will sit shiva on Sunday at his son Bradley's residence in Manhattan Beach.

Tom Spires, 80, born on May 15, 1938, in Jacksonville, Florida to Merrill and Lucille (Powell) Spires, passed away March 29, 2019 after a 5-year battle with Parkinson's Disease. Tom leaves behind his wife and best friend of 36 years, Susan Spires, his daughter Pam Spires (Jon Braam), granddaughter Kaitlin Taszarek of Saint Louis, Missouri and daughter Kit Ottmar (Scott), grandchildren Colin Ottmar and Grayson Ottmar of Monterey, California, as well as Tom's brother, Jim Spires (Vivian) of Jacksonville, Florida. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Richard Spires, sister Linda Ryan, and sister Susan Taylor.

Tom had a long and successful career at Hughes Aircraft Company and Raytheon. He "grew up" on the F-15 Radar Program first as a hardware engineer and then as its System Engineering Laboratories Manager. In 1989 Tom became the F-15 Radar Programs manager and oversaw development, production, and support of the F-15 radar for the USAF and several foreign customers. When Raytheon acquired Hughes Aircraft Company in 1997, Tom served as associate manager of the Air Combat and Strike Systems (ACSS) business unit. He retired in 1999. He served as Project Manager to successfully complete a water reclamation project as well as served on the Board of Directors at Lake Arrowhead Country Club. Tom came back to Hughes as a consultant and co-led with Dick Johnston ACSS's successful recovery from a major manufacturing crisis.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Parkinson's Resource Organization, 74090 El Paseo #104, Palm Desert, CA 92260. www.parkinsonsresource.org.

Tom resided in La Quinta, California at the time of his passing. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Cathedral City, California.

Ralph Fertig, a 1960s Freedom Rider who went on to become one of the nation’s most ardent defenders of the marginalized, the misunderstood and the neglected — from Selma, Ala. to L.A.’s Skid Row — has died after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 89.

Fertig fought for equal rights in the Deep South, advocated for the homeless in Los Angeles, and took on the Patriot Act — fighting all the way to the Supreme Court — on behalf of the Kurds, whom he saw as perhaps the most marginalized people in the world. A founder of the Humanitarian Law Project in L.A., Fertig served as a federal administrative law judge and, for years, was a USC professor of social work, inspiring students to embrace pacifism and battle for human rights. He retired in 2016. Nearly 80 when his fight to advise the Kurds ended up in front of the Supreme Court, Fertig acknowledged that the ruling put him at risk of being jailed even for something as benign as urging a terror group to be peaceful — in this case the Kurdistan Workers Party. “And if I’m arrested,” he said, “it would not be the first time.”

Fertig died Thursday at his home in Westwood. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for the last nine years but, until recently, had remained active in the community, his son David said.

Born Feb. 24, 1930, in Chicago, Fertig grew up in a home that put a premium on tolerance. His parents were German Jewish immigrants and hosted refugees from Germany during World War II. Fertig said he had vivid memories of his childhood home being a way station for families fleeing Nazi Germany. He’d read the comics to their guests, trusting that in the process they’d pick up a casual understanding of English. “I grew up sharing my bed with whoever the refugee of the week was,” he told Los Angeles Times columnist Patt Morrison in 2010. “I grew up exposed to an awareness of the atrocities. And I swore at an early age that I would devote my life to fighting that.”

Filled with the belief that America stood as the great savior after World War II, a beacon of peace, democracy, and justice, Fertig went to bat at a young age for those who were denied their equal rights. While young, Fertig saw a picket line of white parents protesting the admission of a black student whose parents had moved to the community. Fertig said he demanded that he and the black student be registered together. Fertig was registered — the other student was not. “And there collapsed my dreams of America,” he said.

In 1961, Fertig became secretary and treasurer of the Chicago Freedom Action Committee, a civil rights group that dispatched busloads of activists through the Midwest and Deep South. In Selma, Ala., a place Fertig had never heard of at the time, he was confronted by the city’s sheriff who swaggered onto the bus Fertig was riding. “You a nigger lover, son?” he recalled the sheriff as saying. “I lied and said I love all people. I’m not sure I loved him at that moment.” Tossed in jail, Fertig said he was beaten by white prisoners while the warden egged them on. He was beaten with such fury that each one of his ribs was broken, he said later.

Fertig earned a master’s degree in sociology from Columbia University and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago. He moved to L.A. in 1973 to become executive director of the then-troubled Greater Los Angeles Community Action Agency. He also went to law school at UCLA, earning his Juris doctorate. For years he worked as a civil rights lawyer, an administrative law judge, and a professor.

His battle with the government on behalf of the Kurds tested the limits of the First Amendment and became a legal bellwether. Pitted against the interests of national security, which became even more intense after the 9/11 terror attacks, Fertig argued that the 1st Amendment protected his right to advise the Kurds, which could possibly include members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, on how to take their grievances to the United Nation.

How could advising someone to be civil and non-violent — even a group such as the Kurdistan Workers Party identified by the U.S. as a terror group — possibly hold up against the broad protections of the 1st Amendment? Court after court agreed with his reasoning. The Kurds, the largest ethnic group in the world without a homeland, had suffered in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, their assigned countries at the end of World War I. In Turkey, Fertig said, the intent of the government’s policy was to eliminate the Kurds. The reach of the Patriot Act, Fertig said, was so broad that something as basic as providing humanitarian aid following a natural disaster could be illegal if the country was identified as a terrorist stronghold.

But in 2010, decades after he first took up the first, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that human rights advocates like Fertig could be prosecuted if they offered advice to a foreign terror group, even if that advice was to settle disputes peacefully. The ruling was a sharp warning to international aid groups and charities that even goodwill gestures could put them at legal risk. “In the name of fighting terrorism, the court has said that the 1st Amendment permits Congress to make it a crime to work for peace and human rights,” said Georgetown law professor David Cole, who represented Fertig. “That is wrong. There is no evidence that teaching human rights would further terrorism.”

Fertig was buoyant, however. Progress often came in small steps, he said. “I do believe in the basic goodness of most people,” he said in 2010. “It’s been proven that when we bring the realities of justice to the American public, they respond with the conscientious commitment.”

Fertig is survived by his children, Jill, David, and Katie; son-in-law Ananda; and five grandchildren, Laura, Thomas, Ravi, Melissa, and Thea. He was predeceased by his wife Madeleine Stoner, a USC professor and expert on homelessness, and two children, Karen and Jack.

JOANNE (SPRAGUE) BALCOM Joanne was called home to be with her Savior on Monday, March 25th. She is survived by her loving husband of 66 years, Jim, her sons Ken and Gary, her daughters Jill Fraley and Lori Duggan and their spouses, her sisters Eleanor Sturzen and Carol Stanner, her brother Harold Sprague and his wife Karen, 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. A Celebration of Life service was held at Heritage Baptist Church on March 24th.

The story of Bill Moore began in Yokohama, Japan. Born 9lbs and 9oz on November 1, 1948 to Richard & Geraldine Moore, Bill was immediately surrounded by his ever-loving and caring big sister, Barbara, and wonderful best friend and big brother, Richard. After the young life of a traveling military brat, Bill ended up as a freshman at Fishburne Military School in Virginia. At Fishburne, he was taught the value of teamwork and discipline. He also played in a rock band and developed beautiful friendships that have lasted a lifetime.

After graduation, Bill was off to Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, where he studied history and as a junior found the love of his life Cyndy Frazier. In 1971, on August 28th, within days of starting Officer Candidate School, the two lovebirds were finally married. Compliments of the U.S. Army, Bill and Cyndy set off on their adventure with stints in Georgia, Arizona, Germany, Italy, Virginia, Kansas, Washington, Germany, and then fittingly back to Arizona again to settle down. Along their journey, they brought three loving boys into this world Nathan, Andrew, William. In true Moore tradition, their sons married the loves of their lives, Ryan Mary, Rachel, and Krista and brought 13 amazing grandchildren into this world Noah, Grace, Elijah, Hudson, Gideon, Reed, Sarai, Haddie, Danielle, Grierson, Henry, Liam, and David. Bill always found the silver lining in life, he was a talented guitarist and musician, a gifted athlete, a patient soccer coach, a decorated soldier earning the Legion of Merit medal. He was a deep thinker, had a passion for history, and was a longtime member and elder of Grace Presbyterian Church. He was a leader in almost every facet of his life, a traveler, and had a witty dry sense of humor. Bill was an inspiring and forgiving father, a father figure to so many in need, a devoted husband, and most importantly a child of God. His faith in Jesus never wavered despite the struggles and complications that life threw at him. Bill was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003 and through complications from the disease passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family, on Tuesday March 19, 2019. Throughout it all, he never stopped smiling.

For those of us that had the privilege of knowing this great man you can understand the difficulty in trying to put words to describe what he meant to the people around him. For most, Bill could be described as wise, strong, and incredibly humble. If only we all could possess those qualities.

Bill, you will be deeply missed but your legacy will continue on through your loving wife, your children, your grandchildren, and by all the people that your wonderful life touched.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service for Bill on Friday March 29, 2019 at 9 AM, at Grace Presbyterian Church, 4905 E Camino Segundo Sierra Vista, AZ 85650. A full Military Honor ceremony will be held at a later time at the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery for immediate family members only. Questions regarding the services can be directed to Hatfield Funeral Home.

John Walter Rentsch, former Director of International Marketing and Publicity for Paramount Pictures' motion picture division, has died. He was 67. The highly respected executive died on March 12 in his Palm Springs home of complications from Parkinson's disease. 

Born on January 14, 1952 in Horsham, Australia, to Wally and Betty Rentsch. Wally owned an electrical contracting business. Betty was a homemaker.

After completing his studies at Horsham Technical, John joined "The Australian" newspaper in Melbourne covering the political aspects of local government. John's coverage was noticed by executives and he was transferred to Manhattan in 1976 where he began writing for the New York Post. The majority of his coverage was also published in Australia. Eventually he began covering New York's entertainment scene.

In 1979 Murdoch launched "The Star" newspaper, and John was transferred to Los Angeles to activate the newspaper's entertainment coverage. His copy was objective as well as favorable, and he began interacting with studio and personal publicists. He was quickly invited to participate in the various studios' press junkets. 

The Screen Actors Guild went on strike in 1980. John's Australian editor did not understand the lack of copy and decided to recall John to Australia. Instead, John took a position at Dennis Davidson & Associates where he wrote press releases and film press kits. In 1984 he segued to Lorimar Motion Pictures as a temporary publicist in the international division. In 1987 he was hired by Paramount Pictures where he remained until 2002. The films he guided to international recognition include "Brave Heart," "Titanic," The Hunt for Red October," "The Butcher's Wife," "The Accused," "The Adams Family" and "Mission Impossible."

A master of reinvention, John and his spouse, Carl Levine, opened The Barracks, an extremely high-profile leather bar in Cathedral City in late 2002. He retired in 2012.

John loved to travel and he and Carl took many a Cunard cruise to Asia, Latin America, Europe, Canada and Alaska.

John Walter Rentsch is survived by his husband of 37 years, Carl Levine, his sister Sue, brother Mark, 4 nephews and 2 nieces.