The-Daily-Record.com
Chad Blooming
May 12, 2007

WOOSTER -- Chad Neil Blooming, 52, of Wooster, died Friday, May 11, 2007, at his home.
Friends will be received at McIntire, Davis & Greene Funeral Home, 216 E. Larwill St., Wooster,
on Sunday, May 13, from 3-5 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church with
the Rev. Father Daniel Reed officiating.
Those who wish may make contributions to the ALS Association, Northeast Ohio Chapter, 2500
E. 22nd St., Cleveland 44115-9907, or Hospice & Palliative Care of Greater Wayne County, 2525
Back Orrville Road, Wooster 44691 or to the Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns
Hopkins, 100 North Charles St., Suite 408, Baltimore, Md. 21201.
Born March 11, 1955, in Cleveland, he was the son of Thomas and Cornelia (Pogany) Blooming.
He was a support administrator for Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation
Developmental Disabilities.
He was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church. He was an active hockey player from an early
age. Chad established a Web site to update people of his condition and to give hope to others,
(chadscorner4pals.com).
According to Chad's wishes, we are to celebrate his life so no one is to wear black.
Surviving are his wife, Ellen Pill, whom he married June 28, 2002; daughter, Danya Blooming of
Wooster; two brothers, Thomas (Wendy) Blooming of Bessemer, Mich., and Charles (Linda)
Blooming of Lake Charles, La., and a sister, Sister Mary Catherine Blooming of Pittsburgh, Pa

His determination was an inspiration


Rick Murray, 66, battled Lou Gehrig's disease for nine years.




By Jessie-Lynne Kerr, The Times-Union


Richard "Rick" Scott Murray, a retired Navy commander and avid sportsman who became the Jacksonville face of Lou Gehrig's disease/ALS by his determination to do the best that he could with the strength he had left, died at his Mandarin home Wednesday evening. He was 66.



The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at All Saints Chapel at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Among the speakers will be MaliVai Washington, the former professional tennis player who became a good friend. Burial will be at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. The family will receive friends at their home from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday and after the service Monday.

Cmdr. Murray acquired a cadre of fans - from sports figures to congressmen to average Joes - who admired the courage he showed over the nine years that he fought the disease he knew one day would take his life.



Those nine years tripled the prognosis of the life expectancy given to him by doctors. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the nerve cells that control muscular movement and is named for the baseball great whose career it cut short.

As late as three days before his death, Cmdr. Murray marshaled the strength in his rapidly weakening body to attend the Jacksonville Suns' Lou Gehrig/ALS Day game, an annual fundraiser he convinced the baseball team to start several years ago.

"I could tell Rick was in a lot of pain," said Suns President Peter D. Bragan Jr., who met Cmdr. Murray four or five years ago at a game. "He was not quite his usual smiling self, but he was determined to be there."

Cmdr. Murray this year published what he called Rick's Reflections, a collection of "inspirational thoughts, quotes and phrases for dealing with life's many challenges." The foreword was written by Washington, a 1996 Wimbledon finalist whose kids foundation Cmdr. Murray supported. The two met in 1997 when Cmdr. Murray participated in a 24-hour tennis marathon for Washington's foundation before the early stages of the disease set in.

On the cover is a photo of the author with Tom Coughlin, coach of the New York Giants and former coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two men met seven years ago when both had children attending The Bolles School.

After learning of his friend's death this week, Coughlin said in a statement, "We all have our own Hall of Fame - people who have touched our lives deeply and inspired us to live our lives more fully, to appreciate the precious gifts we've been given. Rick Murray sits in the front row of my Hall of Fame."

Former Jacksonville Mayor Hans Tanzler, a neighbor of the Murrays for 10 years, said Cmdr. Murray was a great inspiration to him two years ago when Tanzler, who had been an athlete all his life, lost a leg to a blood clot.

"Every time I would begin to feel sorry for myself, I'd go see Rick because I was so impressed with his attitude and optimism. I took a lot of instruction from him," Tanzler said.

The former mayor went to visit and pray with him shortly before he died. "I sang The Old Rugged Cross to him and I could see his response in his eyes," Tanzler said. "He was one of the most incredible people I ever met."

A native of Philadelphia, Cmdr. Murray graduated from Colgate University in 1962 and entered the Navy later that year. After training as a Navy flight officer, he was assigned to Jacksonville Naval Air Station.

After other assignments, he completed his 25-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987. The family moved back to Jacksonville in 1995.

Sherry Murray, his wife of 42 years, said friends made bumper stickers that read "Don't Quit, Rick Won't."

"He used this disease to help people," she said. "He wanted people to know you can live with it."

He traveled to Russia and Europe after his illness began, she said. "He said the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude."

His younger son, Mark Murray of Seattle, said he will remember his father's motto: "Persistence Wins Again."

"Regardless of what the doctors said about his prognosis," Mark Murray said, "Dad was determined to live life to the lees and live as long as he could."

He also is survived by a daughter, Allison Hastie of Orange Park; another son, Richard Scott Murray Jr. of Jacksonville; and five grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation, 2933 N. Myrtle Ave., Suite 101, Jacksonville, FL 32209; or the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, P.O. Box 285, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.

W.F. man succumbs to ALS
Andrea Domaskin, The Forum
Published Friday, June 22, 2007

A West Fargo man, whose family relied on their faith and community as he battled Lou Gehrig’s disease for almost a decade, will be buried today.

Alan Grossman, 48, died Monday at MeritCare Hospital. His funeral is 11 a.m. today at Faith Lutheran Church in West Fargo.

Grossman was diagnosed in December 1997 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s a progressive disease that affects nerve cells, and there is no cure.

“He was just one of the greatest men I’ve ever known,” Grossman’s wife, Shelly, said Thursday. “He died with as much dignity and love as he lived his life.”

The average life expectancy for someone with ALS is two to five years. Grossman’s disease progressed more gradually.


Shelly Grossman breaks out in laughter after her husband, Alan, relays a joke through his computer at their home in West Fargo in this February file photo.

At first, Shelly said during a February interview, everyone wanted Grossman to see his son, Matt, graduate from high school in 2001. Then the goal became watching his younger son, Mike, graduate in 2003.

Grossman said during the interview that his family tried to battle ALS and live as normally as possible.

By that time, ALS had overtaken most of his body. He used a ventilator to breathe and was receiving round-the-clock care at home from Shelly, family members and nurses.

Grossman communicated by blinking and with the use of a computer.

The couple hosted an ALS support group at their home, and Grossman maintained Faith Lutheran Church’s Web site until he was no longer able to do so.

A note on the church’s Web site, www.growinfaith.org, read, “We are deeply saddened at the death of our dear friend, Alan Grossman, who created and maintained this website for many years... ‘one click at a time.’”

Larsen, Aloma


Aloma Larsen, 79, Oconto Falls, died Monday afternoon, June 18, 2007, at Sharpe Care, from complications of a 10 year illness with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). She was born March 31, 1928, in Slinger, Wis., to John and Lydia (Henschke) Koerber. As a young girl she moved with her family to Gillett where she attended public school, graduating from Gillett High School with the Class of 1945. On June 14, 1947, she married Marvin "Mike" Larsen at Bethel Lutheran Church in Green Valley. Following their marriage the couple lived in Neenah before moving to Oconto Falls in 1952 where Aloma was employed as a clerk at Witt's Grocery Store for 24 years. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Oconto Falls and was a volunteer with Community Memorial Hospital in the city for over 20 years.


Survivors are two children: Michael (Mary Ann) Larsen, Neenah; Judy (Mark) Wilson, Abrams; four grandchildren: Katie Larsen, Hudson; Jennifer (John) Weyenberg, Combined Locks; Scott Wilson, San Diego, Calif.; Kayla (T.J.) Carmody, Oconto Falls; a great-grandson, Thomas H Carmody V.


She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Mik,e on Dec. 14, 1992, and one brother, Roman Koerber.


Memorial services will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 28, 2007, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oconto Falls with the Rev. Doreen Jeffers officiating. Family and friends are welcome to come at 6 p.m. Thursday prior to the memorial services at the church. Aloma's body was donated to the UW-Madison Anatomy Department and her cremated remains will eventually be buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Oconto Falls. Jones Funeral Service in Oconto Falls (920-848-2222 or visit:


www.jonesfuneral.com)


is serving the Larsen family.


The Larsen family would like to thank Dr. Cupino, the nurses and staff of Sharpe Care and Community Memorial Hospital for their care and consideration shown Aloma during her illness.

Well-known priest succumbs to ALS


Local News - Tuesday, June 26, 2007 Updated @ 2:54:27 PM

By Greg Peerenboom

Standard-Freeholder

Cornwall



Less than three months after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, one of the city’s most well-known clergyman passed away Monday.

In an earlier interview, Rev. Rene Dube said the crippling disease had given him a new appreciation of life and faith in God.

“Our faith gives so much.
It doesn’t take away the fear, suffering or hurt, it’s all there, but it gives it meaning,” Dube said earlier this month.

“Life is not what happens to you that’s important, it’s what you do with what happens to you. That’s my way of seeing it.”

Dube preached for nearly 38 years after he was ordained in 1969. To this only child of the late Alfred Dube and Inez Jarvo, many community residents became part of his pastoral family.

He ministered at St. John Bosco, Sacré-Coeur, Christ-Roi, Ste-Thérčse, Nativity Co-Cathedral and, most recently, Sainte-Croix.

Visitation will be at Lahaie and Sullivan Funeral Homes, East Branch, on First Street E., Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

The body will be transferred from Lahaie and Sullivan to Nativity Co-cathedral, Sunday at 2 p.m., with visitation between 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

Former diocese priest Luc Bouchard and dear friend of Rev. Dube will celebrate the funeral Mass on Monday at 11 a.m.

Interment will be at Notre-Dame Cemetary.

Gregory S. Reeves, award-winning Star staffer, dies
By Mike McGraw The Kansas City Star


Gregory S. Reeves, who spent 31 years as a reporter, database editor and crime blogger for The Kansas City Star, died Thursday of complications from ALS.

Reeves, 57, was an internationally recognized expert in computer-assisted reporting. He analyzed computer data for several award-winning projects at The Star, including a series on the U.S. Department of Agriculture that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992, and a series on the NCAA that won a George Polk Award in 1997.

“Greg was an excellent investigative reporter and an international leader in computer-assisted reporting,” said Brant Houston, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors. “And he was wonderful colleague to work with — witty, passionate and always outraged by the injustices suffered by the average citizen.”

Last year, Reeves took on a new role as the newspaper’s crime blogger and quickly turned “Crime Scene KC” into one of the nation’s most popular crime blogs, with more than 600,000 monthly visitors. Crime Scene KC won an EPpy Award in 2006 for the best media-affiliated news blog in the United States, and a McClatchy Newspapers President’s Award in 2007.

Acting as the newspaper’s first crime blogger — chronicling homicides as well as the bizarre occurrences that spark community dialogue — was a perfect fit for Reeves. In the 1980s, he covered the Kansas City Police Department during a particularly violent time in the city’s history, writing straightforward yet poignant accounts of ordinary people touched by crime.

“I first met Greg when he was a police reporter and immediately realized that he had a photographic memory of every crime he had ever covered, down to how the body was positioned,” said Mark Zieman, The Star’s editor and vice president. Zieman said Reeves was an old-school journalist who mastered beat reporting, became a self-taught database expert when computers entered the newsroom, then eagerly embraced the Internet and “on his first try launched a world-class blog.”

“Greg was truly a master at his craft,” Zieman said. “He adapted to every reporting platform, brought home a ton of major awards and, most importantly, his work changed lives.”

Reeves grew up in Chicago and attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in Germanic Language and Literature. He was constantly teaching himself new skills and was fluent in German and Chinese, in addition to numerous computer languages.

He also worked for newspapers in Belleville, Kankakee and Ottawa in Illinois before joining The Star in April 1976.

In 1977, Reeves was named one of the first three U.S. journalists to travel and report in West Germany under a John J. McCloy Fellowship from the American Council on Germany. More than 20 years later, Reeves spoke at the founding meeting of Netzwerk Recherche, a group of German investigative reporters.

Besides being fascinated with world history and global politics, Reeves studied statistics and mathematics to help him better understand the computer data he spent so much time analyzing. He was a patient newsroom mentor and was always happy to repeat for his math-challenged colleagues how to calculate percentages.

He was diagnosed in 2006 with ALS, the same disease which claimed his father’s life.

Reeves died at his home in Overland Park. He leaves two children, Rebecca Reeves and Jeffrey Reeves, and their mother, Bonita Reeves.

Cremation and a service for family and close friends is scheduled for July 7.

Donations are being accepted in Reeves’ name for a fellowship to support a research assistantship at Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc., a nonprofit journalism training organization at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Donations may be sent to IRE at 138 Neff Annex, Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, MO 65211.

Dr. Philip Wagley,

a retired dentist and career Army officer who served in three wars, died Sunday of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, at the Blakehurst Retirement Community in Towson. He was 86.
Dr. Wagley was born and raised in Columbia, Pa. He earned his bachelor's and dental degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

He served with the Army Dental Corps during World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, at military posts and bases in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

He was a colonel at the time of his 1970 discharge, and his decorations included the Army Commendation Medal and Legion of Merit.

Dr. Wagley moved to Baltimore and enrolled at what is now the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a master's degree in public health.

From 1973 until retiring a second time in 1983, Dr. Wagley was an associate professor of prosthodontics at the University of Maryland Dental School.

The 31-year resident of Crofton, who had lived at the Towson retirement community since 2002, was a member of the American Diabetes Association, Military Retired Officers Association and the American Legion.

He was also a member of the alumni associations of the University of Pennsylvania and Hopkins.

His wife of 26 years, the former Ann Elizabeth Baird, died in 1997. An earlier marriage to the former Philomene Kauffman ended in divorce.

Dr. Wagley was a communicant of Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Towson, where a Mass of Christian burial was offered yesterday.

Surviving are a son, Joseph P. Wagley of Derry, N.H.; a daughter, Karen B. Wagley of Prescott, Ariz.; a stepdaughter, Barbara J. Smith of Lancaster, Pa.; three grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Edwin Byron “Bud” Selcer, 78, passed away Sunday, July 1, 2007, after a hard-fought battle with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a cruel and terminal illness.

He was born in Chattanooga and was a lifelong resident of the Falling Water community.

Bud was a veteran of the U.S. Army where tie served as an MP in Germany and pitched for the Nurnberg Tigers baseball team. He also pitched for numerous local amateur baseball teams. He was retired from DuPont and held positions on the boards of DuPont Community Credit Union and Soddy-Daisy /Falling Water Utility Commission. Bud was a lifelong member of Falling Water Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon for many years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ab and Mabel Selcer, and was a descendant of early settlers of the Falling Water community.

He is survived by his wife, of 56 years, Dorothy Millsaps Selcer; daughter, Regina Miller, of Hixson; two sons Lamar (Sharon) Selcer, of Falling Water, and Rodney (Karen) Selcer, of Falling Water; two sisters, Pauline Merriman and Joyce Hewitt; and five grandchildren, Dusty Miller, Lauren and Evan Selcer, Hannah and Rachel Selcer.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Coulter Chapel of Lane Funeral Home with the Rev. Mark Love, Dr. Steve Canada and Father Mike Creson officiating.

Interment will be in Millsaps Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation, P.O. Box 19269, Chattanooga, TN 37416, and the ALS Association, Tennessee Chapter, P.O. Box 40244 Nashville, TN 37204.

The family would like to especially thank Hospice of Chattanooga and the many friends for their love, support and prayers during Bud’s illness.

Arrangements are by Lane Funeral home Coulter Chapel 601 Ashland Terrace, 577-3524.

REHOBOTH — Robert J. "Bobby" Oliveira, 65, passed away Monday, July 2, 2007, at home after a courageous battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Born in Acushnet, MA, he was the beloved husband of Susan C. (Gonet) Oliveira and father to Lance R. Oliveira, and son of the late Mary C. (Gonsalves) Oliveira and Wilson Oliveira.

He was an avid south paw pitcher for the Rhode Island Senior Men's Baseball League until 2006.

Graduated from the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, MA. He was a retired Commercial Designer and Photographer.

Calling hours will be held Thursday, July 5, 2007, 5-8 P.M., in the PERRY/McSTAY FUNERAL HOME, 2555 Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence. His funeral will be held Friday at 9 AM from the PERRY/McSTAY FUNERAL HOME, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 AM in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Taunton Avenue, Seekonk. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Bobby's name may be made to The ALS Association (Rhode Island Chapter), 2915 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886, would be deeply appreciated.
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Nancy Rea beat the odds of ALS for a long time
A Bermuda Run resident, she died at 51, but her determination and spirit live on in family, friends


By Lisa O'Donnell
JOURNAL REPORTER




Nancy Rea (2001 photo) and her husband, David, were childhood sweethearts.
(Journal File Photo)



BERMUDA RUN

In 1992, Nancy Rea learned that she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Most people with ALS die less than five years after their conditions are diagnosed.

A strong faith, the will to see her children grow up and good medical care helped Rea buck the odds, friends and family said.

On June 24, Rea, 51, lost her struggle with the disease. She died at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center after a short bout with pneumonia.

“She couldn’t fight it off,” said David Rea, her husband of 31 years.

Rea is survived by four children, Sarah, Alissa, Mary Justin and Thomas, and scores of friends who continued to seek her advice even though the disease severely limited her ability to communicate.

Karen Dalton was one such friend.

“I could tell by what she was thinking by a roll of her eyes, a little grin on her face,” Dalton said. “I always went over there for therapy. She just helped me, even with small things.”

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The disease is marked by progressive muscle weakness that results in paralysis. There is no cure.

Within two years of her diagnosis, Rea was wheelchair-bound. Eventually, muscle weakness and paralysis spread throughout her body.

Despite her physical limitations, Rea stayed active. Using a special computer, she spent long hours typing e-mails to family and friends. She traveled with her family around the United States and to Europe. Not long ago, she met Katie Couric at an ALS gala in New York.

A few weeks before Rea got pneumonia, she and her family went to see Roger Waters, the former singer for Pink Floyd, in concert in Chicago.

“She just wanted to see as much as life and be around her kids as much as possible. She was determined she was going to beat the odds, and she certainly did,” said Susie Marion, a longtime friend.

Since 2000, Rea’s friends and family rallied on her behalf to form one of the largest teams for the annual “Walk to D’Feet ALS” in Winston-Salem. Money from the walk is used for ALS research and to support programs coordinated by the state’s ALS association.

The team, dubbed “Reas of Sunshine, Reas of Hope,” sometimes had as many as 300 walkers. Jerry Dawson, the president and chief executive officer of the Jim “Catfish” Hunter chapter of the ALS association, said Rea’s teams were among the biggest in the state. Her teams have raised more than $100,000 since they began walking seven years ago.

Marion said that the “Reas of Sunshine” will be at this year’s ALS walk, which will be Oct. 13.

“We have to carry on this legacy,” Marion said. “She was an amazing lady.”

Rea and her husband were strong supporters of the soccer program at Forsyth Country Day School. Their children played at the school, whose soccer stadium is called Nancy K. Rea Stadium. She was a fixture at games, watching them from her wheelchair on a platform near the press box, said Chris Turner, the school’s soccer coach.

An access road that leads from the parking lot to the stadium was built with Rea in mind, Turner said.

He said that the soccer teams will come up with a way to honor Rea this season.

“Definitely, there will be tributes from Forsyth Country Day’s end,” Turner said.

■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo’donnell@wsjournal.com.