Bill Sims Jr. dies after battling Gehrig's disease


By Paul Huggins
phuggins@decaturdaily.com · 340-2395

Bill Sims Jr. knew death was inevitable when diagnosed with ALS 21/2 years ago.

That day arrived Thursday at his home in Brentwood, Tenn.

Instead of living in fear, the former Decatur resident lived his last days to their fullest, continuing his lifelong desire to help others, friends said.

Mr. Sims, 43, used his situation to raise awareness about his "most cruel and ruthless disease." This included a fundraiser that brought in more than $153,000 toward finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Early on, talking to him he said, 'Look, there's no help for me. Really, all I want to do is get help for the people who are going to get ALS in the future,' " said Eugene Sartor, his friend for nearly 30 years.

Mr. Sims was great at everything he did, Sartor added — whether water skiing, competing in triathlons, helping employees improve their insurance and finances, or taking care of his family.

"Bill just had a beautiful smile, and you wanted to be around him," said lifelong friend Clint Shelton.

Mr. Sims was the son of Dr. Bill and Betty Sims of Decatur. He was a graduate of Decatur High School and Auburn University.

Mr. Sims, who was vice president of human resources for AmSurge Corp., didn't waste much time with self-pity, even though he had seen his grandmother die of ALS years earlier, and confided to Sartor that it would be the worst way to die.

Though the disease took away his ability to speak, he used a special computer to communicate. He wrote an Internet blog regularly — the last entry was June 4 — to encourage others to "never give up."

In May, he wrote of living in the present.

"Think about the moments in your life you vividly remember," Mr. Sims wrote. "Those are the times you were living in the moment.

"Living in the moment is easy during the significant moments of your life such as your wedding day, or during a great vacation. Most days don't have significant moments, though, and if you're not careful, the everyday fears, resentments, stress and distractions will rob you of your life."

Visitation is Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. at Brentwood Funeral Home, 9010 Church St. Funeral will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at Brentwood Baptist Church, 7777 Concord Road. Burial will be Monday at 10 a.m. in Woodlawn Cemetery in Nashville, 660 Thompson Lane.

Mr. Sims is survived by his wife, Tara, and two children, Will and Alli.

On the Net

www.msnspaces.com/bill sims

Afton Stephens


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Afton Stephens



Afton Stephens, born July 20, 1919 in Anna, Ill., and formally a resident of Sun Valley, quietly made her way to heaven on July 10, 2007.

Afton moved from Sun Valley to Bridgeview Estates in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she courageously and graciously battled ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease) during the last three years of her life. She was preceded in her passing by her husband, Dennis, and son, Gary.

Afton dearly loved her family, friends and church. Her smiling face, sense of humor, and loving personality will be greatly missed by her daughter, Nancy, son-in-law, Jeff, and grandsons, Rod and Maxwell.

Afton was very grateful for her friends and caregivers who visited and cared for her during her time in Sun Valley and at Bridgeview Estates.

Services for Afton were held at the New Palestine Christian Church in New Palestine, Ind., where she lived the majority of her life prior to moving to Sun Valley.





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Rogan, Louise E.


Louise Rogan, of Appleton, age 69 years, died on Wednesday, July 18, 2007, after a brave fight with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee. She was born June 20, 1938, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late Franklin H. and Alberta (Locklin) Frichtel. Louise graduated from Scranton Central High School in 1956 and attended University of Scranton Business. She married Edward A. Rogan on July 31, 1971, in Appleton, he preceded her in death on April 25, 1999. She was a member of St. James United Methodist Church and was in the choir. Louise was employed at Valley Packaging for over 10 years as a Clerical Services Manager and retired in 2006 as a Rehabilitation Support Specialist. Following retirement she enjoyed living with her daughter's family.


She is survived by her loving daughter, Anna Louise (Christopher) Bork, Antioch, Illinois; granddaughter, Jenna Bork; sister, Ethel A. Neary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; sisters-in-law: Joan Rogan, Scranton, Pennsylvania and Catherine A. Stawinsky, Virginia Beach, Virginia; nieces: Cheryl, Dawn Ann and Sharon; nephews: John, Jeremy, Mark and Christopher; great-nieces: Shana, Hannah, Kristen, Victoria and Halle; great-nephews: Seth and Timothy. Louise is further survived by other relatives and friends.


She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and a nephew Thomas Stawinsky, Jr.


The funeral service for Louise will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 21, 2007, at WICHMANN FUNERAL HOME with Deacon Larry Spohr of St. Bede Church, Ingleside, IL, officiating. Interment will take place at Highland Memorial Park. Visitation will be held on Friday at the funeral home from 4 - 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for the Antioch Rescue Squad and Les Turner Foundation (Lou Gehrig's).


WICHMANN FUNERAL HOME


537 N. Superior St.


Appleton 920-739-1231


www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com

Nurse Lynda loses fight for life



The mum-of-two worked for the NHS for over 40 years

View GalleryA caring nurse who dedicated her life to looking after people has lost her battle against a muscle wasting disease.
Lynda Forde, 61, of Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, suffered from a rapid form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

She died at St Catherine's Hospice surrounded by her loving family on July 16.

The mum-of-two worked for the NHS for more than 40 years and nursed patients suffering from HIV, AIDS, TB and even MND.

Her devastated daughter Louise Taylor said: "It broke my heart to see my mum suffering so much but throughout her illness she was so brave and never complained once."

She leaves behind her husband, a son, a daughter and two grandchildren.

Beach babe stole a Midwesterner's heart at a fair
By STEPHANIE HAYES
Published July 20, 2007



TEMPLE TERRACE - Jody McGregor's life was like two sides of a coin.

Heads: a miniskirt-clad beach bunny who dated a rock star and worked for a headline-making doctor.

Tails: a stay-at-home mom and elementary school teacher's aide who became a nurse.

She packed both sides into 55 years.

She succumbed Tuesday to Lou Gehrig's disease. But her mind was sharp and vibrant, like the girl Peter McGregor met in 1969.

It was at a county fair dance in Ohio. Jody was 18, on vacation from Tampa. She dodged the $1 admission fee by sneaking in under the tent. Peter, 19 and Midwestern to the core, was struck by the beach babe. "To see a girl like that, it was like, wow," he said.

Twice, Peter asked Jody to marry him before he shipped out to Vietnam. Both times, she said "no way." While he was gone, Jody dated Henry Paul, guitarist and singer from the rock group Outlaws, Peter said.

Peter had to win Jody back. He unsuccessfully asked her out twice. The third time, she agreed.

He bought a blue Corvette with a white top, her favorite car. They got engaged in that car.

In the '70s, Jody got a job in the office of Dr. James Burt, a notorious Ohio gynecologist who performed illicit surgeries. Burt penned a 1985 book called Surgery of Love. Mafia bosses went to Burt with pregnant girlfriends in tow, Peter said. Jody would wonder who might stroll in next.

Jody and Peter house-sat Burt's mansion. Once, they didn't feed the birds in his atrium for two days - big mistake.

Jody bagged the dead birds and went to a pet store. "We need a refill," she said.

The couple moved to Tampa to care for Jody's father. She was a stay-at-home mom for 15 years, taking care of their two children.

She volunteered as an aide for special-needs students at Tampa Palms Elementary. She went to nursing school and worked at University Community Hospital.

Her tongue felt fat at dinner in 2001. Her speech slurred. Maybe it was the wine, they thought.

It was much worse.

Slowly, Lou Gehrig's disease took over. When she could no longer speak, Jody, Peter and a bunch of Jody's friends took sign language classes.

Jody guided Peter through life, helping him recover from haunting experiences in Vietnam.

She was his strength. And so, Peter was hers until the end.

At home and surrounded by family, she went peacefully.

Stephanie Hayes can be reached at shayes@sptimes.com or 727 893-8857.

BIOGRAPHY

Jody McGregor

Born: July 31, 1951

Died: July 17, 2007

Survivors: Husband, Peter R. McGregor; sons, Patrick, 26, and Steven, 22; brother, John Hargett, and his wife Charlene; sister, Linda Hargett Cunningham, and her husband Albert.

Services: Memorial service at 2 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church of Tampa, 412 Zack St. Contributions to LifePath Hospice, 3010 W Azeele St., Tampa.

Iconic humorist Fontanarrosa dies


Fontanarrosa, aged 62, yesterday entered a health institution in his hometown Rosario because of a respiratory deficiency, but doctors were not able to help him given his deteriorated condition and the advanced stage of crippling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
He was creator of many famous stories and cartoon characters including Boogie, el aceitoso, a James Bond parody, and his greatest success Inodoro Pereyra, El Renegáu which in recent times had to be sketched by his colleague Oscar Salas based on Fontanarrosa’s dialogues.


http://www.buenosairesherald.com/arg...hideIntro=true

Jarrod Cunningham loses battle
Former top rugby player dies aged 38
- NZPA | Monday, 23 July 2007


Hawke's Bay rugby star Jarrod Cunningham lost a long and brave battle against motor neurone disease when he died last night.


The 38-year-old 1990s' fullback and Hawke's Bay points record holder died hours after doing his regular fitness and exercise programme with physio Mark Foote.

On Saturday, Cunningham defied his illness, insisting on going ahead with an invitation to officially open the refurbished Havelock North Rugby clubrooms.

At that function the Hawke's Bay premiership-leading side paid him emotional tribute with the Ngati Kahungunu haka, Tika Tonu.

His father, Hilton, had performed similar duties when the clubrooms originally opened.

Also on Saturday, Cunningham attended a fundraiser for him at Cinema Gold in Havelock North.

Long-time Havelock North and Hawke's Bay team-mate and current Havelock North coach Murdoch Paewai said today the haka was organised by Cunningham's good friend, Conrad Waitoa.

None anticipated it would be the symbolic last time the club stalwart would see it.

Cunningham learned of his illness while playing in England.

"He was competitive in everything he did," Paewai said.

"He enjoyed running the ball, he didn't like to kick, and if he ran it, he wanted us there for support. We got used to it."

Good friend and former Havelock North team-mate Adman Harvey said today the muscle-wasting disease had become "really bad" recently, but "Jarrod went down fighting".

"He was the most stubborn and determined person I ever knew. . . he just wanted to do those things," Mr Harvey said of the Saturday clubroom opening and fundraiser.

Cunningham was one of few players to score more than 2000 points in first class matches.

In New Zealand he scored 998 points in 77 games for Hawke's Bay between 1990 and 1998, and 173 for Central Vikings in the Hawke's Bay-Manawatu NPC merger.

He was an All Black trialist, a Maori All Black, played Super 12 for the Hurricanes and the Blues, and finished his playing days in England with London Irish.

He turned down lucrative offers aimed at luring him away from Hawke's Bay and Havelock North, his only club in New Zealand.

In England, Cunningham played with the disease in 2001.

He married Englishwoman Carrie Gustafson in 2003 and with her returned to New Zealand, where the Jarrod Cunningham Charitable Trust was set up to help him and others stricken by motor neurone.

A date has not yet been set for the funeral.

Timothy Gallagher
GALLAGHER Timothy Gallagher Vietnam veteran, of Sayreville, 63 Timothy Gallagher, age 63, of Sayreville passed away Thursday, July 19, 2007, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, surrounded by his family. Funeral services will be Monday, 8:45 a.m., from the Carmen F. Spezzi Funeral Home, 15 Cherry Lane, Parlin, with a 9:30 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Victories R.C. Church in Sayreville. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Born in Jersey City, Mr. Gallagher lived in Sayreville for the past 20 years. Before his retirement, Tim worked as an institutional clerk on Wall Street for 30 years. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of Vietnam. Mr. Gallagher was a communicant of Our Lady of Victories R.C. Church in Sayreville. Surviving are his wife of 24 years, the former Adeline Casazza; his sons, Sean and his fiance, Joanne Graci, of Old Bridge, Timothy of Sayreville, Robert and his girlfriend, Kate, of East Brunswick; his granddaughter, Tyanna; his siblings, Dennis and his wife, Eleanor, of Belford, Helen Kokoszka of Linen, Laurence and his wife, Kelli, of Parlin; his nieces and nephews, Brian Gallagher, Melanie Wilkins and her husband, Kevin, Cynthia Rizzi and her husband, Gary, Renee Kokoszka, and Rebecca Gallagher, and his great-nephews, Dennis Wilkins and Alexander and Nicholas Rizzi. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Tims name to the ALS Society.
Published in the Star-Ledger from 7/20/2007 - 7/21/2007.

07.24.2007
"Star Trek II" Writer Mourned


Jack B. Sowards, who scripted what many fans consider to be the best "Star Trek" movie, has died at the age of 78. Sowards wrote the screenplay for "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and also shares "Story by" credit on the movie with Harve Bennett.
A few years after "Khan," Sowards also contributed to Star Trek: The Next Generation by writing the second-season episode "Where Silence Has Lease."

Sowards died on July 8 of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and lung disease. He was living in the Valley Village community of Los Angeles.

Sowards was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1929, joined the Marines after World War II in 1947, and then studied theater at the University of Texas at Austin. He moved to Hollywood in 1954 to pursue an acting career and found roles in low-budget war movies, local theater productions and TV shows including Peyton Place. He turned to writing and producing for TV in the 1960s, and became writer/story editor for Bonanza, High Chaparral, Daniel Boone, The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and The Streets of San Francisco. In later years he taught screenwriting at UCLA. He is survived by four children, two grandchildren, and a sister.

LeRoy Walters


WALTERS, LeRoy 1936-2007
A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:00 am Friday, July 27th, 2007 in Christ the King Catholic Church in Milwaukie for LeRoy Walters, who died July 23 of A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's) disease. Visitation will be 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 26th with prayers at 7:00 pm at Lincoln Memorial Park and Funeral Home.

LeRoy Walters was born August 23, 1936 in Sebecka, Minn. He served three years in the army in Germany. He moved to Milwaukie in 1978 with his family and worked 20 years for United Grocer's, retiring in 1998. Survivors include his wife, Katherine, married 48 years; son Mark; daughters Monica McBride, Michelle Nelson; eight grandchildren; brother Ernie Walters; and sister Darlene Hauser. Remembrances to ALS Association of Oregon. Arrangements by Lincoln Memorial Park and Funeral Home.
Published in The Oregonian on 7/26/2007.