Margaret Ann Schmierer
September 11, 2008

Margaret Ann (Skartveit) Schmierer, 65, of Great Falls, a social/customer service worker, died of cancer and Lou Gehrig's disease Tuesday at Peace Hospice.
Her memorial service is 11 a.m. Saturday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Glendive. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O'Connor Funeral Home.
Survivors include her husband, Harold Schmierer of Great Falls; a daughter, Debbie L. Schmierer of Vancouver, Wash.; sons David W. Schmierer of Bozeman and Darrell S. Schmierer of Billings; a sister, Karen M. Lord of Ulm; a brother, Roger W. Skartveit of Helena; and three grandchildren.

Tragedy as 17-year-old girl is found dead
Sep 11 2008 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser



A BRAVE teenager who battled Motor Neurone’s Disease died at her home on Sunday.

Emma Berry Goodman, 17, was the youngest person in Britain to suffer the illness that claimed the life of Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone.

Yesterday (Wednesday), her family told how they were shattered by the death of the sixth-year Larkhall Academy pupil.

Speaking from her home in Larkhall’s Pentland Crescent mum Elaine (44) told the Advertiser: “She went to sleep on Sunday, woke up for a drink during the night and went back to sleep again and she never woke up again.

“I was totally shocked when I found out Emma had died.

“On the Friday night she went to a disco and the day before she died she was watching King Kong on TV with her family.

“Before she died, she was doing her hair, her make up and getting her nails painted.

“She was just like any normal teenager and lived life to the full and partied when she could.

“My daughter was brave and battled on to the very end, and never gave into it.

“She saw the good in everyone.”

At the age of 13, Emma was diagnosed with the illness that causes the degeneration of muscles

Along with her mum, she is survived by her step dad Ross, sister Sarah (13) and nine-year-old brother Connor.

Hundreds of people including family and friends at Larkhall Academy are expected to pay their respects to the popular schoolgirl when they attend her funeral at St Machan’s Church today (Thursday) at 10am.

Elaine said that Emma was the SEVENTH person in her family to died from the disease.

She added: “A doctor at Yorkhill Hospital said Emma was unique.

“He had never heard of anyone so young to suffer from MND.

“It’s usually older people who get the condition.

“Emma was a perfectionist.

“She had even planned her own funeral. She told us what flowers to get and she wanted the Braveheart theme tune played when her coffin leaves the church.

“She loved the films and the music and would love it if all the men who went to her funeral were dressed in kilts.

“I would just like to thank everyone who has helped, especially family, friends, all of Emma’s pals, the Marie Curie nurses and Rachel House.”

Her grandfather James Ma cAulay also paid tribute Emma.

He said: “As far as I am aware, she was the youngest person in Scotland and the youngest person in Britain to suffer from the disease.”

Emma was a former pupils of Craigbank Primary and Glengowan Primary Schools.

She also was a pupil of the Linda Paterson School of Dance in Hareleeshill, Larkhall.

Emma was a big Rangers fan and got to meet her hero, Nacho Novo. She liked all kinds of music, especially dance group Ultrabeat, and American rapper Kanye West and went to T in the Park in 2007.

Emma had featured many times in the Advertiser over the years.

In January, we reported how she held an art exhibition at the school in a bid to raise money for MND and Rachel House.

At the time we pictured her with support assessor Eleanor McLarn, art teacher, Laura Bernstein at the display at the artwork.

At the Academy, Emma took part in a enterprise project called “A Gift From the Heart”, where she designed Christmas Cards and sold photos to raise cash for the charities.

The Advertiser also featured a fund-raising event to help send her on a special trip to Florida with her family.

Emma was looking forward to going back to the Academy for her sixth year.

Head Teacher of Larkhall Academy, Tom Dingwall, paid tribute to Emma and describe her as an excellent, cheerful and charming pupil.

He added: “The school was saddened to hear that one of its own Emma Goodman has passed away.

“Emma had fought Motor Neurone Disease and gained the admiration of all who knew her.

“Emma was a star pupil getting ‘A’ grades for attitude from all of her teachers.

“She wasn’t just hard working, she was brave in overcoming painful physical difficulties to do her very best.

“She was an excellent pupil: cheerful, charming, positive in her contributions and kind and thoughtful in her remarks.

“She overcame adversity to win several school awards for endeavour and citizenship.

“She truly inspired all who knew her and is sadly missed.”

Elaine’s best friend Alison Corbett said: “Emma was a bubbly and vivacious young girl.

“Everyone is shocked by what has happened. She was a happy girl, well loved and everyone will miss her.”

Craig Stockton, chief executive of Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association said: “As far as we are aware, Emma is the youngest person in Scotland to have the disease.”



http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/...1525-21792555/

Nancy Holberg
obituaries
Article Last Updated: 09/11/2008 08:11:48 AM PDT


Nancy Marie Holberg of Fort Bragg died Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 after a five-year fight with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Born on Feb. 16, 1957 to Oscar and Myra Price, she was 51. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.
Nancy graduated from Fort Bragg High School in June 1975. She worked at Georgia-Pacific and Acme Automotive. The work she loved most was being a school bus driver for Fort Bragg Unified School District, as well as a teacher's aide. Nancy loved to camp with her family and go on road trips to Idaho. She was also an avid reader.

Nancy is survived by her husband of 24 years, Don Holberg; children, Jessica and John; brother, Charles Price and his wife Cris, and nieces, Lindsay and Kelsey; brother, Dean Price and Sharon, and brother, Ron Price. She is also survived by her mother-in-law, Eleanor Holberg, and sister-in-law, Nancy Holberg Caster and her husband Dennis, as well as many family members and friends.

Immigrant made San Pedro better
By Donna Littlejohn, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/17/2008 10:01:43 PM PDT


Al Galletti is remembered for his love of San Pedro.


Al Galletti, an Italian immigrant who landed in San Pedro in 1959 with $20 in his pocket and went on to become one of the town's most prominent citizens, has died following a long battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Born Oct. 1, 1937, in Terrasini, Sicily, he died Sept. 16 at his Rancho Palos Verdes home surrounded by his family. He was 70 years old.

Galletti, the son of a fisherman, arrived in San Pedro shortly after his marriage to Sarah Briguglio on July 11, 1959. The couple raised four children in the seaside community.

He leaves a legacy that has touched San Pedro's fishing industry, its hospital, the local schools, real estate and charities (Galletti helped launch the popular annual fundraiser "Night of A Thousand Stars" for his parish, Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church.)

"He loved San Pedro and was always trying to see how he could make it better, how he could get more people to come here," said his granddaughter Heidi Basch, 26.

"I think he'll be remembered as someone who had a presence - you knew when he walked into a room - but also as someone who valued family and having family close by."

Galletti began his career as a butcher in a local supermarket. By 1970, he opened Galletti Fine Meats and Seafoods, a chain of retail markets throughout Southern California.

He built up his own business, Galletti Brothers Foods, which at one point was the nation's largest processors and distributors of fresh and

frozen seafood.
He also developed Pacific Fresh Foods.

Galletti was appointed to the California State Fish and Game Commission in 1978 by Gov. Jerry Brown. During his 12-year tenure, Galletti provided insight from a commercial fishery perspective on the state's marine resources.

In 1981, he was selected chairman of the California State Wildlife Conservation Board, where he was instrumental in protecting the California condor as an endangered species.

He also was appointed in 1982 by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce to serve on the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

But it is Galletti's impact on his adopted hometown that probably will be most remembered.

He was one of the key investors and creative minds behind the building of the 226-room Doubletree Hotel built in 1989 at San Pedro's marina.

He managed the hotel's freestanding restaurant, the Madeo, and was a talented cook in his own right, making Sunday dinners for his family.

"He was always making the most amazing dishes of pasta," his granddaughter said. "He loved good food. He was always looking for the `perfect' tomato."

Basch said Galletti often treated his large family to vacations, loved to dance - "no one could cut a rug like my grandfather" - and was especially fond of the music of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and other "rat pack"-generation crooners.

When he was diagnosed in 2000 with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, he carried on, surprising his doctors and beating the odds. Most patients with the neurodegenerative disease die 11 months after the diagnosis.

Galletti is survived by his wife, Sarah; his children, Maria Basch, Lina Palma, Sammy, and Joey; two brothers, Buddy and Joe; a sister, Angie Fischer; and eight grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 4 to

7 p.m. Friday at McNerney's Mortuary, San Pedro. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Saturday at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, San Pedro. Burial will follow at Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes.

The family requests that donations be made to The Al and Sarah Tribute Fund, c/o The ALS Association, Greater Los Angeles Chapter, P.O. Box 565, Agoura Hills, CA 91376-0565.

donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com

Paul L. Denesha, 61, Philadelphia
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008
PHILADELPHIA — A prayer service for Paul Leland Denesha, 61, Town Line Road, will be at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at Cummings Funeral Service.

Mr. Denesha died Wednesday morning at Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Syracuse, where he had been a patient since Sept. 12.

There are no calling hours.

Donations may be made to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Center at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Department of Neurology, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13601.

Carolyn Ruth Couey
DOB: 11/30/50

Diagnosed: 12/05
Earned wings: 9/13/08

Whittington's father dies
staff report

WNBA


Mansoor Mohammed, the father of Indiana Fever rookie and former William Fleming standout Khadijah Whittington, died Saturday at a Hampton hospital.


Mohammed, 57, had Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and had been in the hospital’s extended-care unit since 2003. Mohammed, formerly Marvin Whittington, had suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since Whittington was in high school.


Funeral services were held Tuesday in Roanoke. Khadijah Whittington, a former North Carolina State star, has rejoined the Fever, which will begin play in the WNBA playoffs tonight.

Dr. Sheila Anne Williams 2008-09-19

By



Dr. Sheila Anne Williams

Dr. Sheila Anne Williams died on the 3rd of September, 2008 at Spalding Regional Hospital of ALS, diagnosed in January 2007. Born, Sheila Nicol on the 23rd of September, 1952 in Harare, Zimbabwe; she married Jonathan in 1974. She graduated as a medical doctor in Zimbabwe and practiced in Zimbabwe, India, Niger (with Peace Corps); and in both Florida and Georgia. She loved to work with seriously ill people in hospitals to whom she brought a high standard of care and caring. In Georgia, she worked with the Fayette Medical Clinic and then with the Piedmont Hospital Group, both in Atlanta and Fayetteville.
She is survived by her mother, Thelma Nicol of Johannesburg, South Africa; her brother, Athol and his family, also in Johannesburg; and sister, Pam Simon and her family in Brisbane, Australia; her children, Kitty and Charlie Waters, Elise, Zander and Suzy will miss a great mother and Jon, the love of his life.
The Williams family is truly grateful for all the people who have helped with meals, company and encouragement during the past years of her illness. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the The ALS Association, 27001 Agoura Road, Suite 250, Calabasas Hills, CA 91301 or call (888) 949-2577 or online at www.alsa.org in memory of Dr. Williams.
A memorial service for Dr. Sheila Williams will be conducted on Monday, September 22, 2008 at 4:00pm at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 132 N. 10th Street, Griffin, Georgia 30224, 770-227-4453. The Reverend Nancy Shepherd will officiate. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.

L. Mel Davenport III
L. Mel Davenport III
SPARTANBURG, SC-- L. Mel Davenport III, 62, a native of Spartanburg, died, September 17, 2008, at Spartanburg Regional Hospital.
He courageously battled A.L.S., also known as Lou Gehrig's disease for the past four years.
Born June 30, 1946 in Spartanburg, he is a son of Martha Wheaton Davenport and the late Luna M. Davenport II.
He graduated from Spartanburg High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Davenport was retired from the Felters Group where he was Product Development manager. He was a member of Morningside Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Martha Saul Davenport. He is also survived by his two children; a son, Drew Davenport and daughter-in-law, Mandy Davenport, of St. Simons Island, Georgia; a daughter, Elizabeth Davenport of Atlanta, GA; three grandchildren, Addison, Will, and Joseph Davenport, all of St. Simons Island, GA; two sisters, Barbara Morris and husband Harry, and Lee Crowe and husband George, all of Spartanburg; a brother, Philip Davenport and wife, Laura, of Columbia and several nieces and nephews.
The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to Trena Shelton Rice, his caregiver and Spartanburg Regional Hospice for all of their love and support.
There will be a graveside service on Saturday, September 20, at 10:00 AM at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens with the Reverend Dr. Kirk H. Neely, presiding. The family will greet friends following the service at graveside.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the South Carolina Chapter of the ALS Association, 1064 Gardner Road, Suite 101, Charleston, SC 29407.
Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.jmdunbar.com.
Dunbar Funeral Home
And Crematory

Founder of Gorge conservation group dies at 76
by Wade Nkrumah, The Oregonian
Friday September 19, 2008, 6:08 PM



Nancy Neighbor Russell, who co-founded Friends of Columbia Gorge, died this afternoon at age 76.

Russell was Portland-raised and a life-long Oregonian who loved to hike and had a strong affection for wildflowers.


Nancy Russell at Multnomah Falls, in an undated photograph.She was surrounded with family at her Southwest Portland home when she passed away about 2 p.m. She had been diagnosed several years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Sally Russell Russenberger, a daughter who lives in Bend, said her mother had a contagious can-do spirit.

"I've run into so many who are committed to making the world a better place -- environmental issues, social issues -- and the one thing that consistently people will says is, how inspirational mom and her work has been to them," Russenberger said.

"Certainly, as her daughter," Russenberger added, "again and again, you look at something and you say, 'Oh that's such a good idea.' ... And mom is really the person who, in so many people, I think, has instilled ... 'It's possible.'"

Survivors include three daughters, Russenberger, of Bend; Wendy Gerlach of Portland; and Alison Russell; a son, Aubrey, of Portland; a brother, Robert B. Neighbor, of Portland; a sister, Betsy Neighbor Smith, of Portland; and seven grandchildren. Russell was preceded in death by husband, Bruce.

A public memorial service will be Oct. 5 at the Portland Art Museum.

-- Wade Nkrumah; wadenkrumah@news.oregonian.com