Sandra E. Crannell, 64, Granville, formerly of Hammond
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008
HAMMOND — Sandra E. Crannell, 64, Granville, formerly of Hammond, died Tuesday at Indian River Nursing Home, Granville. She had been ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Granville Baptist Church.

In place of flowers, donations may be made to the South Glens Falls Marathon Dance Association, in care of Tom Myott, South High, 42 Merritt Rd., South Glens Falls, N.Y. 12803.

David Iles Sr.
Posted: Thursday, Oct 9th, 2008


David Bruce Iles Sr. died Tuesday, October 7, 2008, after a long battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was 61.

A native of Fresno, Mr. Iles lived in Watsonville for the past six years. He was a mechanical engineer in the Bay Area, and a Pentecostal Holiness pastor. He served at the Father’s House in San Jose, the Calvary Christian Fellowship in Fernley, Nev., and the Calvary Christian Chruch in Oakdale.

Mr. Iles is survived by his wife, Lita Iles; two sons, David and Burton Iles; sisters, Joyce Pennington and Candi Begay; four grandchildren and a cousin.

A graveside service will be held Friday at 1 p.m. in at the Felton Cemetery in Felton. Mehl’s Colonial Chapel has been trusted with burial arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the ALS Association Development Department, 27001 Agoura Road, Suite 250, Calabasas Hills, CA 91301.

David Guymon
Oct 08 08 - 08:45 AM
September 10, 1963~ September 29, 2008
“Mr. Dave”


David passed away Monday, Sept. 29, 2008, surrounded by angels and family in the Jordan Valley Medical Center, due to complications of ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

A loving father, son, brother, uncle, and fiancé, David blessed the world with his unforgettable sense of humor, his sharp wit, wisdom, leadership, and unmistakable smile.

As a Gospel Doctrine teacher in the LDS Church and a dedicated career social worker, “Mr. Dave” made the world an easier, more compassionate place to live in for everyone that met him.

Dave’s career and life’s work was spent working with at-risk children and youth. At 43, Dave put the capstone on his career, serving as the CEO of Manatee Palm Youth Services in Bradenton, FL, where his legacy as a compassionate human being was solidified in the hearts of his clients and staff. A lover of University of Utah football, chess, orange Gatorade, Chessmen cookies, and fine chocolate “vitamins,” as he referred to them.

Among those he said “Farewell” to on Earth are his son David Jr. and daughter-in-law McKenzie; his father Gary (Sharon L.); his siblings Mark (Kim), Paul (Channy), Darryl (Shanna), Shannon (Rodney) Hickman, Bruce (Amy), Jon (Lexi), and Laura (Charles) Allen; his many loving nieces and nephews who live for “Uncle Dave”; and the love of his life, his fiancée, Tammy Squires.

Dave is preceded in death by his mother Sharon May; grandparents; and Uncle Keith.

A private family viewing was held on October 3, followed by a public funeral service, both at the LDS Thirty-First Ward Building in Salt Lake City. Interment followed at Elysian Burial Gardens in Salt Lake City. Arrangements entrusted to Starks Funeral Parlor.

In lieu of flowers, there is an account at Wells Fargo Bank in the name of Gary W. Guymon for the benefit of the David W. Guymon Memorial Fund, which will be used for scholarships for at-risk youth—GO UTES.

Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.starksfuneral.com.

sjrnews@frontiernet.net

John Watson cooked up Big Foot, Cherry Blasters

October 10, 2008
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
(Oct 10, 2008)
John Watson left the world a sweeter place.

Literally.

The Dundas engineer developed the recipes and the machines to produce much-loved candies such as Big Foot, Sour Patch Kids, Fuzzy Peach and Cherry Blasters. He even brought Gummie Bears to North America, after meeting the French inventor at a candy convention.

Watson died at 78 on Aug. 31 after a year-long battle with an aggressive form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig's disease.

Watson was the general manager of the Malanco Licorice Company, partly owned by Allan Candy, located on Shaw Street in downtown Hamilton.

The company was later renamed M & A Candy, and in 1995 became part of Cadbury Canada with the purchase of Allan Candy.

(Allan Candy was bought by a private investment firm in 2007.)

Watson converted M & A's operations from a labour-intensive process to an automated one by designing machines to make licorice and moulded jelly candies.

Production then skyrocketed from 100 tons with 10 employees to 25,000 tons and 300 employees during his career.

The company soon needed more space and shifted manufacturing to the former John Deere plant on Ewen Road.

Watson added the production of starch-moulded candies like Cherry Blasters and Fuzzy Peach, which proved to be big sellers.

He didn't have much of a sweet tooth, so he would try out his new concoctions on sons Philip and Edward and their friends.

"He developed technology far ahead of its time," said son Phil. "It's kept that plant running and making money."

John McDonald, co-ordinator of apprenticeships at Mohawk College, worked as an electrician at M & A Candy for many years. He was also a close friend of Watson's.

"He basically design-built all the automated equipment himself in order that no other company would know the secrets. He was years ahead of his time in this aspect," McDonald wrote in an e-mail.

"When the economy became global, he was ready and could compete with the world. Their products were of a high quality, and through automation were economically produced."

Whenever wife Ruth would brag about her husband's achievements, he would quickly shift praise to employees in the plant.

"He would walk the factory floor to say good morning to everyone. He never missed a day. He loved his job and every employee," she said.

After he retired, Cadbury retained him as a consultant and he travelled to other countries to evaluate operations.

But his family says he struggled to come to grips with the fact that the small, family-like atmosphere at the plant had been swallowed up in a giant, corporate culture.

"Everybody who worked there just loved him," said Cal Taylor, a friend and accountant who worked with Watson for 20 years.

"It was a very successful division of Allan Candy, because of John. He was very good at what he did. He was always experimenting and coming up with new ideas."

Watson was born in India in 1930. His father was an English tea planter and his mother a native of India.

He left his homeland at 17, intending to study to become a doctor in England. When he was displaced from medical school by veterans returning from the war, he chose to study engineering at Leeds University. There he met Ruth, a Danish girl working as a nanny, at a school dance. They were married for 57 years.

After arriving in Canada, Watson worked at Northern Telecom in Montreal before coming to Hamilton for a job at Westinghouse.

In addition to designing homes and buying homes to fix up and sell, Watson was active in Rotary in his retirement.

He was especially proud of being part of the opening of the Wally Cattel Seniors Centre in Dundas. He was also a lifetime sponsor and former Canadian chapter president of Dr. Graham's Homes, a missionary school organization that educated him as a child in India.

Watson is survived by his wife Ruth, his two sons and daughters-in-law, six grandchildren and his sister Jane Datta of Dundas.

Allan Rosenfield, Dean Emeritus of Mailman School, Dies of ALS
By Alix Pianin
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 13, 2008

Allan Rosenfield, dean emeritus of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and a pioneer in maternal health, family planning, and HIV/AIDS research, passed away Sunday morning from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Rosenfield served as the dean of the Mailman School for 22 years before stepping down earlier this year. During his tenure, the school expanded its faculty and student body while also garnering more grant and research money than ever before. Mailman grew to be the second largest school at Columbia, and the third largest school of public health in the country.

After attending Harvard, Rosenfield received his medical degree from Columbia, where he returned in 1975 to teach. He served as chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology for two years before becoming dean in 1986.

As a leader in his fields, Rosenfield pioneered research on maternal mortality rates in developing nations, as well as on women’s reproductive rights and the spread of HIV/AIDS in mothers and children. He brought his research and treatment to sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, where he worked with organizations providing care to pregnant women and founded the Averting Maternal Death and Disability program.

Rosenfield also expanded Mailman’s work in the surrounding Washington Heights community, where the school now runs several clinics.

Rosenfield’s work, Mailman School vice dean Andrew Davidson said, was instrumental in shaping Columbia as a global university, as it brought University research into an international context.

“He did much to shape Columbia as a university with a global focus,” Davidson said. “A very large portion of the University’s global health research is focused in the School of Public Health because of Allan Rosenfield.”

Both Davidson and current dean Linda Fried described Rosenfield as a researcher who became a resounding voice for human rights advocacy both locally and internationally.
“He was a powerful advocate and often the only voice for reproductive rights for women in this country and around the world,” Fried said. “He was a really phenomenal man who was a visionary and completely dedicated.”

“This is no ordinary scientist or administrator,” Davidson said. “We have a leader who was not afraid to be an advocate. We have a leader who was not afraid to move into a global context. We have a leader who was not afraid to take on issues that society often differed strongly about.”

Gerald Lawhorn, 62, started the Griffin-based PetroSouth chain
By KEVIN DUFFY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

You can’t drive too far from Atlanta without seeing one of those gas stations — white with blue and red banding and an oval sign that says Petro.

South Georgia native Gerald Lawhorn started the Griffin-based PetroSouth chain in 1969. It grew to more than 300 locations in Alabama and Florida, as well as Georgia.

Enlarge this image


Family photo

Three years ago, Gerald Lawhorn learned he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Petro stations can be found in McDonough, Canton, Douglasville, Kennesaw and dozens of other towns.

Filling stations made Lawhorn rich and he lived well, buying rare antiques — including ornate furniture by John Henry Belter — and 1,777 acres near Albany called Cypress Pond Plantation.

The former Eagle Scout from Sylvester also lavished money on the Boy Scouts, purchasing 500 acres for a canoe base and another 200 acres later.

In the early 1980s, Lawhorn invented a system where gas could be bought at the pump using a credit or debit card. BuyPass the System, however, was slow to catch on, so it was sold to a Canadian company, National Business Systems.

Three years ago, Lawhorn learned he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease. It destroys a person’s ability to move, talk and eventually to breathe.

Lawhorn’s response was to start als-link.org, a Web site offering support to ALS sufferers.

The disease threw off his plans to retire to Cypress Pond Plantation and entertain quail-hunting friends. So he put the property on the market last year for $21 million.

Last week, it was still for sale when Lawhorn, 62, died at his home in Albany.

The funeral was held at Gillionville Baptist Church in his hometown. A celebration of his life is planned for Oct. 25 at the Gerald I. Lawhorn Scouting Base, a 2,400-acre recreation area in Molena, between LaGrange and Barnesville.

“It’s going to be upbeat,” daughter Leslie Neely said. “That’s what he wanted.”

.................................................. ......................................

http://www.ajc.com:80/metro/content/...horn_obit.html

Janet, 60, loses fight against motor neurone disease
Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 09:08


BRIXHAM restaurateur Janet Clark, formerly of Pilgrims, has died of motor neurone disease at the age of 60.
A stalwart of the port's Heritage Festival, the Friends of Furzeham Green and Brixham Action Team, the former nurse was a keen volunteer for community causes.
Her husband of 38 years, Chris, said: "A lot of people knew her not just from Pilgrims, but from the time she worked at Brixham Bouquets, Glovers the chemist and the café Nibbles.
"She finally lost her fight against this dreadful disease at Rowcroft Hospice and I can't thank the staff there enough, or the team at Compass House at Brixham, for their care."
The mother of two, who originally trained as an state registered nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, moved with her husband from London to Brixham 10 years.
%3Cbody%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3CA%20HREF% 3D%22http%3A//ads.anm.co.uk/ADCLICK/CID%3Dfffffffcfffffffcfffffffc/AAMSZ%3D452x118/SITE%3DTHISISSDEV/AREA%3DNEWS/SUBAREA%3DHOME/ARTICLE%3D397218/acc_random%3D646907538/pageid%3D/RS%3D%22%20target%3D%22_new%22%3E%3CIMG%20SRC%3D%2 2http%3A//iad.anm.co.uk/anmdefaultad.gif%22%20ALT%3D%22%22%20border%3D0%20 style%3D%22margin-bottom%3A%200px%3B%22%3E%3C/A%3E%3C/div%3EThey opened Pilgrims in Fore Street in partnership with their chef son, Simon.
The Clarks' daughter Liz recently flew home from her pharmacology job in Australia to spend time with her ailing mother.
Chris added: "The last few months have been very tough, especially after Janet lost her speech and then being unable to swallow."
Friend Pat Osborn, the Heritage Festival coordinator, said: "We will all miss her. She was such a quiet and elegant woman, who charmed all the restaurant diners. Our families became very close through all three generations."
It was the second recent tragedy for the Clarks. Janet's elderly mother was killed suddenly in a head-on crash near Totnes after another vehicle collided with the one she was in.
Chris added: "All Janet's family and friends are invited to the service at Torquay Crematorium on Thursday at 2pm.
"We have asked anyone who would like to donate in her memory to give to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. This can either be at the service, which is being conducted by Peter Haywood, or via Stockmans funeral directors in Brixham

Lorri Coppola, retired teacher who joined Olympic torch relay, dies at 68
By Jim Staats
Article Launched: 10/15/2008 04:02:40 PM PDT


Lorri Coppola, a retired San Rafael school teacher who participated in this year's Olympic torch relay to shed light on Lou Gehrig's disease, died Saturday after a three-year battle with the disease.

Miss Coppola, a resident of Greenbrae, died at Rafael Convalescent Hospital in San Rafael. She was 68.

A longtime teacher at Davidson Middle School, where she taught physical education and coached several teams, Miss Coppola dedicated the last years of her life to raising awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the crippling ailment known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

She remained active even though the illness took away her ability to speak and required a feeding tube attached to her stomach.

Miss Coppola, who had competed internationally in masters racewalking, achieved an athletic highlight in April as one of 80 individuals selected to carry the torch for the Beijing Olympics through a chaotic relay leg in San Francisco.

"That was an absolute dream come true for her," said her niece, Lorri Caffrey, of Cedar Grove, N.J.

San Rafael resident Pauline Ancell, part of a close-knit group of Miss Coppola's friends, said of her friend's tireless efforts to combat the disease, "she said since she had it, she's going to try to fight it for the next generation."

Born March 11, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Miss Coppola earned a bachelor's degree from Sargent College at Boston University and a master's degree in science and education from the State University of New

York at Cortland in 1967.
Miss Coppola is survived by her twin brother, Jim Coppola, of North Port, Fla.; three nieces and a nephew.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 15 at St. Sebastian's Church, 373 Bon Air Road in Greenbrae.

Friends and family requested donations be made in her honor to the ALS Association Greater Bay Area Chapter, 565 Commercial St., 2nd floor, San Francisco 94111.

http://www.marinij.com:80/marinnews/ci_10728428

GUGLIELMO PROVENZANO, 79
10/14/2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Guglielmo (Vinny) Provenzano, 79, a retired brick and stone mason, died Tuesday at his South Beach home after a brief battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Born in Vittoria, Sicily, Mr. Provenzano labored as a young man alongside his godfather. Together, they worked throughout Sicily constructing stone and marble buildings, primarily for churches and orphanages. He developed his craft in his early 20s, and brought his talent and skills before immigrating to the United States.

While living in Sicily, Mr. Provenzano was introduced to his wife of nearly 49 years, Margherita Biazzo. They wed in Vittoria in 1959.

Mr. Provenzano settled in South Beach in 1961 and became a union brick mason.

"He was often called upon to perform his skills on jobs that proved too difficult for others," said his sons, Robert and Eugene.

After retiring in the early 1980s, he built several homes in his South Beach neighborhood.

In his later years, his passion was spending time growing fruits and vegetables in his garden. He would often share its harvest among family and friends.

"He was a loving grandfather," said his daughter-in-law, Grace.

If he knew his grandsons, Dominic and Matthew, wanted a new bike or game, it was there the next day, she said.

Mr. Provenzano was a parishioner of Holy Rosary R.C. Church, South Beach.

In addition to his wife, Margherita; his two sons, Robert and Eugene, and his two grandsons, surviving are two sisters, Franca and Tina Provenzano.

The funeral will be tomorrow from the A. Azzara Funeral Home, South Beach, with a mass at 9:30 a.m. in Holy Rosary Church. Entombment will follow in Woodbridge (N.J.) Memorial Gardens.

Long time Fort Myers gymnastics coach dies (PHOTOS)
By GLENN MILLER • gmiller@news-press.com • October 17, 2008


Debbie Roe, a Fort Myers gymnastics coach for more than 30 years, died Thursday less than a year after being diagnosed with amytrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She had turned 57 on Tuesday.

In her finals weeks Roe’s her ex-husband, Carl Seits, and best friend and employer, Chris Brooks were with her.

“She never complained,” Seits said. “We had a serious talk about it. I told Debbie her brother (Gary) passed away with this and she said this is the way it’s going to be. This is the way it’s going to be until I die. I’m going to live my life."

Roe’s life for decades was coaching children for Brooks at Gymnastics World. She was known to generations of young gymnasts in Fort Myers as “Miss Debbie.”

“She touched so many lives,” said Brooks, who attended Fort Myers High with Roe in the 1960s.

Roe was diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease on Oct. 29, 2007. Her death caught many by surprise because of its swiftness.

“I have had so any calls from people saying what happened,” Brooks said. “They say it usually takes two to five years. I just can’t believe. It’s hard to know she’s not going to be there.”

Roe resided in her downtown Fort Myers apartment until Tuesday before being moved to Hope Hospice in North Fort Myers.

“I still feel like she’s here,” Brooks said. “I still can’t believe it. I’m thinking she had at least another year. You just never know.”

Brooks values the friend she met more than 40 years ago.

“I was very lucky,” Brooks said. “She taught me so much about living life to the fullest.”
Although Seits and Roe were divorced, they remained close.

“She loved kids and loved her job,” Seits said.”She was just so full of energy. You couldn’t slow her down”

She also loved Carl. They were married nine years and divorced in 2005.

“She said I was still her husband as far as she was concerned,” Seits said.
Roe was profiled in The News-Press in January.

“I just have it,” Roe said in January of ALS. “I’m not going to stop. I’m not going to let it get me.”

Roe coached thousands of children through the years.

“I just loved kids,” Roe said in January. “Never had any of my own and everyone I taught was just like my own.”

No services are planned at the moment. Brooks and Seits hope to have a memorial on Saturday, Oct. 25.


http://www.news-press.com:80/article...050/1002/RSS01