Michael Gene Wilkinson

Michael Gene Wilkinson was born November 14, 1950 in Oklahoma City, OK and died November 16, 2008 in Austin, TX after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Mike was a devoted father and husband, and an advocate for children, working as a school teacher before founding the Kids Exchange, an Austin non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating visitation for children of divorced parents. Later in life, he worked at Dell Computers in Round Rock, TX. Wilkinson loved the outdoors and vacationing in Alaska. He was an avid bicycler, fisherman and kayaker, and he shared these passions with his oldest daughter Rachel. A proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma and a huge football and basketball fan, he traveled throughout the country to watch his beloved Oklahoma Sooners, and he made sure his son could sing the OU fight song before he could talk. Wilkinson was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Harrell Wilkinson and Eugene Andrews Wilkinson, and two brothers, Larry Kevin Wilkinson and Gordon Wilkinson. He is survived by his wife, Michele Morgan, and their three children - Rachel Joy (10), Emily Grace (7) and Zachary Michael Bud (4) - all of Austin; three sisters, Lanola "Sissy" Borin of Dallas, TX, Billie Sue McEntire of Sedona, AZ and Beverly Thrasher of Phoenix, AZ; and a brother, Russell Harrell "Rusty" Wilkinson, Jr. of Princeton, LA., and; many extended family members and friends. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, November 23 at St. Matthew's Episcopal, 8134 Mesa Dr., Austin, TX with military honors being rendered by the US Army. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the University of Oklahoma Foundation, 100 Timberdell Rd., Norman, Oklahoma 73019, ALS Association of Central Texas, 6800 Park Ten Blvd., Suite 220N, San Antonio, Texas 78213 or Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78759. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com

Passing of PDG Jay Kapner
November 24th, 2008 in Rotary Shares


Jay Kapner, a lover of family, music, and community and world service, died peacefully at his home on Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 59.
Jay was a loving and devoted husband and father. When Jay was 21 he married wife Lee, his college sweetheart, and in their 38 years of marriage they lived in Wilmington, Boston, Connecticut, and Atlanta, spent 5 months traveling across America in a Dodge van, attended almost 250 concerts, visited three continents, and built a life based on love, commitment, and respect. Jay adored his children, daughter Tamar and son Daniel, and was a deeply committed and caring father. Jay had many wonderful memories in life, and some of his favorite were spending a month with Lee in Italy, taking a road trip with his daughter to see Arlo Guthrie in concert, traveling through Japan with his son and going together on a jazz quest to Charleston, backpacking nearly the entire Appalachian trail, seeing the Beatles’ childhood homes in Liverpool, and watching his children and grandchildren grow.

Jay dedicated his life to service above self – to his local and world communities. Through his involvement with Rotary International, including serving as District Governor of Eastern North Carolina, Jay traveled to India to give children polio vaccinations and bring a village clean drinking water; traveled to Mexico to build houses for the homeless; and promoted AIDS awareness, disaster relief, and the importance of public service. Jay regularly volunteered with homeless and domestic violence shelters, served as a youth adviser with the B’nai Brith Youth Organization, built houses with Habitat for Humanity, volunteered to help preserve Masonboro Island, and worked as a youth counselor in prisons and counselor for drug addicts. Jay was a dynamic and inspirational leader - he lived to serve others and was guided by a duty to help heal the world.

Jay was born in 1949 in Brooklyn and raised in Massapequa, NY. He received a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and master’s degree from Springfield College. Jay was in the hotel and nightclub business for 24 years, and with Lee was former owner of the Greentree Inn, Yellow Rose Saloon, and Rockits Rhythm & Sports.

Jay is survived by wife Lee, son Daniel, daughter Tamar, son-in-law Frank, grandchildren Jacob and Esther, sister Wendy, brother-in-law Richie, nephews Josh and Avi, and parents Rabbi Nathan and Pearl Kapner. His life will be celebrated and missed.

Funeral services will be conducted on Monday at 2:30PM at Dressler’s Funeral Home in Atlanta, GA. A memorial service will be conducted in Wilmington at a date TBA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ALS Association of Georgia.
http://www.alsaga.org/

Pensacola loses a swimmer's best friend,
Pensacola loses an icon

1 If you have lived in Pensacola and love to swim, chances are Dotty Whitcomb met you.

In fact, she may have inspired you.

Whitcomb, 79, probably Pensacola's biggest iconic figure in amateur swimming, died earlier this month after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. A memorial service will be conducted Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Few people tugged hearts like Whitcomb, who moved to Pensacola nearly a half-century ago with her husband, John. He founded Sacred Heart Children's Hospital.

The couple spent their life caring about people.

Whitcomb cared deeply about swimming and its many benefits. She was declared the "Mother of Swimming" in Pensacola, inducted into the Pensacola Sports Association Hall of Fame in 2005. From 1981 until 2005, Whitcomb was the aquatics coordinator at Pensacola Junior College.

Whitcomb is credited with helping high schools start swim programs. She taught swimming at the YMCA. She wrote about swimming once a month for the News Journal. Whitcomb is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.

She was a true leader. Her legacy will be everlasting.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20081125/SPORTS/811250335

Larry Lloyd

Mr. Larry Lloyd, age 73 of Peachtree City, died November 23, 2008 after a long struggle with Lou Gehrig's disease.
He is survived by his wife Anita; stepson Keith George Baron Stewart; brothers Ronald & Delores Lloyd of McDonough, David & Donna Lloyd, and Steve & Mary Lloyd of Palmetto.
Mr. Lloyd was a Korean War veteran with the United States Navy. He later served as assistant to Governor Carl Sanders and worked in both his election campaigns. He was the "advance man" for President Lyndon Johnson's campaign and well as Governor Lester Maddox's Advisory Committee.
Larry was well known under the Gold Dome, as he had been an integral part of the Capitol's inner workings for many decades. He was truly a servant to the people, always working for the betterment of Georgia. He worked as an aide to Senator Terrell Starr, the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate and was famous for his ability to provide assistance for legislators, senators, and staff during hectic legislative sessions. His wisdom and experience led Lt. Governors Pierre Howard, Mark Taylor, and Casey Cagle depended on him for advice.
His love for golf was exhibited as he became a founding member of the Cannongate Golf Country Club. He was proud of fact that he had a zero handicap for 30 years as well as having 18 “holes-in-one.”
Funeral services were held Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM at the Peachtree City United Methodist Church with remains placed in state at 12:00 P.M. Pastor Herzen Andone officiated. Burial followed at Westminster Memorial Gardens. The family received friends Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home.
Carl J Mowell & Son, Fayetteville – www.mowellfuneralhome.com

Sheppard Mullin Mourns Loss of Partner Carlton Varner


Last update: 2:56 p.m. EST Nov. 25, 2008
LOS ANGELES, CA, Nov 25, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Carlton A. Varner, an Antitrust partner who had been with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP since 1972, passed away November 21, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was 61.
"Our firm is deeply saddened. Carlton was a distinguished antitrust lawyer with a keen intellect, and a person of enormous integrity. In recognition of his character, practicality and good judgment, Carlton was called upon by his partners to serve the firm in a number of managerial capacities. He showed his devotion to the firm by accepting, and excelling in, those assignments," said Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm. "Carlton was also a caring person, who took an authentic interest in the people around him. He was a steadfast husband and father. Carlton's passing leaves an enormous void for all of us at Sheppard Mullin."
Varner was Sheppard Mullin's chairman from 1991 to 1998 and a member of the firm's executive committee until 2006. He was also chair of the State Bar of California's Antitrust and Unfair Competition section and chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Antitrust section. Additionally, Varner was vice president of the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
Commented Gary Halling, the firm's Antitrust practice group leader, "Carlton was a strong litigator with an excellent knowledge of the courts and judges. As a practical and scholarly attorney, his clients came to depend on his antitrust expertise and greatly enjoyed working with him. Carlton will be tremendously missed."
Born in 1947, Varner received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 1972 and a B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1969.
Varner specialized in antitrust counseling and litigation under both state and federal antitrust laws, and other types of complex business litigation. He represented clients in antitrust cases arising from the enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as unfair competition, price fixing, monopolization, merger, joint venture and price discrimination matters in a wide range of industries including pharmaceuticals, health care, electricity, aerospace, and internet sales and distribution.
About Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 560 attorneys in 11 offices located throughout California and in New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanghai. The firm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego. Founded in 1927 on the principle that the firm would succeed only if its attorneys delivered prompt, high quality and cost-effective legal services, Sheppard Mullin provides legal counsel to U.S. and international clients. Companies turn to Sheppard Mullin to handle a full range of corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.

Remembering Judy Mullin
By Brian P. Nanos
Tue Nov 25, 2008, 04:09 PM EST

Scituate -

For many years, Judy Mullin’s house on Vernon Road seemed big enough.

That house was large enough to hold her and her husband Edward as they raised four children.

It had space enough, after those children moved out, to hold the countless trophies she won at sporting events and to serve as an inviting haven to others, children of family and neighbors, who needed someplace to go.

In recent years, it was comfortable enough to hold weddings and other functions held by Mullin’s now grown children, who would not consider holding these events without the woman who was confined to the house because of her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

But last weekend, after Judy Mullin died Nov. 20 at age 63, family, friends and neighbors — some people her family couldn’t recognize — came to the house to pay their respects to the woman who meant so much to themselves, their communities and their families. (See obituary on page 11.)

“It was the only time that I ever thought that this house wasn’t big enough,” Mullin’s daughter Vicki Mullin Gorelik said,

“She was literally involved in everything,” Mullin’s son Mike said.

In Scituate, Mullin was known as an avid tennis and golf player, director of the children’s choir and organizer of the Christmas pageant at St. Mary of the Nativity Church, a coach and a member of the board of directors of the Scituate Little League and a member of the Scituate Beautification Committee. She was Scituate High School girls tennis coach for nine years. She was the Archdiocese of Boston’s 2006 Woman of the Year.

“She just touched so many lives; there were so many facets to her,” said Ann Healy, Mullin’s friend and neighbor for more than 35 years

After Mullin was diagnosed with ALS in 2004, her family and friends began the annual Judy’s Walk for Hope to benefit continued ALS research. The walk has raised more than $160,000 for ALS research, and before the most recent event this October, Gorelik noted that most of the people who came to the walk over the years were people who had personal relationships with her mother.

Edward noted the large number of attendees at Judy’s funeral service Monday, Nov. 24, at St. Mary of the Nativity.

“The church was full,” he said. “I think it was pretty humbling to me, personally, that she meant so much to them. She touched their lives.”

Judy’s children remember her as an attentive mother, always keeping involved in their activities. They also remember her getting involved in the lives of other children who needed it.

“She wasn’t just a mother to us, she was a mother to the community,” Mike said.

Barbara Sullivan, another long-time friend and neighbor who described Judy as “bubbly” and “vivacious,” remembered Judy’s giving character.

“If anyone needed help she was the first one to do it,” Sullivan said.

After last weekend’s outpouring of support, Gorelik and the rest of the family have again seen the impact her mother has had on the lives of those in the community.

“She knew everybody and everybody knew her,” she said.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/scituate/...ng-Judy-Mullin

Billy Charles Ward

Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 ;

Billy Charles Ward, 73, of St. Augustine, Fla., died peacefully surrounded by his wife and family after a courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) Nov. 24, 2008, at his home.

He was born in Benton, Miss. He retired from the Michelin Tire Co. after 19 years of service. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps 1954-57 as an aviation specialist. He was a member of First United Methodist Church.

He had worked at the Kennedy Space Center from the first stage of the Saturn Rocket Project through Apollo 12 and the landing on the moon. He was one of the few members of the launch team to have his name included on a plaque that was sent to the moon.





After retirement, he and his wife owned and operated the Mountain House Restaurant. He was a member of the Lake Mont community in South Carolina. He was a volunteer firefighter for 10 years in River Falls, S.C.

Memorial services will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church, the Rev. Pat Turner-Sharpton officiating. Memorials can be made in his memory to Community Hospice, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257

He is survived by his wife, Julia; daughter, Charlene (Ron) Beymer, St. Augustine, Fla.; stepdaughter, Janet T. (Johnny) Austin, Belton, S.C.; son, Michael (Renee) Ward, Anderson, S.C.; two stepsons, Andrew (Vickie) Hollis, Charlotte, N.C., and Nathan (Melissa) Hollis, Greensburg, Pa.; sister, Trudy Babcock, West Palm Beach, Fla.; brother, Henry (Katie) Ward Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla.; grandchildren, Nicole and Alex Beymer, Reagan and Andie Hollis, and Emily and Ethan Hollis.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the team at Community Hospice for allowing him to fulfill his wishes to remain at home surrounded by loved ones. Special thanks to Donna and Christine for their special loving care.

Retired SMPD officer Riddering dead at 53
By Staff



A retired Santa Maria police corporal, who was active in the war against drugs, died on Thanksgiving after a 13-year battle with a debilitating disease.

Mark Louis Riddering of Nipomo, who worked for the department from 1989 to 1998, died Thursday from complications of Lou Gehrig’s disease, the police department announced Friday.

Riddering, 53, had battled Lou Gehrig’s disease, otherwise known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association.

He was diagnosed in 1995; symptoms forced him into medical retirement three years later.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at First Christian Church, 1550 S. College Drive, Santa Maria. Burial will follow at the Santa Maria Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mark Riddering fund at any branch of Rabobank, and the money will go to charities close to Riddering’s heart, his family said.

Arrangements are under the direction of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary and Crematory.

ALS claims Albany man
By AnneMarie Knepper
Albany Democrat-Herald
Joshua Mack’s family says he died ‘very peacefully’

Terri Thorpe would like to say thank you.

Her nephew, Joshua Mack, passed away Wednesday from Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 27.

“He fought a good fight,” she said. “We so very much appreciate the community’s support. Our family appreciates it.”

Family, friends and coworkers organized several fundraisers to help defer Mack’s medical costs after the Albany man was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in April. His great aunt, grandmother and mother have also succumbed to this particular strain of ALS.

Thorpe wants the community to know he went “very peacefully.”

“Thank you for all the prayers and the continued prayers for our family,” she said. “We’d like to think that it has ended with Joshua — but because it’s hereditary we just don’t know. Continued prayers would be wonderful.”

A celebration of life will be held at Fisher Funeral Home on Dec. 6, with the time to be announced. Following the service, there will be an open house at the Phoenix Inn.

The family is requesting that all friends and loved ones wear their “Never give up” T-shirts or sweatshirts, or other casual attire.



http://www.democratherald.com/articl...loc01_mack.txt

Martin John Broekhuysen, mathematician and poet
Martin John Broekhuysen lobbied Capitol Hill this year for the National ALS Registry.

By Jeannie M. Nuss Globe Correspondent / November 30, 2008
Text size – +
<!-- end tools -->
<!-- End utility --><!-- End headTools --> <!-- End articleHeader -->
Martin John Broekhuysen was no ordinary mathematician. He studied psychology, he sang baritone in a classical music chorus, he read Robert Frost and William Butler Yeats, and he wrote poetry.






In "For The Orators," he wrote: "Athenian boys train/ on questions, in a grove./ Words wrestle words,/ the clever theorems show."

Mr. Broekhuysen, a Cambridge-based teacher, poet, and mathematician, died on Nov. 17 - "a prime number," his wife noted - at his home in Cambridge, five years after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 67.

Mr. Broekhuysen was born in Bristol, Conn., and raised in Branford, Conn. He attended Branford High School.

He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics in the early 1960s from Harvard University in Cambridge, where he worked as the night editor for The Harvard Crimson. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Dartmouth College in 1965 and 1969.

Mr. Broekhuysen taught mathematics at Talladega College in Alabama while on a six-month sabbatical from graduate school.

"He was a real perfectionist," said his wife of 25 years, Jacqueline (Cohen) of Cambridge. "It took him 17 hours to prepare one lesson."

After he earned his doctorate, Mr. Broekhuysen spent most of his professional life as a computer software writer and editor.

"He's a plugger," his wife said. "Assiduous is the word."

Mr. Broekhuysen was a charter member of the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics, where he helped translate the original information-mapping software into prototypes of the sophisticated election-night projections used today in national elections.

He met his wife when they worked together at Harvard in 1980.

"We shared an office that used to be an apartment," she said. "I used to sleep under the desk, and he'd bring me coffee in the morning."

He left Harvard in 1984 to work for several Boston-based software firms, writing code and user manuals for some of the earliest operating systems.

Mr. Broekhuysen also worked with Amnesty International on behalf of prisoners of conscience in the 1970s and early '80s.

"He really believed in human rights," his wife said. "He felt it was very wrong to torture people for political reasons. Torture was just wrong, period."

After retiring from Lotus/IBM in Boston in 2002, his last job in the software industry, Mr. Broekhuysen taught math and science at Castle School in Cambridge, a residential school for troubled teenagers.

"Here's a guy who's trained in mathematics and kind of an engineering type, and none of it really excited him," his wife said. "He loved poetry, and he loved people."

His poetry appeared in several periodicals, including The Nation and Ararat, during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Mr. Broekhuysen wrote poems such as "How We Are Lived" that combined philosophy, history, and intellect: "The hill is bare/ where my father lies,/ no weight breaks/ the great heart there."

He also studied modern psychoanalysis at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, and was midway through certification when he was diagnosed with ALS in 2003.

"He was very interested in people," said his stepdaughter, Britt Medoff of Newton. "He was very interested in figuring out what made people tick."

Mr. Broekhuysen worked on behalf of ALS patients, lobbying on Capitol Hill this year for the National ALS Registry and for funds to study and treat veterans with the disease. He appeared in a national telethon and participated in a panel at Harvard Medical School.

His battle with ALS did not cause Mr. Broekhuysen to lose his sense of humor.

"He had a very dry sense of humor and he liked off-color jokes," Medoff said. "As he got sicker, he felt freer to tell them."


In addition to his passions for poetry and psychology, Mr. Broekhuysen also was very involved in music.

"He was trained on classical piano and violin and then rebelled," his wife said.

He sang baritone with the Spectrum Singers, a classical-music chorus in Boston; Norumbega, a group in greater Boston; the Bread and Puppet Domestic Resurrection Circus chorus in Glover, Vt.; and Village Harmony, a world folk music ensemble based in Plainfield, Vt.

"I remember seeing him singing in performances," Medoff said. "He had a very, very deep bass voice."

His family described him as eclectic, supportive, and honest.

"He was just a rock," said his daughter, Vera Martina of Cambridge. "He was the most supportive man I've ever met. He trusted people, and you trusted his opinion. You weren't worried about him soft-soaping you."

In addition to his wife, stepdaughter, and daughter, Mr. Broekhuysen leaves a sister, Nina Broekhuysen Garrett of Old Saybrook, Conn.; a stepdaughter, Lucia Huntington of Newton; and three grandchildren.

Services have been held.