http://theprecis.com/blog Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:58:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en RECREATING THE CELEBRITY OBIT   by Katharine Blossom Lowrie One long, curly strip of dialogue Who can forget Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin, the grieving widower in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) as he struggles to find the precise words to describe his late wife to son Jonah (Ross Malinger, shown left with Hanks), who ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=271   CHARLES VAN JOHNSON August 25, 1916 to December 11, 2008   by Katharine Blossom Lowrie The perennial "guy next door" Despite his lightweight reputation as the perennial "guy next door" in musicals and comedies of the '40s and '50s, Van Johnson (above with Esther Williams in an MGM publicity still ) accrued first-rate reviews for ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=236 GOOD-BYE TO "HOT STUFF" A Belated Eulogy for Bill Stark 1935 to 2007   And so began the sitcom Bill and I divorced decades ago. So how did I end up folding his boxers, suffering his impatience, relinquishing the remote and sneezing from his cats? Esophageal Cancer. His third go-round. Sixteen years ago, a surgeon carved ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=222 HELEN CECILIA SPITZER September 24, 1922 to October 31, 2008   Family and friends, knowing Helen Spitzer's door was always open, flocked to the historic old Colonial at 2540 West Royalton Road over the years.  Helen's hospitality, all say, was as huge and welcoming as her generous heart. Unfortunately, that heart gave ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=178 WILLIAM PATRICK RUDD 1981 to October 5, 2008   Eight tours in service to his country  Sgt. William Patrick Rudd, 27, an Army Ranger who planned to go hunting with his father when he flew home to Madisonville, Kentucky for Thanksgiving, died Oct. 5th from wounds sustained while on combat patrol in northern Iraq. ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=169 PAUL L. NEWMAN January 26, 1925 to September 25, 2008   "There's a point where feelings go beyond words," Robert Redford said of the passing of his dear friend and favorite co-star, Paul Newman.  "My life - and this country - is better for his having been in it."  (The two are shown above in their ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=164 ATUL VYAS 1988 to September 12, 2008   He could quote whole episodes of South Park and Family Guy Atul Vyas, a brilliant physics and mathematics student, who planned to attend medical school after graduating from Claremont McKenna College in 2009, was one of 25 victims of the Chatsworth train crash on Friday, Sept. ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=155    JAMES WILLIAM "JIM" ADAMS June 8, 1955 to September 9, 2008   by Jeremiah Adams He died as a result of being stubborn [EDITOR'S NOTE: Some obituaries are just too good to pass up-even if we didn't write them. This gem, written by James Adams' son, Jeremiah, appeared in the Star Tribune in Casper, Wyoming on September 16, 2008.] A celebration of ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=152    DAVID NUNEZ June 16, 1980 to May 29, 2008 Flawed like the rest of us EDITOR'S NOTE: The following message, posted originally in Spanish by a woman named Gloria, was in reaction to a Los Angeles Times obituary devoted to Sgt. 1st Class David Nunez, 27, of Los Angeles, a member of the U.S. ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=145 ELIZABETH AILEEN CAMPBELL October 1, 1960 to July 20, 2008   An indomitable, spirit Elizabeth A. Campbell, Director of Women's Programs for Pacific Hills Treatment Centers in Dana Point - an indomitable spirit who breathed life, love and hope into those who had none - succumbed to lung cancer Sunday, July 20th. She was ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=124 FAOA L. APINERU 1976 to 2007 to August 3, 2008 Semper Fi Considerably after the fact It's strange how one Marine's death can affect so many - especially when it is acknowledged considerably after the fact. Such is the case with Faoa L. Apineru, 31, of Yorba Linda, a staff sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve, ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=140    CYD CHARISSE 1921 to 2008 Pure glamour and romantic escapism If you once sat enthralled by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals, the name Cyd Charisse evokes Technicolor images of pure glamour and romantic escapism, images that have long since passed into film history.  Shown above with Fred Astaire in MGM's The Band Wagon (1953), Charisse - ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=113 TIMOTHY JOHN RUSSERT JR. May 7, 1950 to June 13, 2008   by Katharine Blossom Lowrie  Meet the Best My sister called from Arizona that fatal Friday afternoon. "Tim Russert died," she exclaimed, the shock in her voice reverberating through the phone. "I'm in my car and just heard it on NPR. You were the ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=110 TONY SNOW & CLAY FELKER July, 2008 By Katharine Blossom Lowrie A grief that transcends politics Two partings in July: Tony Snow (above) and Clay Felker (left).  Of different generations, the two had little in common, other than journalism and cancer. Tony Snow, former press secretary to George W. Bush, died of colon cancer ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=118    SYDNEY POLLACK July 1, 1934 to May 26, 2008   by Katharine Blossom Lowrie He seemed taller in person I met Sydney Pollack back when I covered Hollywood as a freelancer for the LA Times Calendar section in the early 1980s. He seemed taller in person, distinguished, with a wide, welcoming grin. The event was ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=104   CORPORAL JOSEPH C. MCCARTHY March 21, 1983 to Sept. 6, 2004   [EDITOR'S NOTE: On this Memorial Day 2008, a U.S. Marine is remembered for his sweet heart and belief in future generations, a belief his family gives voice to through a foundation bearing their fallen hero's name.] "Hearts and minds, gents" Lance Cpl. Joseph C. ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=101      TIMOTHY MICHAEL SMITH Sept. 20, 1982 to April 7, 2008   Stop-Loss Stop-Loss orders suspend discharges so that experienced members of the military can continue to serve at a time of national crisis. Hollywood made a movie about it. The reality ordered Sergeant Timothy Michael Smith back to duty last year. He died April 7th when his ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=79 LANCE CPL. MARCUS STEPHEN GLIMPSE 1983 to 2006   [EDITOR'S NOTE: To honor the fallen heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan, Précis occasionally revisits those who have paid the ultimate price. This is the second in a series of profiles in bravery—a reminder of what we have lost.] 160 pounds of pure muscle Few are as ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=71 L-R: Rick Huxley, Lenny Davidson, Denis Payton, Mike Smith and Dave Clark DENIS PAYTON 1943 to 2006 MIKE SMITH 1943 to 2008   By Nola Leone R&R Hall of Fame Too Late for Two of the DC5 Back in the mid-60s, the first thing I noticed about the Dave Clark Five was how damn good-looking they were. And ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=68 ARTHUR C. CLARKE Dec 16th, 1917 to Mar 19th, 2008   by Bill Jordan He never grew up, and never stopped growing British born, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 90, was the kind of person most of us aspire to be and led the kind of rich life most of us would aspire to lead. He ... http://theprecis.com/blog/?p=55