Obituary Thread, famous people, places & events.

[Bowser214]

So sad. Loved her movies!

[jerrywall]

I just heard about this through a friend and this seemed the most appropriate place to mention, because I haven't noticed it posted here...

Jude Northcutt of 'Jude 'n' Jody' dies of stroke at age 89, family confirms

https://www.koco.com/article/jude-no...firms/37583139

[king183]

Devastated to hear yesterday that Norm Macdonald died after a 9 year battle with cancer. He fought it to a draw.

To me, Norm was easily the best comedian of our time, not only because he was entirely original and unique, but also because of his philosophy of comedy—that jokes should surprise the audience, but should not pander to them or be done for claps. He had an ability to pull off the most unexpected and difficult jokes. If you haven’t seen it, watch his legendary Moth joke he did on Conan.
It is the quintessential Shaggy Dog joke, something only the most talented comedy minds can pull off.

I’d also recommend watching his roast of Bob Saget. Again, it’s legendary, but for different reasons. If you have ever watched these roasts, you know most of the jokes are meant to shock and include a lot of vulgarity. That’s partly because the producers instruct the comedians to do that before the show. Norm was famously not a fan of roasts because of the shock value and meanness, but he did it because Bob was one of his best friends. He intentionally “bombed”—that is, he told jokes most people would call dad jokes—and it was beautiful. During the other comedians’ sets, he was very visibly reading the paper, and the host called him out on it. He said, “Sorry, I wanted to see something funny, so I’m reading Marmaduke.” He destroyed everyone on that stage. It was amazing.

[Jersey Boss]

Dave Kelso, local DJ who has been around playing classic rock for years passed the other day. I used ro listen to him on KRXO.

[Urbanized]

I just heard about this through a friend and this seemed the most appropriate place to mention, because I haven't noticed it posted here...

Jude Northcutt of 'Jude 'n' Jody' dies of stroke at age 89, family confirms

https://www.koco.com/article/jude-no...firms/37583139

I never met either Jude or Jody but my dad (also R.I.P.) knew them pretty well as a young man and so just from his stories I can fill in a lot that is left blank in this KOCO story. It mentions that they played together in a band starting in the fifties and then started a furniture company in the sixties, which sounds sort of random. But the story is that they worked together in the furniture business long before starting the furniture store.

Pretty much every local furniture dealer of the past 50-60 years was started by people who had worked at a company called Big Red Furniture. Their warehouse was on south Western in some of the buildings that were most recently part of Urban Farmhouse. It also later became the location of Mathis Brothers. My dad worked at Big Red also, and in fact his older cousin Ralph was the General Manager. Ultimately Big Red became Evans Furniture, though I am unclear whether it was bought by the Evans family or they already had owned it and changed the name. I do know Evans had been in the furniture and appliance business in OKC since the 1940s.

But Big Red/Evans salesmen/employees included Jude and Jody, Bob Mills, plus the original Mathis Brothers; not Bill and Larry, as many might think, but Bud and Don (Bill and Larry's father). I think there were other known furniture names that came out of this, but don't recall off the top of my head.

Anyway, the story I'm trying to tell is that according to my dad, Jude and Jody's band was VERY popular, and that the entire crew would go to dances every Saturday at the nearby Farmer's Market building.

[Pete]

I've learned that OKC historian and attorney Doug Loudenbach has passed away.

Doug was a frequent contributor on this site and I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times. He came to one of the OKCTalk get-togethers years ago.

Doug was a very nice man and deeply loved OKC.

He will be missed.

[Urbanized]

Aw, damn. I was wondering how he'd been. Doug truly was a very nice man and a great history resource. I had a couple of really great conversations with him when I had book events in my old store.

[Martin]

sad to hear... really nice guy and he chronicled a wealth of okc history on his website. i hope he turned the keys over to somebody to carry it on because it would be a huge shame if all his work was lost.

[Brett]

Controversial YouTube style guru and Millwood High School graduate Kevin Samuels has died. Kevin was noted for his harsh criticism of females and was a no nonsense advisor when it came to men/women relations in the dating scene.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/184813...s-girlfriends/

https://www.youtube.com/c/byKevinSamuels

[Laramie]

Thank you, Willa D. Johnson

Willa D. Johnson, our long beloved, Oklahoma City pioneer and leader who became the first Black woman elected to the Oklahoma City Council, has died at age 83.

Willa Johnson started her career as a civilian employee at Tinker Air Force Base where she served her country for 20 years. Johnson was elected as the Ward 7 City Councilmember in 1993; she held the position until 2007.

She was involved in the passage of the original 1993 MAPS sales tax to fund downtown development and the MAPS for Kids extension, which rebuilt Douglass High School at its original NE 8 and Martin Luther King location.

She went on to serve as Oklahoma County Commissioner for District 1, representing an area that included Del City, Forrest Park, Jones, Lake Aluma, Luther, Midwest City, Oklahoma City and Spencer. She was re-elected to the position in 2010 and 2014.

Many awards and honors were bestowed for her public service including induction into the African American Hall of Fame, an Honorary Doctorate from Oklahoma City University and her portrait among other African Americans of stature now on display at the Oklahoma History Center.

The Willa D. Johnson Recreation Center, a new recreation center under construction in Northeast Oklahoma City’s Douglass Park Center, is named in her honor.

Funeral arrangements by the family are pending...

WILLA, WE LOVE AND WE WILL MISS YOU.

[Dob Hooligan]

I second that. Back in the 1990s, when I lived on the west edge of her ward, she was always helpful and quick to respond. Just a great civil servant, IMO.

[Urbanized]

During my time as a board member and then director of the Automobile Alley Main Street Program we had no greater champion at the City than Willa. I spent a lot of time around her then, and not sure I’ve respected anyone I’ve dealt with in city government more than her. Also dealt with her a considerable amount related to Bricktown projects, and this only strengthened my respect for her. It’s probably been about 5 years since I’ve chatted with her, and I truly regret that. She is someone who inspired me greatly.

[Laramie]

Olivia Newton-John Dead at 73

[Laramie]

One of our favorites, farewell . . .

[Laramie]

Clu Gulager dead at 93

Member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, William Martin “Clu” Gulager was born November 16, 1928, in Holdenville, OK.

Roles included series like “Have Gun — Will Travel,” “Laramie” and “The Rebel,” Gulager was cast in 1960 in his breakout role, portraying Billy the Kid in the TV show “The Tall Man.” The show aired from 1960 to 1962 on NBC, then the Oklahoman joined the cast of another NBC Western series, “The Virginian.”

[Laramie]

Lamond Dozier dead at 81



Lamont Dozier, member of the Motown Songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holand

Lamont Dozier, the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced 'You Can’t Hurry Love,' 'Heat Wave' and dozens of other hits and helped make Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond, has died at age 81.

In Motown’s historic, self-defined rise to the 'Sound of Young America,' Holland-Dozier-Holland stood out even compared to such gifted peers as Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and Barrett Strong. Over a four-year period, 1963-67, Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland crafted more than 25 top 10 songs and mastered the blend of pop and rhythm and blues that allowed the Detroit label, and founder Berry Gordy, to defy boundaries between Black and white music and rival the Beatles on the airwaves.

[Laramie]

Queen Elizabeth II, dead at 96

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, has died. She was 96.

Buckingham Palace made the announcement in a statement.

A link to the almost-vanished generation that fought World War II, she was the only monarch most Britons have ever known, and her name defines an age: the modern Elizabethan Era. The impact of her loss will be huge, and unpredictable, both for the nation and for the monarchy, an institution she helped stabilize and modernize across decades of huge social change and family scandals.

With the death of the queen, her son Charles, automatically becomes monarch, even though the coronation might not take place for months. It is not known whether he will choose to call himself King Charles III or some other name.

[Laramie]

OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — A six-year veteran of the Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) died in an early-morning crash on the south side of Oklahoma City Thursday.
Sgt. Meagan Burke, died Sept. 29, 2022 (provided by OKCPD)

Sgt. Meagan Burke died off-duty in the dark morning hours after completing her shift in the Santa Fe Patrol Division on the far south side.

Burke was traveling northbound on I-44 between S.W. 44th and S.W. 29th Streets when another oncoming vehicle swerved, hit the center guardrail, went airborne, and hit Burke’s vehicle head-on.

Burke was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was injured but alive and taken to a local hospital.

Sgt. Dillon Quirk with OKCPD told Free Press that this investigation is in its early stages and not much else is known at this time.

As we gain more reliable information on this incident, we will update this story.

Obituary And Burial Arrangements

Meagan Burke’s funeral arrangements will be revealed by her family. The family and loved ones will share details about the obituary, funeral, and life celebration at the appropriate time. We will do our best to keep you updated on them.

[Laramie]

Memorial Service - Southern Hills Baptist Church 8601 S. Pennsylvania Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73159

4:00 PM - Thursday, October 06, 2022

Mercer-Adams Funeral Service
3925 North Asbury Avenue | Bethany, OK 73008

Source: https://www.mercer-adams.com/obituary/meagan-burke

[Jeepnokc]

The Coal Miner's Daughter passes at 90

https://apnews.com/article/loretta-l...a42cbb25ae61e8

[Jeepnokc]

Leslie Jordan passes at 67

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/enter...ead/index.html

[mugofbeer]

Leslie Jordan passes at 67

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/enter...ead/index.html

Such a funny man. Loved him on Designing Women and reading hid Twitter during the pandemic.

[Jersey Boss]

The "Killer", rock n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis passed at age 87.

[Brett]

Famous comedian Gallagher, known for the "Sledge-O-Matic", dies.

[Ward]

Dang! I greatly enjoyed Gallaghers videos. He had great comedy as well as a very intelligent lookout on life and it's situations.