The Memorial Wall

Marianne Dunn Wofford died on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, after a brave battle with Parkinson's disease.

A loving Granny to Beck and Keane, a steadfast friend and a businesswoman of integrity, she loved to cook and entertain. Her homes reflected her unique taste and love of colorful, lively artwork. Likewise, her gardens were full of texture and color, providing visitors relaxing warm surroundings in which to commune.

Marianne was born in Searcy, Ark., on Dec. 19, 1949, the sixth of seven children. She attended college at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. After marrying, she relocated to San Antonio, where she lived for 14 years and served as a bank officer at Alamo National Bank. In 1984, she moved to Kerrville, Texas, and received her bachelor's degree in business at Schreiner College. While studying there, she also worked as an alumni liaison for the Hill Country College Fund.

She spent the next 22 years as an investment advisor with A.G. Edwards and Morgan Stanley before opening her own Ameriprise Financial office (Collum, Wofford and Associates) with Dawn Collum in 2012. She took great pleasure and care in helping her clients plan their financial futures.

Marianne believed in serving her community and did so on numerous boards and committees, most significant of which was fundraising for the Dietert Center and co-chairing the Hill Country College Fund. She was also the first woman president of the Rotary Club of Kerrville, and served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church.

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014, Marianne, as was typical, found a way to turn a negative into a positive by helping others. With help from a few close friends and support from Peterson Regional Medical Center, she set about creating a Parkinson's support group. Its monthly attendance quickly grew and continues to provide information and support to patients and caregivers. While servicing on the support group board, she helped bring to Kerrville the beneficial Parkinson's therapy programs Big and Loud and Rock Steady Boxing. She received an award for this work from the San Antonio Parkinson's Association.

Marianne was preceded in death by her parents, O.L. Dunn and Blyss Gentry Dunn; as well as brothers, Gentry Owen Dunn, Danny Lane Dunn and Michael Duane Dunn; and sisters, Carolyn Blyss Dunn Householder, Pamela Jean Dunn Griffin and Rita Dunn Sultan. As adults, she and her sisters took "Sisters' Trips" and had so much fun that their brothers decided they would travel along as well.

She is survived by her son, Bryan David Wofford, his wife, Erin Mosty Wofford, and her beloved grandsons, Beck Scott Wofford and Keane Emmet Wofford, all of Center Point, Texas. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, all who brought great joy to her life. She was affectionately known as "Granny" to many great-nieces and -nephews.

Marianne unfailingly touched lives with her kind spirit and is leaving many loved ones and friends to honor her life.

James G. Rutter Jr., 75, of Brunswick, died Jan. 19, 2024, from Parkinson’s Disease.

He was born on Nov. 27, 1947, in Sewickley, Pa. to James Rutter and Julia Sovak. Jim graduated from Foxboro High School, Foxboro, Mass., before joining the United States Army, serving in Germany and Vietnam from 1965 to 1969, attaining the rank of Specialist 5. He received a Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal. Jim earned a BA from the University of Boston in 1978, majoring in English. Jim worked for the Social Security Administration.

Jim was an active sportsman. He hiked the Appalachian Trail, ran in the Boston, Baltimore, and New York City Marathons, and completed the Mt Washington, NH Run. Jim was also an avid bicyclist, cross-country skier, ice skater, photographer, and author.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Constance Willis Rutter, brother David Rutter and a large extended family.

Margaret “Peggy” Rich, of Duluth, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 surrounded by her family.

Peggy was born in Duluth on June 25, 1926 to Jasper and Margaret Barncard. She was the first woman to graduate with a dual degree in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. She received an offer to attend Columbia University on a Fellowship. She was not able to attend, however, and later graduated with a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She spent her educational career in a variety of teaching and administrative roles within the Duluth Public Schools. She particularly enjoyed working with students who had special needs. Her last position was working with the Teen-Parent Program where she developed strategies, particularly around math, that would prepare and empower young moms with the life skills they needed to go forward.

She married Joseph Rich on July 9, 1947 and raised 3 children. Together, they shared many memories at the family cabin on Rose Lake and through their extensive travels throughout the world. Her love and support for Joe was steadfast during his 28-year battle with Parkinson’s prior to his death in 2012.

Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, sister Joanne, her parents and two grandchildren.

She is survived by her daughter, Sue (Steve) Slotness; twin sons, Jim F. (Joan) and John A. (Brenda); six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Mickey Cottrell, the PR executive who specialized in the indie film business and worked both as an actor and a producer, died on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture & Television Fund in Woodland Hills. He was 79.

His death was confirmed by his sister, Suzie Cottrell-Smith, who said he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Cottrell experienced a stroke in 2016 and had gone to live with his sister in Arkansas before returning to Los Angeles in 2019.

Cottrell was born September 4, 1944, in Springfield, IL, and spent part of his childhood in Monroe, LA. At age 8, he moved with his family to Little Rock, AR, where he grew up. He attended the University of Arkansas and spent more than 30 years in the film and PR industries, co-owning multiple firms including most recently Inclusive PR, repping pics including Bill Cunningham: New York, Stones in Exile, Ballets Russes, Down to the Bone, Body of War and Outfest winners Keep the Lights On and Weekend, among others.

“Some of my successes have given new life to films that might not otherwise have had the chance, ranging in scale from big budget to minute,” he wrote in his LinkedIn bio. “I have had the great joy of representing many important film artists

Among the filmmakers whose careers he championed was Phillip Noyce; he served as a publicist on Noyce’s 1989 thriller Dead Calm starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill and Billy Zane.

“He did a lot for Phillip,” Cottrell’s sister Suzie told Deadline. “When Phillip first came to Hollywood, he didn’t know anybody. Mickey was instrumental about getting his films recognized.”

Cottrell’s acting credits include roles in Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, Paper Hearts, Apt Pupil and The Fluffer as well as John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus and two Star Trek series: The Next Generation and Voyager. Cottrell-Smith said her brother wrote some of his own dialogue for My Own Private Idaho, playing a client of street hustler Mikey Waters (River Phoenix).

Cottrell was also a producer of indie films, most recently 2014’s Perfect Cowboy.

At the MPTF, Cottrell was a member of the writing club the Grey Quill Society. As part of the fund’s Giving Day in 2020, Matthew McConaughey read an excerpt from Cottrell’s short story The Fireman’s Equipment.

Cottrell was a famed raconteur, often holding court in a booth at Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood (the restaurant is located near Cottrell’s office, a space formerly occupied by Debbie Reynolds’ company).

“He was the most fun brother ever,” Cottrell-Smith said. “So many good memories of when I was a kid — we’d sing together, dance, just all kinds of fun things that went on all the time when he was around. … He was just so fun, full of life, entertaining. Every woman in the neighborhood adored him. He had a job when he was a teenager where he would take the bus downtown and he had to walk two or three blocks home from the bus stop, and he’d be singing and dancing all the way home. And all the ladies in the neighborhood would come outside and watch him.”

She added: “He knew every movie ever made and every little bit actor that was in movies. It was amazing. I could just ask him the question and he always knew the answer when it came to a movie.”

John McAvoy, a colleague of Cottrell’s at Inclusive PR from 2014-19, told Deadline: “I don’t want to reduce his life down to his work as a publicist because in many ways you feel that it was his journey as a person and an artist that allowed him to practice PR in the way that he did… He was an artist first and he taught me that, at its best, publicity is about pure enthusiasm and joy and that it can be a vital part of a broader creative process rather than merely a necessary lubricant in the sales process. RIP to the Wizard.”

Cottrell is survived by his sisters Suzie and Gigi. He was predeceased by his older brother, Rod.

Friends, family, and members of the community honored the life and legacy of longtime El Paso civil servant Carl Robinson.

The former El Paso County Commissioner and Northeast City Representative died December 22, 2023.

"I'm so proud of him for what he accomplished. For one person to accomplish so much," said county commissioner Carlos De Leon.

Robinson was a Vietnam War and served in the U.S. Army for 25 years.

He was stationed at Fort Bliss in 1977 and decided to make El Paso his home.

Robinson served as the Northeast City Representative from 2009 to 2017.

He then served as a County Commissioner from 2018 to 2022.

Robinson will be buried at Fort Bliss with full military honors.

Born in Tehran, Safaipur began his career in professional wrestling and achieved several championship titles before entering the world of cinema under the name "Tufan" and gained fame.

Safaipur started his serious acting career at the age of 14 in 1963 when he appeared as a stuntman in the film " Fear and Darkness" directed by Mohammad Matevasselani.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, he returned to acting with the film "Mirza Kuchak Khan" in 1983 and gradually gained recognition through his roles in films such as "Gray Season," by Shahram Shobeiri, "Prey at Night," by Ali Amjadi, "Plaque," by Ebrahim Qazizadeh and "The Final Blow" By Davud Movassaqi. His first role in television was in the series "Simorgh" by Hossein Qassemi Jami in 1992.

In recent years, he has been battling Parkinson's disease, which has led to a decrease in his cinematic activities.

Donald Arthur Brown, known by all as Don, died following a long battle with Parkinson's Disease on December 13, 2023.

The youngest of three, Mr. Brown's father Samuel was one of the ten 'California Brothers' who were renowned for their exploits in the booming herring trade and for taking part in the Dunkirk evacuation.

After finishing school, Mr. Brown briefly followed his father by spending time at sea.

As a teenager, Mr. Brown was taught the skill of butchery at Hunns in Caister. After carrying out National Service, Mr. Brown returned to butchery, working for David Greggs and eventually becoming a manager at a shop on Bells Road, Gorleston.

While he was in his 40s, Mr. Brown became his own boss, establishing Don's Family Butchers on Church Lane, Gorleston, which he ran until his retirement.

A Norwich City Football Club season ticket holder, Mr. Brown loved the beautiful game.

Closer to home, he was known as a great supporter of Gorleston Football Club, sponsoring the team during the 1980s and providing players with a free pound of sausages and a steak for every goal they scored and making it on the pitch.

Mr. Brown also loved the great outdoors and was a keen gardener, with his sizeable rose collection being among his greatest prized possessions.

He served in most officer positions, including chairman for many years, and assisted the annual November poppy collection in Caister, often seen rattling a collection box in local supermarkets, and helped raise thousands of pounds for the charity.

Mr. Brown was also the legion standard bearer, attending the funerals of many ex-servicemen in the area, and flying the standard on behalf of the legion at many grand occasions.

He also took the Caister standard to Ypres and participated in a remembrance service at the Menin gate.

His final deed for the legion, before he could no longer actively participate, was closing the local branch and working with the parish council to return the standard from the legion and rest in its rightful place in Caister church.

Mr. Brown's first love was his wife of 67 years, Iris, whom he met when aged 17 at a dance held at the Britannia Pier. Mr and Mrs Brown had two boys, Michael and Ian, four grandsons and four great-grandchildren.

Mr. Brown is remembered as a true gentleman and a well-loved member of the local community, whose motto was “It is easier to please than to tease”.

Rappahannock native Roger Welch, a long-time member of the Board of Supervisors, died at his farm in Flint Hill after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. 

Welch, 77, represented the Wakefield District on the Board of Supervisors for 19 years. His daughter, Courtney, said, “Dad always had a smile and a kind word. He was just kind in all of his decision making.”

“He was really dedicated to Rappahannock,” she said. “He had a true servant’s heart.” Welch had once been president of the local Lions Club and a deacon at Washington Baptist Church.

After graduating from Rappahannock High School, Welch attended Virginia Tech, served in the United States Navy submarine service as an electrical technician during the Vietnam War, and then earned a degree in electrical engineering from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College near Richmond.

After his military service, Welch joined General Electric’s Factory Automation Group in Richmond as a comptroller and later managed that group’s national training center. He visited Rappahannock regularly and built a home on his property outside of Flint Hill in 1988.

Welch is survived by his wife, Geneva, daughter, Courtney, son, Ryan, and grandchildren.

Gary’s former Deputy Mayor Geraldine Tousant passed away on Monday, December 11, 2023 surrounded by loved ones at Community Hospital in Munster, IN. Geraldine courageously battled breast cancer, kidney failure, complications from Parkinson’s disease, and an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She was 84 years old.

Geraldine was born in Ensley, AL on May 4, 1939, and relocated to Gary, Indiana, at the age of three. She was a graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School class of 1957, and soon after graduating she married the love of her life, Marshall Tousant. The couple was happily married for nearly 48 years and were the proud parents of three children and the loving grandparents of five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Geraldine began her career with the City of Gary in 1960 in the Redevelopment Department as a clerk-typist when she was 21 years old. She worked her way up through the Department’s rank, eventually becoming the Director. Former Mayor Scott King recognized her hard work, dedication, and commitment to the citizens of Gary and appointed her as Deputy Mayor on February 14, 2003. A position she held for seven years through two administrations (Scott King and Rudy Clay).

Geraldine was an innovative and servant leader who impressively worked for seven mayors during her 50 years of service to the City of Gary. Geraldine was instrumental in managing large scale projects, some of which included the demolition of structures obtained in other city agencies, and computerizing the city’s utility billing and payment processes. Geraldine’s outstanding accomplishments led to various roles and opportunities during her tenure with the Redevelopment Department, she served as Project Administrator, Interim Director, and Assistant Executive Director for more than a decade before being named Executive Director in 1999.

As Deputy Mayor she was a dedicated public servant who made tremendous contributions to the City of Gary. Geraldine was recognized by Former U.S. House of Representatives Peter Visclosky of Indiana in The House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. For her dedication to her colleagues and to the citizens of Gary, she was nominated as a Marcher, for the Drum Major, an award given by the Gary Frontiers Service Club at its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast. Marchers are recognized for having dedicated their lives to improving the human condition, something that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. urged in his “Drum Major Instincts” sermon two months before his passing.

Geraldine selflessly gave of her time and efforts to inspire others. She stated she would like her legacy to inspire youth, and that with hard work, determination, and faith in God you can be whatever you want to be.

Former Black Panther Party leader Ed Poindexter, who was imprisoned for 53 years, died December 7th, 2023 in a Nebraska prison at the age of 79. In the last few years, his family and supporters fought for his compassionate release, as he was suffering from advanced kidney disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Despite his condition, the state never approved his release. This is another indictment of the workings of the capitalist rulers’ prisons, part of their class-driven criminal “justice” system. This is not a secret to the millions of workers who have been incarcerated or have a relative, neighbor, co-worker, or friend who was thrown behind bars.

Known as the “Omaha Two,” Poindexter and Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa (formerly David Rice), became well-known as organizers of protests against police brutality in the late 1960s, including the 1969 killing of 14-year-old Vivian Strong. For this, they were targeted by the Omaha police; agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and by the FBI.

They were framed in August 1970 on charges of killing an Omaha police officer, who had been lured into a home where a suitcase bomb exploded.

Supporters of Poindexter and we Langa had forced out into the open government documents showing how authorities were out to discredit and dismantle the Panthers’ political work. Witnesses placed the two Black rights fighters elsewhere at the time of the killing. Nonetheless, Poindexter and Langa were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. We Langa died in 2016 after 45 years behind bars.

Poindexter had deserved a new trial because of the “credible reports of significant misconduct in the prosecution” of the case, Mindy Rush Chipman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, said after his death. “Ultimately, you cannot separate this case from the circumstances at the time which continue to this day, namely law enforcement agencies targeting people and groups calling for racial justice.”

From the day they were arrested in 1970, to the day they died, Poindexter and Langa maintained their innocence. They were never broken by the prison system.