Valley of Life | Online Memorial Blog

Early Chinese Settlers Get a Proper Burial

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:23:27 +0000

The remains of some of the United State’s earliest Chinese settlers will finally have a chance to be laid to rest next month after five years of uncertainty. Their original graves were unearthed during the construction of a light rail line in east Los Angeles sparking years of debate and discussion over how best to [...]

America’s Oldest Woman Dies at 114

Richard — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:43:16 +0000

Mary Josephine Ray died Sunday in New Hampshire as the oldest woman living in the United States and the second oldest in the world. She is the oldest person ever recorded to live in New Hampshire. The Maplewood County Nursing Home in Westmoreland reported that she died peacefully in her sleep. Yesterday, she was 114 years, 294 [...]

Dramatics Singer, Ron Banks, Dies

Richard — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:49:41 +0000

Ron Banks, singer for and founder member of the Dramatics, an R&B vocal group, died of a heart attack Thursday in his Detroit home. He was 58. Born in May of 1951, Banks was a Detroit native. It is said that his “sweet falsetto” helped create his vocal group’s distinct sound. Originally known as the Dynamics during the [...]

Emily Dickinson | All But Death Can Be Adjusted

Richard — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:46:29 +0000

Dickinson writes with timeless insight in her poem, “All But Death Can Be Adjusted”, below. Though only two stanzas in length, she poetically captures the unpredictability of life and the finality of death. Dickinson concludes her poem emphatically with her perspective on death — essentially, once you’re gone, you’re gone – but I think it’s her [...]

2010 Winter Olympics Close, Not Without Tragedy

Richard — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:00:46 +0000

Today marks the close of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. The games this year have been extraordinary, but also marred by a number of misfortunes, the greatest of which was the death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. The Olympic luger from the country of Georgia died hours before the opening ceremonies on February 12. He was [...]

Andrew Koenig Found Dead in Vancouver, B.C.

Richard — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:49:20 +0000

Andrew Koenig, perhaps better known as “Boner” from the 1980s TV series Growing Pains, was found dead in a wooded park in Vancouver, B.C. on Thursday. He was 41. Koenig, the son of Star Trek’s Lt. Pavel Chekov, Walter Koenig, has reportedly taken his own life. His parents reported him missing when he did not return [...]

Baby Boomers: Are you ready for your funeral?

Richard — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:46:09 +0000

Last weekend, Portland hosted the Baby Boomer Lifestyle Expo. Among the vendors selling products and services like wine, chiropractic care, and retirement communities, were retailers offering cremation and burial services, according to The Oregonian. Apparently, Boomers are the target market for many of these funeral services. With funeral costs continuing to rise, it’s become necessary for [...]

NFL Star Tatupu’s Cause of Death Still Unknown

Richard — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:51:14 +0000

Mosi Tatupu, former NFL running back for the New England Patriots, died Tuesday in a Massachusetts hospital. The hospital has not disclosed cause of death. He was 54. Born in 1955 in American Samoa, Tatupu and his family moved to Hawaii. There, he became a star running back for his high school football team. Tatupu attended USC [...]

James Weldon Johnson | Go Down, Death

Richard — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:58:10 +0000

Today, in honor of Black History month, Valley of Life is highlighting African-American poet James Weldon Johnson (1817-1939). Born in Florida, Johnson attended Atlanta University with the intention that his education would further the interests of the black people. As a result, Johnson composed a number of influential pieces during his lifetime. In 1900, he wrote [...]

Military Finally Lays Distinguished Hero to Rest

Richard — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:21:14 +0000

Col. Robert L. Howard, America’s most decorated soldier, was laid to rest yesterday in Washington, D.C., reports USFallen.org. Howard received full military honors at the funeral attended by more than 350 mourners, including 20 fellow Medal of Honor recipients. An additional memorial service is schedule to be held in Texas at Fort Sam Houston on [...]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Sam Hamilton dies

Richard — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:12:25 +0000

Sam D. Hamilton, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, died Saturday after suffering from chest pains. He was 54. Hamilton was skiing in Colorado when he began experiencing the chest pains. The coroner said his death was consistent with an underlying heart problem. Hamilton was recently appointed to the position of Director in September 2009, [...]

Italian Coffee Entrepreneur Dies

Richard — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:11:33 +0000

Emilio Lavazza, the man who made Lavazza coffee the best-selling espresso in Italy, has died of a heart attack, the company said today. Lavazza died Tuesday in Turin, Italy. He was 78. In 1955, Lavazza started working in the family-run business which was founded by his grandfather, Luigi, in the late 1800s. After his father’s death [...]

Baseball Loses Two Historic Figures in Two Days

Richard — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:59:20 +0000

Monday and Tuesday of this week, the sport of baseball lost two people who contributed to the game in big ways — one on the field and the other off of it. Jim Bibby, a 1979 World Series starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, died Tuesday night, and Judge Sylvia Pressler, whose 1973 ruling opened the [...]

Langston Hughes | Night Funeral In Harlem

Richard — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:51:54 +0000

To celebrate Black History month, Valley of Life is featuring poetry composed by the black community in America. An earlier poet, Langston Hughes (1902-1967), was well-known for his literary works during a period called the “Harlem Renaissance.” Below, Hughes offers his thoughts on the ability to honor one’s death through a poem he composed about [...]

British Fashion Designer Alexander McQueen Possible Suicide

Richard — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:08:49 +0000

Alexander McQueen, a renowned but controversial British fashion designer, was found dead in his London apartment this morning. He was 40. McQueen is speculated to have committed suicide, though no one has commented on the nature of his death. He was said to have been troubled as of late, particularly after the deaths of Isabella Blow, [...]

Former Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson Dead

Richard — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:41:22 +0000

Charlie Wilson, a former congressman of Texas, died today after suffering cardiopulmonary arrest in the emergency room of a Texas hospital. He was 76. According to the Memorial Health System of East Texas, Wilson was pronounced dead at 12:16 p.m. The 12-term Democratic congressman served Texas’ 2nd Congressional district. Born in 1933 in Texas, Wilson attended Sam Houston State University [...]

Pennsylvania Representative Dies from Surgery Complications

Richard — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:33:52 +0000

John P. Murtha, a Representative from the state of Pennsylvania, died today in Virginia from complications with gall bladder surgery. Two days prior, Murtha became the longest-serving congressman in Pennsylvania history. He was 77. Despite his long tenure, Murtha was a relatively unknown Democrat in the public sphere, though his presence was surely felt in Washington [...]

Emmy-winning soap opera star, Frances Reid, dies

Richard — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:40:19 +0000

Frances Reid, perhaps better known as matriarch Alice Horton of the soap opera “Days of Our Lives”, died Wednesday in her California home, according to a spokeswoman from NBC. The cause of death has not yet been released. She was 95. Reid was born in 1914 in Texas, but she spent most of her life in [...]

Coroner Updates Casey Johnson’s Cause of Death

Richard — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:17:24 +0000

The Los Angeles county coroner released a brief statement yesterday concerning the January death of heiress Casey Johnson. When Johnson, the daughter of New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson, died on January 4, her passing was cited as a “natural death.” According to the coroner’s statement, the cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition caused [...]

Famed Producer David Brown dies

Richard — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:12:34 +0000

Award-winning film and theatre producer David Brown died Monday in his New York home after a long illness. He was 93. Brown had a hand in a number of hits on the silver screen. In fact, he was nominated for best picture at the Oscars four times for his films Jaws, The Verdict, A Few Good [...]

Man Who Survived Two Atomic Bombs Dies in Old Age

Richard — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:40:19 +0000

Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only person officially recognized as surviving both U.S. atomic bomb attacks on Japan, died earlier this month of stomach cancer. He was 93. On August 6, 1945, Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip when the first bomb dropped. After an overnight stay in the city, he returned to his hometown of Nagaski shortly before [...]

John McCrae | In Flanders Fields

Richard — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:00:43 +0000

The following poem was composed by John McCrae, a doctor serving in the military during wartime. Upon the death of a friend and former student he had been serving with, McCrae scribbled the fifteen lines below during one of his breaks, gazing upon the grave of his friend. The poem was nearly lost when McCrae [...]

J.D. Salinger, famous recluse and author, dies

Richard — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:32:42 +0000

J.D. Salinger, author of the prolific work Catcher in the Rye, died Wednesday of natural causes in his New Hampshire home, according to his literary representative Harold Ober Associates. He was 91. Salinger wrote a handful other works including Nine Stories and some shorter works published in two compilations, but his literary career largely culminates around his [...]

Zelda Rubinstein from “Poltergeist” dies

Richard — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:24:42 +0000

Perhaps better known as Tangina, the 4-foot-3 clairvoyant from the Poltergeist movies, Zelda Rubinstein passed away in Los Angeles yesterday following complications from a heart attack she suffered two months prior. She was 76. Rubinstein was born in Pittsburgh in 1933. After matriculating at the University of Pittsburgh and UC, Berkley, she began a career as a [...]

“Bonanza” Star Pernell Roberts dies

Richard — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:05:25 +0000

Pernell Roberts, an actor who starred in television’s Bonanza and Trapper John, M.D., died of cancer Sunday in his California home. He was 81. Roberts was born in 1928 in Georgia. He attended Georgia Tech and the University of Maryland, but his academic endeavors reportedly paled in comparison to his dramatic interests. After school, Roberts went on [...]

Fred Rosenbaum Passes, Leaves Long Legacy

Richard — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:20:56 +0000

Last week, Oregon honored a man whose legacy will not soon be forgotten. Fred Rosenbaum, 83, died Tuesday, January 12, 2010 after battling kidney cancer. A week later, his memorial service was attended by more than 1,000 people and included a three-volley salute and a missing-man flyover, according to the local newspaper. To understand what made Rosenbaum’s [...]

Is too much TV deadly?

Richard — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:40:35 +0000

A recent study set to be published this week in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal, links television viewing to early death and heart disease. The study shows that participants who watched four or more hours of TV per day were 80 percent more likely to die from heart disease, and 46 percent more likely [...]

“Survivor” Contestant Jennifer Lyon dies

Richard — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:03:01 +0000

Jennifer Lyon, the fourth place finisher on the 10th season of Survivor: Palau in 2005, died Tuesday in her Oregon home. She was 37. In 2004, Lyon reportedly felt something foreign in her breast, but she dismissed it as scar tissue from her implants. The following year after taping the show, at age 33, Lyon was diagnosed [...]

Tom Zart | Haiti Earthquake Memorial Poem 2010

Richard — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:37:43 +0000

Nearly a week ago, tragedy struck the Haitian nation. Today, devastation continues to take its toll. Homes, businesses, schools are left in ruin, and friends and family continue to realize terrible fears — their loved ones have been lost. In the wake of this disaster, Valley of Life encourages you to support the grieving nation in [...]

Massive Earthquake in Haiti: How You Can Help

Richard — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:01:56 +0000

To the people of Haiti and those with friends and family in the tragedy-stricken nation, Valley of Life expresses its most sincere condolences for your loss and continues hoping for the best as more information unfolds. A devastating 7.0 earthquake, originating just outside capitol city Port-au-Prince of the island nation Haiti, has left the country in [...]