obituary Archives - The Gloversville Leader Herald

31 Jul

Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies from cancer at 70

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By Andrew Dalton/The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died. He was 70. Reubens died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement. "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," Reubens said in a statement released Monday with the announcement of his death. "I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans…

28 Jul

Bucket hat donning Mayfield ‘legend’ Garth Wemple passes, loved by community

Tyler A. McNeil0 CommentsEmail Newsletter, Fulton County, Local NewsGarth Wemple, Gloversville, Mayfield, Northville, obituary

MAYFIELD — Paul Schwartz saw Garth Wemple one last time at Stewart’s Shops on July 10. It was like any other interaction he’s had with the community mainstay for much of his life. Schwartz, a former Gloversville resident, lives in San Francisco and spends each summer at his Mayfield vacation home. "He was sitting in the booth there and I walked by and he goes, 'Paul, you're back.'" Wemple, 80, died on July 13 following a series of cardiac issues at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady. For loved ones, including his wife and children, it was an unexpected course of events. He'd probably…

21 Jul

Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96

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NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday. He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday.Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett's death to The Associated Press, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016.The last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century, Bennett often said…

20 Jul

Former Johnstown mayor, teacher William Pollak remembered for always giving back to community

Shenandoah Briere0 CommentsEmail Newsletter, Fulton County, Johnstown, Local News, The Gloversville Leader HeraldAmy Praught, city government, community, county government, David D'Amore, death, Fulton County, Fulton County Board of Supervisors, high school teacher, johnstown, Jon Stead, Mayor, news obituary, obituary, political figure, politics, teacher, william michael pollak

JOHNSTOWN — Johnstown native William Michael Pollak, who passed away July 15, left a lasting memory in the area he grew up, friends and officials said. Pollak, who was 87, was also known as Fox, Prof, Panda, Coach, Curator and Mayor, according to his obituary, and his legacy will be his philanthropic, educational and civil service work. Pollak graduated from the high school in 1953 — a football and basketball player, and track runner. He went on to St. Lawrence University in Canton for a year, before entering the U.S. Army for two, then returning to his studies closer to home…

30 Jun

Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ actor, dies at 89

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alan Arkin, the wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in comedy and drama as he received four Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar in 2007 for "Little Miss Sunshine," has died. He was 89.His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony confirmed their father's death through the actor's publicist on Friday. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man," they said in a statement.A member of Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe, Arkin was an immediate success in movies with the Cold War spoof "The Russians Are Coming,…

29 Jun

Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 95

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Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died.Her niece, the Rev. Bernice King, tweeted that her “beloved aunt” died Thursday. She was 95.For decades after her brother's assassination in 1968, Farris worked along with his widow, Coretta Scott King, to preserve and promote his legacy. But unlike her high-profile sister-in-law, Farris' activism — and grief — was often behind the scenes.“She may not have always been on the line of the march, but that was true with a lot of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Marcellus Barksdale, a history professor at Morehouse College,…