Tributes to Librarians

Ruthann Johnson Born: January 1, 1941 in Sterling, IL Died: April 2, 2026 in Houston, TX Ruthann Johnson, maiden name Finley, was born January 1, 1941, and passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026, at the age of 85 after courageously facing cancer. Born in Sterling, Illinois, and raised in Rock...

Johanna Smith Wood, of Washington, DC, transitioned to her eternal home on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the age of 99. Johanna was born on January 14, 1927, to Dr. Thomas and Birdie C. Smith. She was the third of five sisters. Johanna was a graduate of Dunbar High School, received her bachelor's...

On March 29, 2026, Page Dennis Spencer passed away at age 79. He is survived by his wife, Schelle Spencer, and his four sons: Bart Spencer (Cassie Klingler), Chris Spencer (Sarah), Pat Spencer, and Dane Spencer; along with his grandchildren David, Amelia, Finley, and Maddox. Page was born and...

John A. Mraz Born: September 26, 1937 in Joliet, IL Died: April 15, 2026 in Joliet, IL Age 88. At rest April 15, 2026 at Lightways Hospice following a brief illness. Born on September 26, 1937 to Steven and Ann (Gaspich) Mraz in Joliet. John graduated from Joliet Township High School, class of...

Zandra Price passed away at 91 years of age on April 1, 2026, in Decatur, GA. She was born January 22, 1935, as Zandra Jane Lee in Stroudsburg, PA, to her parents Alexander Hartman Lee and Valerie Marie Lee, maiden name Soukup. Her parents chose her name in honor of her father's nickname, Zandy....

Margery Russell passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The family is being cared for by Central Cremation Services (Central Cremation of Georgia Inc.).

Ann “Nancy” Marie Sicard (Coleman), 88, of Palm Harbor, passed away peacefully on April 13, 2026. She was born in Boston, MA, grew up in Somerville, MA, raised her family in Arlington, MA, and spent summers in Plum Island, MA and Hampton Beach, NH. After moving to Florida in 1985, she worked at...

John Louis Burgart, 79, died April 12, 2026, at his home in Savage, MN, of anaplastic thyroid cancer. John was a lifelong Iowan until 2016, when he and his wife moved to Minnesota to be near their son and his family. John was born on Valentine’s Day in 1947 to Delores (Gilbert) and Elmer Burgart...

Virginia Loretta Hauke (maiden name Staley), affectionately known as "Ginny" to all who had the pleasure of knowing her, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2026, at the age of 86. Born on September 22, 1939, in Mankato, Minnesota, Ginny was the eldest of two daughters born to Hattie Cox and...

Tiffany Butzbaugh passed away on Monday, April 13, 2026. The family is being cared for by Informed Choice Funeral & Cremation Alternatives - Madison.

Johanna Smith Wood, of Washington, DC, transitioned to her eternal home on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the age of 99. Johanna was born on January 14, 1927, to Dr. Thomas and Birdie C. Smith. She was the third of five sisters. Johanna was a graduate of Dunbar High School, received her bachelor’s...

Churchville, Lida H. PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Lida Holland Churchville, 92, died on April 10, 2026, in Providence, R.I. She will be remembered by her family and friends for her endless curiosity, her energy, her kind and generous nature, and above all, for her welcoming smile. Lida was born on May 5,...

Kathleen "Libby" Kaikkonen, Age 78, died on April 12, 2026. She was born on Sept. 12, 1947 in Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the daughter of John ("Muna") and Eileen ("Twiggie") Kaikkonen. Libby worked for the University of Michigan Law Library for 32 1/2 years, retiring in Jan....

Margaret and Paul A. Smith Cedar Rapids Belated Joint Memorial Service and Celebration of Life for Margaret and Paul A. Smith Saturday, May 16, 11 am First Congregational UCC (361 17th St. SE, Cedar Rapids) Service in the sanctuary with Pastor Rose Taul returning to co-officiate, followed by...

Jeanne Marie Pinckney Cedar Rapids Jeanne Marie Pinckney, 101, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Sunday, March 29, 2026 at the Promise House Assisted Living Center in Hiawatha, Iowa. A visitation celebrating Jeanne's life will be held from 10-11 am, Wednesday, April 8 at the Cedar Memorial Chapel of...

Linda Lou Logan passed away peacefully on the morning of April 5, 2026. Linda touched many lives and will be remembered as an independent spirit who loved her family, her animals, and other cultures. With a healthy distrust of our current world, she railed against inflation and had grocery...

The Rev. Dr. Martha Bernice Sheaffer died in Lititz, PA. on April 15, 2026, at the age of 77. She was the daughter of Martin Book Sheaffer and Bernice Lorraine Hertzog Sheaffer. She grew up in Brownstown where her parents owned and operated Sheaffer’s Store “On the Square”. She was fortunate to...

Janet L. Hollen nee Gallo aged 88 years, of Cincinnati, Ohio passed peacefully on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Ethel and Dominic Gallo, she was known for her love of travel, her impeccable style, and for hosting many a memorable get together. While many remember her as...

MRS. GLENDA ANETT DWIGHT TAYLOR – Age 69, of Dalton Georgia passed away Tuesday, April 14, 2026. She was born January 15, 1957 to her late parents, James S. Dwight and Nettie Blalock Dwight. Glenda was employed by Fannin County Library, ConAgra Foods, Bojangles, and Sample Communications. Glenda...

When an elder passes, a library burns. Here are just a few details from the story of Patricia McCourt DiTata’s life. Pat was born on April 8, 1941 to Edna and Frank McCourt in Corinth, New York, where she enjoyed a wonderful childhood. After attending the University of Maine, she met her husband,...

Linda May Dunn passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The family is being cared for by Stocker-Fraley Funeral Home - Bradford.

Virginia (Ginni) D. Parish Bosse, age 85, of Grand Junction, CO passed away on February February 27, 2025. Ginni was born December 30, 1940 in Elmwood, NE to Donald and Jessie (Baggley) Parish, the last of five children. When Ginni was eight years of age her mother passed away from cancer. Ginni...

IRENE ALICE ALLEN passed away on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The family is being cared for by Chapel of the Chimes Hayward Funeral Home & Memorial Park.

Jennifer Lea (Straton) Galloway, Stewartsville, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at the hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, surrounded by loving family. She was born February 17, 1969, in Kansas City, Kansas, to Laurence W. Straton and Ida Maybell "May" (Hopper) Straton Noble, who...

Jeanette Ann Chadwick (Kostohryz), 85, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on April 14, 2026, in Westminster, Colorado. Born on June 18, 1940, in West, Texas, Jeanette lived a life filled with love, laughter, and dedication to her family, friends, and community. She was a happy-go-lucky...

Ethel Mae Via Schwartz, 93, of Damascus, Georgia, passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Willson Hospice House, Albany, Georgia. Born in East Hanover Township on July 7, 1932, she was the daughter of the late Cecil Vernon and Mary Elizabeth Heisey Via. Ethel was a 1949 graduate of...

Donnisa Black passed away on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The family is being cared for by Gilbert-Fellers Funeral Home.

Paula K. Henson, loving wife of Scott Henson, passed away peacefully April 15, 2026, at her Augusta, Georgia home surrounded by family and friends. Paula retired from Reese Library at Augusta State University. She was an avid reader, loved to travel and work in her rose garden and make the inside...

Obituary of Mary Ann Barletta Mary Ann Barletta Rochester - age 91, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2026. Born on January 23, 1935, Mary Ann lived a life marked by quiet dedication, intellectual curiosity, and a deep love of books. She devoted her career to librarianship, where she took great...

Jose Bolivar Marquez D'Oleo passed away on Sunday, April 5, 2026. The family is being cared for by Ana Maria Zevallos/Skrocki Home for Funerals.

Evelyn Gibbons, formerly of Exeter, died peacefully on April 15, 2026, at the Meadows Nursing Center, Dallas, where she had been a resident since June 2025. Evelyn was born in Nesbitt Hospital on Oct. 27, 1940, to Victoria Turoski and John Hudyck, both Exeter schoolteachers. Her mother, Victoria,...

Carol Marie Smith December 13, 1936 - November 4, 2025 Carol Marie Smith, 88, Cedar Falls, died Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at the Cedar Valley Hospice House. Carol was born December 13, 1936, at Sartori Hospital to the late Glen H. and Margaret (Clark) Heckroth. While Carol was a Junior and...

Virginia Catherine (Madigan) Field, age 92, passed away peacefully on March 17, 2026, at her Florida winter home with her husband Ted by her side. Born September 5, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, to Gerald Donald Madigan and Virginia Harriet (Lundquist) Madigan, Virginia lived a life defined by...

Marilyn “Mikki” (Axelbaum) Cohen of Boca Raton, FL, previously of Sharon, MA, and Mashnee Village, MA, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 96 years of age. Mikki was the daughter of the late Fannie (Geller) Axelbaum and Joseph J. Axelbaum, and the sister of the late Leon...

Lea Ann Creager Bates passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The family is being cared for by Walker Mortuary - Morgan.

Ann Sherrill Reedy passed away on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The family is being cared for by Bennett-May & Pierce Funeral Home and Crematory.

Dolores Anne Maria Schwartz Leigh, 83, died Friday April 10, 2026, at her home in Paris, KY. She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she served in the Air Force and was a retired Librarian and she also volunteered at the Paris-Bourbon County Public Library for many years. Dolores is survived...

SALEM - Laura Colby Luckey, a distinguished museum director, curator, scholar, and advocate for American art, passed away peacefully at her home in Salam MA on March 26, 2026, with her two Siamese cats “Otis & Nellie” by her side. She leaves a legacy defined by intellectual rigor,...

Gayle S Cunningham passed away on Monday, April 13, 2026. The family is being cared for by Ehorn-Adams Funeral Home.

Marilyn Lawrence, affectionately known as "Twinkle Toes", was a beacon of compassion and boundless love. Born on August 15, 1949, in Ogden, UT, Marilyn lived a life steeped in courage and adventure. She was a true testament of goodwill, an embodiment of selflessness, touching countless lives...

Teresa (Brennan) Stoller, 63, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away on April 12, 2026. Arrangements by D.O. McComb & Sons Funeral Homes, 1320 E Dupont Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46825.

Bobbie J. Brownlee September 20, 1935-April 9, 2026 Bobbie Warren Brownlee (Nana), a retired teacher and librarian, passed away peacefully in Granbury on April 9, 2026. Born in Gorman, TX to Otha V. and Grace Warren, Bobbie grew up in DeLeon, TX. She graduated from DeLeon HS in 1953 and earned...

Marla J. Comtois Saginaw, Michigan Beloved mother, grandmother and sister passed away on Tuesday April 14, 2026. Age 83 years. The daughter of the late Edgar and Lucy (Wallace) McWethy, Marla was born on May 21, 1942 in Pontiac, Michigan. She married Kenneth Comtois on September 12, 1964. He...

Ann Rochelle Mills passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The family is being cared for by Southern Cremations & Funerals at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park - Marietta.

Eleanor Cartwright, 90, of East Canton, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, April 13, 2026. She was born in Canton, Ohio, on October 30, 1935, to the late Elmer and Hazel (Slabaugh) Aukerman, and remained a lifelong resident of East Canton. Eleanor devoted the early years of her life to...

Annette M. Parker (nee Kirkpatrick), age 86, longtime resident of Riverside, NJ, passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 13, 2026. Annette was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA to the late Thomas and Annette Kirkpatrick, and has been a resident of Riverside for over 61 years. She worked as...

Cynthia Dobson, usually known as Cindy, was born in San Jose, California, the daughter of an Army Air Corp Surgeon, Gerald Davis, and his wife, Josephine, a nurse. After the war, they moved to Redwood City, California, where Cindy attended the public schools. Having skipped third grade, she was...

Mary Glennon Domareki (Oct. 2, 1941 - Apr. 5, 2026) of Skowhegan, Maine, and formerly of Hunterton County and Westfield, NJ, passed away peacefully on Easter night surrounded by her children. She is dearly missed by her husband of nearly 59 years, Gregory, her large family, and many others who...

Beverly Beach Grant, age 100, of Stow, OH, formerly of Hudson, OH, passed away peacefully Sunday, April 12, 2026 with her family by her side. Bev was born to the late Charles Spurgeon and Gladys (nee Williams) Beach and grew up in Poultney Vt. While in high school, Bev served as a plane spotter...

Maria F. Barradas passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2026. The family is being cared for by Chapel of the Chimes Hayward Funeral Home & Memorial Park.