World War II

Art Schallock (1924–2025), oldest living ex-MLBer

Art Schallock was a pitcher for the New York Yankees who, from 2022 until his death, was the oldest living ex-Major League Baseball player.

Jacqueline van Maarsen (1929–2025), Anne Frank’s best friend

Jacqueline van Maarsen was a Holocaust survivor best known as Anne Frank’s best friend.

Loretta Ford (1920–2025), pioneering nurse practitioner

Loretta Ford was a nurse who co-founded the first nurse practitioner program in the United States.

Warren Upton (1919–2024), oldest living Pearl Harbor survivor

Warren Upton was a U.S. Navy veteran and the last remaining survivor of the bombing of the USS Utah at Pearl Harbor. 

Harry Chandler (1921–2024), Pearl Harbor survivor

Harry Chandler was a U.S. Navy veteran and one of the last survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the U.S. into World War II.

ígnes Keleti (1921–2025), oldest living Olympic champion

Ágnes Keleti was a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic champion, having won five gold medals in gymnastics in the 1950s.

Bob Fernandez (1924–2024), Pearl Harbor survivor

Bob Fernandez was a United States Navy veteran and one of the last remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack that launched the U.S. into World War II.

Lou Carnesecca (1925–2024), legendary St. John’s basketball coach

Lou Carnesecca was the longtime basketball coach for St. John’s University in New York City, reaching the postseason in all of his 24 seasons and racking up 526 career wins.

Earl Holliman (1928–2024), Police Woman costar

Earl Holliman was an actor best known for his award-winning work in the 1956 western romance “The Rainmaker,” and starring opposite Angie Dickinson in the TV drama “Police Woman.”

Lou Donaldson (1926–2024), famed jazz saxophonist

Lou Donaldson was an alto saxophonist and jazz great best known for his Blue Note albums of the 1950s and prominence for the decades that followed.

Madeleine Riffaud (1924–2024), French Resistance fighter

Madeleine Riffaud was a journalist and fighter with the French Resistance in World War II, refusing to bow to the Nazis despite capture and torture.

John Kinsel Sr. (1917–2024), WWII Navajo Code Talker

John Kinsel Sr. was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, who helped the Allies win World War II.

Lore Segal (1928–2024), Pulitzer Prize-finalist author

Lore Segal was an author and Holocaust survivor whose 2007 novel, “Shakespeare's Kitchen,” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction.

Dan Evans (1925–2024), former Washington governor and U.S. senator

Dan Evans was a three-term governor of Washington state in the 1960s and ‘70s who went on to serve as a U.S. senator in the ‘80s.

David Graham (1925–2024), voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who

David Graham was a British voice actor best known for his work on “Doctor Who,” where he voiced the Daleks; for voicing Grandpa Pig on “Peppa Pig;” and for playing several characters on the “Thunderbirds” shows and films.

Paul Goldsmith (1925–2024), nine-time NASCAR Cup winner

Paul Goldsmith was an auto racing pioneer who was a nine-time NASCAR Cup winner and the oldest living Indianapolis 500 veteran.

Vic Seixas (1923–2024), mid-century tennis champ

Vic Seixas was a champion tennis player who won 15 Grand Slam titles and took victory in men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1953. 

Romay Johnson Davis (1919–2024), WWII Women’s Army Corps vet

Romay Johnson Davis was a World War II veteran and a member of the first all-female, all-Black Army Corps unit deployed overseas during the conflict. 

Herb Elfring (1922–2024), 102-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor

Herb Elfring was a 19-year-old National Guardsman stationed at Camp Malakole when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Clarence “Bud” Anderson (1922–2024), last surviving WWII triple ace

Clarence “Bud” Anderson was a celebrated U.S. Air Force pilot who was the last surviving triple ace of WWII and the highest scoring P-51 Mustang pilot in his squadron.

Lou Conter (1921–2024), last USS Arizona survivor

Lou Conter was the last survivor of the bombing of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Daniel Kahneman (1934–2024), Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist 

Daniel Kahneman was a Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist, psychologist, and author of the best-selling book on modern economic theory, “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” 

Richard C. Higgins (1921–2024), Pearl Harbor survivor 

Richard C. Higgins was one of the last remaining survivors of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Martin Greenfield (1928–2024), tailor to the stars 

Martin Greenfield was a Holocaust survivor who became a prominent tailor specializing in dressing the elite, including six U.S. Presidents and such celebrities as , Shaquille O’Neal, , and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Sterling Cale (1921–2024), last Pearl Harbor survivor in Hawai’i

Sterling Cale was the last survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack still living in Hawai’i and after 57 years of service, a veteran of three wars.

Si Spiegel (1924–2024), WWII hero and artificial Xmas tree pioneer 

Si Spiegel was a World War II bomber pilot who flew missions over Berlin and became a pioneer in modernizing artificial Christmas trees after the war.

Harry Connick Sr. (1926–2024), longtime New Orleans district attorney 

Harry Connick Sr. was the district attorney for Orleans Parish (New Orleans) from 1973 to 2003 and the father of musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. 

Jack Burke Jr. (1923–2024), two-time major-winning golfer 

Jack “Jackie” Burke Jr. was a PGA Tour golfer and winner of both the Masters and PGA Championship in 1956 who won 16 PGA Tour events overall during his career.

Shecky Greene (1926–2023), old school Vegas headliner 

Shecky Greene was a legendary comedian known for his headlining shows in Las Vegas.

Guy Stern (1922–2023), Holocaust refugee and WWII intel operative

Guy Stern was a German refugee who fled the Nazis in the 1930s and became a military intelligence operative for the U.S. during World War II as part of the elite group known as the Ritchie Boys.

Ted Schwinden (1925–2023), former Montana governor

Ted Schwinden was an American politician elected to office in Montana, first in the state’s House of Representatives and later as a two-term governor.

Hughes Van Ellis (1921–2023), Tulsa Race Massacre survivor

Hughes Van Ellis was one of the last three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Ellsworth Johnson (1923-2023), 100-year-old WWII special-ops veteran

Ellsworth Johnson was a WWII veteran and the last known surviving member of a secret U.S. military unit that operated in enemy-occupied territory in France and China.

Al Quie (1923–2023), former congressman and Governor of Minnesota 

Al Quie was a Republican who served in Congress for more than 20 years and as Governor of Minnesota, in addition to being considered twice as a potential vice-presidential running mate in a U.S. presidential election.

Nechama Tec (1931–2023), Holocaust survivor, historian, and scholar

Nechama Tec was a Holocaust survivor, scholar, and author of the book “Defiance: The Bielski Partisans,” which inspired the 2008 film of the same name.

Margaret Macfarlane (1920–2023), WWII Enigma code breaker

Margaret Macfarlane was a Scottish woman who worked secretly during World War II as one of the Enigma codebreakers alongside Alan Turing at Bletchley Park, as depicted in the film “The Imitation Game."

Vincent Speranza (1925–2023), paratrooper who put beer in his helmet 

Vincent Speranza was a paratrooper during World War II who carried beer in his helmet for a wounded friend during the Battle of the Bulge.

Richard Barancik (1924–2023), last of the Monuments Men of WWII 

Richard Barancik was the last surviving member of the Monuments Men, a group of around 400 who worked to help protect, preserve, and return cultural items, art, and other significant artifacts affected by or stolen during World War II. 

Tony Bennett (1926–2023), legendary crooner

Tony Bennett was an iconic singer who brought traditional pop standards to generations of listeners in a singing career that spanned eight decades.

Jimmy Weldon (1923–2023), voice of Yakky Doodle duck 

Jimmy Weldon was a longtime ventriloquist, best known for voicing Hanna-Barbera's cartoon duck, Yakky Doodle, and for his puppet character, Webster Webfoot.

Léon Gautier (1922–2023), last surviving French D-Day fighter 

Léon Gautier was a veteran of the French military, the country’s last surviving D-Day veteran.

Raymond Cassagnol (1920–2023), Tuskegee Airman from Haiti 

Raymond Cassagnol was a veteran of the Haitian Air Corps who trained with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. 

Homer Hogues (1927–2023), one of the last Tuskegee Airmen 

Homer Hogues was one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the decorated group of Black pilots who fought for the United States even as they faced discrimination. He served in World War II and worked as an airplane mechanic for the 99th Fighter Squadron.

Thomas Buergenthal (1934–2023), prominent human rights advocate

Thomas Buergenthal was a Holocaust survivor who went on to become an attorney, judge, and scholar, and an influential advocate for human rights.

Newton Minow (1926–2023), FCC chair under Kennedy

Newton Minow was a former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under President who is best known for his “vast wasteland” speech, which aimed pointed criticism at commercial television.

Harry Belafonte (1927–2023), legendary singer, actor, and activist

Harry Belafonte was the “King of Calypso,” a singer known for his signature song, “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” as well as an actor and a prominent civil rights activist.

Ken Potts (1921–2023), USS Arizona survivor

Ken Potts was a U.S. Navy veteran and one of the last known survivors of the USS Arizona, the battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor, the wreck of which is now a memorial.

Ben Ferencz (1920–2023), convicted Nazis at Nuremburg trials

Ben Ferencz was the last living prosecutor who convicted Nazis in the Nuremburg trials for their war crimes. 

Virginia Zeani (1925–2023), Transylvanian opera singer

Virginia Zeani was an operatic soprano known for roles including her signature, Violetta in “La Traviata.”