Paying a proper farewell to the newly departed is never easy, but the pandemic made it harder. As the year progressed and health precautions became less severe, it was a welcome relief to be able to give end-of-life tributes in a way that was closer to normal.
Even so, the loss of those we mourned in 2021 continues to be felt deeply. How could we not miss those who touched our civic and personal lives in so many ways?
As leaders in government and business, they took our hopes with them as they aimed for greatness. As trailblazers in medicine, education and public affairs, they expanded our horizons. As artists, entertainers and sports heroes, they became our companions and found their way into our hearts.
We thrilled to their successes, celebrated their achievements and felt their pain when the fates failed to favor them. Each one helped make us and our community what we are. In our memories, they will continue to have life.
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Dr. Sidney Anthone, 96, with his identical twin brother, Roland, both surgeons, started a kidney dialysis service at Buffalo General Hospital. They then worked together to perform the first kidney transplant in Western New York in 1964. For years, they did the majority of kidney transplants here. They received Gift of Life Awards in 1979 from the National Kidney Foundation, its highest honor. He died April 30.
Rick Azar, 91, longtime sports anchor on WKBW-TV’s Eyewitness News, was part of the station’s legendary Eyewitness News triumvirate, along with news anchor Irv Weinstein and meteorologist Tom Jolls. His was the first voice heard when the station started broadcasting in 1958. Retired since 1989, he died March 25.
Sportscaster Rick Azar.
Arthur E. “Juini” Booth, 73, a renowned jazz double bassist, had already worked with Chuck Mangione before he moved to New York City when he was 18. He played with such notables as Eddie Harris, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner and Sun Ra, and regularly performed in Buffalo. He died July 11.
Joseph F. Crangle, 88, achieved state and national stature serving as Erie County Democratic chairman from 1965 to 1988, longer than anyone else. He was a trusted strategist and adviser to numerous leading figures, including Sens. Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He died Jan. 12.
Erie County Democratic Chair Joseph F. Crangle (then also Chairman of the State Democratic Committee) applauds a speech by Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey at the NYS Democratic Convention held on June 13, 1974, in the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
Madeline Davis, 80, one of Buffalo’s earliest and most prominent LBGT activists, was the first avowed lesbian to address a major party national political convention in 1972. She taught the first course in lesbianism at UB, compiled an award-winning history of gay women in Buffalo and helped found the nation’s first all-lesbian theater company. She died April 28.
Dennis R. DePerro, 62, the 21st president of St. Bonaventure University, began his career as an admissions counselor at Canisius College, and served 18 years as a dean at LeMoyne College in Syracuse. Taking the St. Bonaventure post in 2017, he launched a major capital campaign, saw steady increases in enrollment and established commissions to tackle diversity. He died March 1, two months after he was hospitalized with Covid-19.
Shane Gibson, 78, known as “The Cosmic Cowboy” and “Shane Brother Shane” during his time with radio stations WKBW, WYSL and WGR in the 1970s and 1980s, charmed listeners with his deep philosophical digressions and his unpredictable wackiness. Inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame, he died Feb. 15 in Virginia.
Dennis Gorski, 76, the son of a congressman, began his climb to Erie County Executive with two years in the County Legislature and 12 years in the Assembly. A conservative Democrat, he kept county finances steady during his three terms in the top job, helping to bring the World University Games to Buffalo in 1993 and financing the arena now known as KeyBank Center. He died July 4.
Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski welcomes Arkansas First Lady Hillary Clinton to Buffalo in 1992.
Mark E. Hamister, 69, starting with loans from his family, built a multimillion-dollar business that specializes in hotels and assisted living facilities. At the time he made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Buffalo Sabres in 2002, he was owner of two Arena Football League teams, the Buffalo Destroyers and the Rochester Brigade. He died from Covid-19 on Aug. 20.
Mark Hamister shown in a portrait taken when he made a bid for the Buffalo Sabres.
Leo R. Henry, 90, served 54 years as chief of the Tuscarora Nation. A Korean War veteran and an industrial electrician, he was a staunch defender of traditions. He pushed for construction of a Longhouse on tribal territory in Niagara County and stressed the importance of preserving the Tuscarora language and culture. He died Aug. 15.
Ross B. Kenzie, 90, shook up the venerable Bank of Buffalo when he took the helm in 1979. He rebranded it Goldome, built a gleaming new office tower and revitalized a decaying stretch of Main Street. After his plan for a hybrid bank collapsed in the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s, he stayed in Buffalo and assisted in civic projects. He died Nov. 26.
Evelyn Patterson Merriweather, 98, became publisher of the Buffalo Criterion, the oldest African American newspaper in upstate New York, upon the death of her husband in 1995. Once a linotype operator at the paper, she continued to prepare articles for publication until about three years ago. Honored with numerous awards for community service, she died Nov. 12.
Teresa A. “Teri” Miller, 59, a law school professor and advocate for better prison conditions, promoted diversity as the University at Buffalo’s first vice provost for inclusive excellence, then took her dedication to equity statewide as SUNY’s senior vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and chief diversity officer. She died Aug. 6.
John Muckler, 86, came to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991 after several championship seasons as an assistant and head coach with the Edmonton Oilers and, as general manager and coach, quickly turned the team into a contender. Although he was fired in 1997, the roster he assembled took the Sabres to the Stanley Cup finals two years later. He worked with general manager Gerry Meehan in acquiring Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek, which is regarded as one of the best trades in NHL history. He died Jan. 4.
As coach of the Sabres, John Muckler led the team to its four-game sweep of Boston in 1993 – its first playoff series victory in 10 years.
John Rigas, 96, began with a cable TV franchise in Coudersport, Pa., and built it into Adelphia Communications, one of the nation’s largest cable companies. Buffalo became his second base of operations and he acquired the Sabres in 1997. The NHL took control of the team when he and his sons were indicted for embezzling more than $2 billion from Adelphia in 2002. After serving nine years in federal prison, he was released due to poor health in 2016. He died Sept. 30 in Coudersport.
John Rigas at his home in Coudersport, Pa., on June 19, 2018.
Rene Robert, 72, was one-third of the fabled “French Connection,” the forward line with Gil Perreault and Rick Martin that led the Buffalo Sabres to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals in 1975. He was the first Sabre to have a 100-point season, was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame with Perreault and Martin in 1989 and saw his number 14 jersey retired in 1995. In retirement, he was president of the NHL Alumni Association. He died June 22.
Rene Robert leaves the Aud after a playoff game.
Hugh B. Scott, 71, U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of New York, became the district’s first Black assistant U.S. attorney in the 1970s and went on to be an assistant state attorney general in Buffalo. He was elected Buffalo City Court judge at age 34. After his appointment as Western New York’s first African American federal judge in 1995, he created the federal court’s Re-entry Court, which helped former prisoners transition back into society. He died Feb. 19.
Tommy Shannon, 82, a South Buffalo boy who became one of America’s leading radio disc jockeys, was "the epitome of cool." The theme song he co-wrote for his evening show on WKBW in the 1950s became a national hit. After stints with major stations, he returned home to play oldies on WHTT-FM, the same records he played when they were new. A Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Famer, he died May 26.
Tom Shannon the year he announced his retirement after 50 years in broadcasting.
James A. Williams, 77, won numerous awards as superintendent of schools in Dayton, Ohio, before he came to head the Buffalo Public Schools in 2005. Beginning with high hopes, he launched a modernization plan for many school buildings, but student performance lagged and controversy arose over his closely controlled management style. After six years, he resigned and started an educational consulting firm in Washington, D.C. He died there Nov. 16.
Joe Slade White, 71, a prominent Democratic political media consultant and longtime adviser to President Joe Biden, started his career in George McGovern’s presidential campaign in 1972. He steered successful runs by the first woman governor of Michigan and the first Native American U.S. senator. He came to Buffalo in 1989 to assist in a mayoral campaign and stayed on to help elect Anthony M. Masiello and Byron A. Brown to City Hall. He died May 5.
Also of note:
Bruce Adams, 68, teacher, painter, stalwart in Buffalo arts community. Died March 5.
Meredith C. Anding Jr., 79, retired UB faculty member, pioneering civil rights activist. Died Jan. 8.
Vince Anello, 75, ex-Niagara Falls mayor who remained popular, even after his downfall. Died June 8.
Frederick G. Attea, 81, business attorney who helped save Artpark. Died April 10.
Thomas E. Baker, 77, headed Oishei Foundation and first Buffalo fiscal control board. Died Jan. 15.
Paul A. Butler, 90, broadcast executive whose career spanned four decades. Died April 21.
Eulis M. Cathey Jr., 67, Buffalo radio host who became a major national figure in world of jazz. Died April 27.
Harold L. Cohen, 96, dean emeritus of UB School of Architecture and Planning. Died Nov. 2.
Robert E. Coon, 94, administrator at SUNY Fredonia who made it a year-round center for non-college activities, including the Buffalo Bills training camp. Died Dec. 15.
Michael A. Costley, 71, Buffalo-born entertainer who headlined in Palm Springs. Died April 29.
Felix “Phil” DiRe, 80, jazz musician who started Buffalo Jazz Ensemble and Jazz at the Albright-Knox. Died May 26.
Mary E. Flickinger, 88, pioneering environmentalist, helped stage World University Games. Died Oct. 8.
Jorge J. E. Gracia, 78, Cuban-born UB professor considered one of the leading contemporary philosophers. Died July 13.
Ollie D. Harris, 85, trailblazer for Black women locally in the 1950s. Died March 2.
Michael F. Hopkins, 68, poet, educator, jazz critic, social commentator. Died Aug. 4.
Paul “Kalo” Kalinowski, 69, eccentric artist with penchant for the comic and bizarre. Died June 8.
Kathleen L. Kudela, 75, instrumental in starting the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center. Died March 14.
Joseph D. Latona, 80, NFTA executive director in the mid-1980s, longtime Clarence town engineer. Died July 27.
James Francis Mang, 81, longtime director of the Western New York Peace Center. Died Jan. 8.
Isabel Marcus, 83, UB law professor, activist for women’s rights. Died Oct. 31.
Al Maroone, 98, leading auto dealer in the Buffalo area and South Florida. Died Feb. 17.
Eugene Marve, 60, Bills linebacker in the 1980s. Died May 24.
Richie Merlo, 79, singer and jazz trumpeter with six decade career. Died July 5.
Ronald H. Moline, 78, Tonawanda Town Council member between terms as town supervisor in the 1980s and 2000s. Died May 31.
Misty Morgan, 84, topped the Billboard charts in 1970 with “Tennessee Bird Walk.” Died Jan. 1
Thomas A. Newman, 53, Tonawanda City Council member, city's GOP chairman, Died Dec. 17.
Lonnie Nielsen, 67, two-time winner on Champions tour who dominated regional golf tournaments. Died Jan. 20.
Erno Rossi, 84, teacher who wrote a celebrated book on the Blizzard of 1977. Died Feb. 16.
Norman A. Rowlinson, 94, editorial writer and book reviewer for The News. Died April 17.
Marty Schottenheimer, 77, played four seasons with the Bills, then won 200 games as an NFL coach. Died Feb. 8.
Joann Scelsa, 75, Niagara County reporter for The News for 25 years. Died March 21.
Jim Shofner, 85, Bills quarterback coach under Marv Levy in the 1990s. Died July 17.
Peter Simon, 71, witty Buffalo News reporter, leader in Jewish community. Died Nov. 28.
Michael J. Sliwinski, 55, Cheektowaga police officer who rose through the ranks to become chief in 2020. Died July 17.
Chuck Ward, 84, editor and publisher of the Olean Times Herald in 1970s and 80s. Died Nov. 22.
Dennis E. Westberg Sr., 79, radio station owner and program host known as Earl Morgan. Died July 28.
