Obituaries in the news

Associated Press

Last update: November 6, 2009 - 3:15 AM

William Avery

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Gov. William Avery, who served one term in the Statehouse in the 1960s, has died. He was 98.

Gov. Mark Parkinson's office said Thursday that Avery, a Republican who served as governor from 1965-66, died Wednesday night. He served for 10 years as a congressman from the 2nd District before running for governor.

Born Aug. 11, 1911, Avery grew up on the family farm in Wakefield. After graduating from the University of Kansas he returned to Wakefield to farm and raise livestock.

Avery entered politics as a local school board member after a stint as a pilot in World War II. He then served in the Kansas House from 1951-55 before being elected to Congress.

Funeral services haven't been announced by the family.

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Lou Filippo

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lou Filippo, a World Boxing Hall of Famer who judged 85 world champion fights and had small roles in the "Rocky" movies, has died. He was 83.

Hall of Fame Treasurer Josie Mejia (JOH'-see me-HEE'-yuh) says Filippo suffered a stroke and died Monday at a hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, where he lived. He had judged a fight only two weeks ago.

Filippo was the hall's former president. He was in more than 250 amateur fights and had a professional record of 28 wins, nine losses and three draws before retiring in 1957.

Filippo later became a referee and judge. In 1987, he favored Marvin Hagler in a controversial championship fight that Sugar Ray Leonard won by split decision.

Filippo played the fight announcer or referee in five "Rocky" films.

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Stewart Ledbetter

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A former U.S. Senate candidate who once served as Vermont's banking and insurance commissioner has died.

Stewart Ledbetter died Thursday. He was 76.

Ledbetter served in the administration of Gov. Richard Snelling and won the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in 1980. He lost in a close race.

Leahy says Ledbetter was a worthy opponent in a spirited campaign.

Funeral services are set for Tuesday in Vero Beach, Fla.

Ledbetter's son, Stewart, is a longtime anchorman and reporter for WPTZ-TV in Burlington.

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Thomas O'Malley

BOSTON (AP) — The Rev. Thomas P. O'Malley, who served as president of two Jesuit universities, Loyola Marymount and John Carroll, has died. He was 79.

Boston College, where O'Malley was a dean early in his career and had taught for the past decade, announced his death Thursday. The school said he died suddenly Wednesday of a suspected heart attack.

O'Malley was president of Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles from 1991 to 1999. He led John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1980 to 1988.

The Milton, Mass., native was ordained as a priest in 1961. He had degrees from Boston College and Fordham University and had a doctorate in early Christian literature and theology from Nijmegan University in the Netherlands.

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