Sunday Reads, Including Obituaries

 Obituary:  Actress Markie Post, known for her television work, has died at the age of 70:

Born on November 4, 1950 in Palo Alto, California, Post got her start in entertainment by working behind the scenes on game shows, including Split Second, earning an associate producer credit on Alex Trebek’s Double Dare, and appearing before the camera as a card dealer on NBC’s Card Sharks.

Her first acting credits came in 1979, with appearances on episodes of CHiPs, Barnaby Jones, The Incredible Hulk, The Lazarus Syndrome, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Hart to Hart.

She battled cancer for about four years. 

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Another obit:  Musician Dennis Thomas, 70, co-founder of the group Kool and the Gang, died in his sleep yesterday:

Born Feb. 9, 1951, in Orlando, Florida, Thomas was known for his prologue on the band's 1971 hit, “Who's Gonna Take the Weight.” Known for his hip clothes and hats, he was also the group's wardrobe stylist. In the early days, he served as their “budget hawk,” carrying their earnings in a paper bag stuffed into the bell of his horn, the statement said.

In 1964, seven teen friends created the group's unique bland of jazz, soul and funk, at first calling themselves the Jazziacs. They went through several iterations before settling on Kool & the Gang in 1969. The group's other founders are brothers Ronald and Robert Bell, Spike Mickens, Ricky Westfield, George Brown and Charles Smith.

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The remains believed, though not yet conclusive,  of a woman missing for 43 years have finally been recovered.  It sounds as if it were a car accident because her remains were found in a submerged car:

The car, half-buried at the bottom of the Connecticut River, is a 1972 Pontiac LeMans with a license plate 'OB610' found nearby - the exact plate registered to Alberta Leeman, who vanished over 43 years ago.  

It was found Friday submerged in the river, just about one mile south of the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge, which connects Lancaster, New Hampshire with Lunenburg, Vermont.

It had apparently been underwater for decades when it was found by New Hampshire Fish and Game officials using specialized equipment, New Hampshire State Police posted on Facebook Friday afternoon.

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Another obituary: Actress Jane Withers, 95, successful as a child actress and in commercials, has died. She passed away last night.  She was also a close friend of actor James Dean.

Withers had been the last major star from the Golden Age of Hollywood of the 1930s to pass away after two-time Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland in 2020.

The Atlanta-born, Hollywood-raised actress got her big break portraying the bratty Joy Smythe opposite Shirley Temple's angelic orphan in David Butler's 1934 film Bright Eyes.

Jane - whose early fans included President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt - was the only child star to complete a seven-year contract at 20th Century-Fox Studios.

After starring in 38 films, Withers retired at age 21 in 1947 before George Stevens cast her as neighbor Vashti Snythe in his 1956 epic Giant alongside Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor.