Tallahassee Democrat from Tallahassee, Florida • Page 17

Democrat OBITUARIES Tuesday, May 23, 7B FILE Associated Press Gielgud played Hobson the butler in "Arthur," opposite Dudley Moore, and won an Academy Award for it at age 77. John Gielgud dies at 96 English actor "As Shakespeare said, hailed as the a great spirit greatest Hamlet of his age By Matt Wolf THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON Sir John Gielgud, the latter-day film star who embodied the strengths of the British theater for most of the 20th century, has died. He was 96. Gielgud died Sunday at his home near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, west of London. London's West End theaters planned to dim their lights Monday night in his honor.

The last of a trio of actorknights who dominated the British stage, Gielgud held his place alongside Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson, although his voice sonorous yet lyrical, its timbre rich with clarity and emotion set him apart. Late in life, Gielgud took up screen comedy as Hobson the butler in "Arthur," opposite Dudley Moore, and won an Academy Award for it at age 77. He touched audiences with his character's tender patience toward his drunken playboy employer and with the impishness for which he was known off screen. On television, he shone projects as 1981's "Brideshead Revisited," in which he played Jeremy Irons' eccentric father. 'Extraordinarily lucky' "I have been extraordinarily lucky," Gielgud told The Associated Press in a 1991 interview.

"I've had sort of three goes, which is rare, very fortunate for an actor, and in every kind of work." Gielgud's matchless range of Shakespearean roles stretched from the octogenarian Lear, performed at age 27, to playing Prospero in his own old age. His Hamlet, which he performed more than 500 times, was considered the greatest of his age. "Everybody currently working in the theater will agree that his death is the end of an era," said Trevor Nunn, director of the Royal National Theatre. "As Shakespeare said, 'There's a great spirit gone. Gielgud was working as Trevor Nunn director, Royal National Theatre recently as February, lending his extraordinary voice to the brief but crucial role of Time in an audio recording of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." "When he came to lunch, we were the court of King John and he was said Bill Shepherd, a producer at the taping.

Gielgud's stage career embraced the classics and provocative new works, and his films ranged from Alain Resnais' intellectual "Providence" (1977) to Bob Guccione's trashy, soft-porn "Caligula" (1979). He continued to act right up to end, including a role in the 1998 film "Elizabeth." "It's my whole life. It's all I can do," he once said. Debuted in 1921 Gielgud was born April 14, 1904, in London, the son of a stockbroker. His great-aunt was the celebrated stage actress Ellen Terry.

He was, as he wrote in his 1979 memoir, "An Actor and His Time," "theatrically englamored by my family." He intended first to be a stage designer, but turned to acting "only to please my parents." Gielgud won a scholarship. London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his professional debut in 1921, playing a French herald in Shakespeare's "Henry In 1930, he acted the first of his many Hamlets. Gielgud made his Broadway debut in 1928 in Alfred Neumann's "The Patriot," and returned regularly to the New York stage. His last New York appearance was in Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land" in 1977. Gielgud lived most of his life in London.

He moved in 1976 to his elegant 1690s carriage house in Buckinghamshire, where he enjoyed gardening and catching up on his reading. Gielgud's longtime companion, Martin Hensler, died last year. He leaves no survivors. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available. FILE Associated Press Sir John Gielgud is Prospero and Doreen Aris is Miranda after a 1958 performance of "The Tempest" in London.

LOCAL OBITUARIES: Nina Marie Batchelor Nina Marie Batchelor, 62, of Madison died Saturday in Tallahassee. The service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Beggs Funeral Home, Madison Chapel (973-2258), with burial at Midway Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

A native of Piqua, Ohio, and a former resident of Richmond, she had lived 'in Madison since 1987. She was a cook and a waitress. She is survived by her husband, Glenn R. Batchelor of Madison; two sons, Louis Miller of Madison and Aaron Batchelor of Hamilton, Ohio; a daughter, Trudy Green of Piqua; her mother, Stella Cotrell of Lee; three brothers, Joe Cotrell of Piqua, Frank Cotrell and Rick Cotrell of Lee; a sister, Dixie Barga of Madison; and 11 grandchildren. Myrtice Clark Myrtice Clark, 81, of Tallahassee died Sunday.

The service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Maranatha Church, with burial at Oakland Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, Riggins Road Chapel (877-8191). Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 1304 E.

Sixth Tallahassee, FL 32303. A native of Walton County, she had lived in Tallahassee since 1938. She was a member of Maranatha Church. She is survived by a brother, Frank Commander of Columbia, S.C.; and a sister, Doxie Storrs of DeFuniak Springs. Lebra Catherine Davidson Lebra Catherine Davidson, 78, of Tallahassee died Saturday.

The service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Park Chapel in Memphis, with burial at Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 1304 E. Sixth Tallahassee, FL 32308. A native of Thibodaux, and a former resident of Whitehaven, she had lived in Tallahassee since 1989.

She was a communicant of St. Pauls Catholic Church for 35 years. She is survived by a daughter, Patricia Hentz of Tallahassee; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. (Bevis Funeral Home, 385-2193.) Lonnie W. Jacobs Lonnie W.

Jacobs, 69, of Tallahassee died Sunday. No services are planned. Memorial contributions may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Tallahassee, FL romance novelist LONDON Dame Barbara Cartland, considered the world's most prolific author and Britain's queen of romantic fiction, has died, her family said. She was 98. Cartland died at her estate near Hatfield on Sunday after a short illness, the family said.

Critics generally ignored Cartland's work, but a legion of fans snapped up her novels about feminine virtue and manly ideals. Sales of her 723 books exceeded 1 billion worldwide in 36 languages. The Guinness Book of Records lists her as the world's topselling author. Against the increasing pressures of the sexual revolution, Cartland Princess Diana's stepgrandmother carried the banner of old-fashioned romance with unswerving dedication. The popularity of her virginal heroines and commanding heroes seemed to grow as society grappled with infidelity, divorce, abortion, drugs and AIDS.

"Personally I want to be loved, adored, worshipped, cossetted, and protected. Judging by the Romantic 32308. He was a native of the Tallahassee area. He is survived by two sons, Lonnie Jacobs of Tallahassee and Carlos McWatters of Gainesville; a daughter, Marilyn Lindsey of Jacksonville; four brothers, Julius Jacobs and James Jacobs of Tallahassee, Percy Jacobs and Wayne Jacobs of Perry; four sisters, Lavater Johnson of Tallahassee, Elease Bodiford and Juanita McWatters of Perry and Edith Watt of Clearwater; and four grandchildren. (Fairchild Burial Cremation Services, 386-8686.) Fannette Wharton Lamb Fannette Wharton Lamb, 90, of Keystone Heights died May 12.

Private memorial services will be held at a later date. A former resident of Tallahassee, she was a dance instructor. She is survived by a daughter, Nancy Durocher of Keystone Heights; two grandchildren, Rob Durocher and Bill Durocher of Keystone Heights; and a great-grandchild. George R. Lumsden George R.

Lumsden, 85, of Tallahassee died Monday. The service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity United Methodist Church, with burial at Culley's MeadowWood Memorial Park. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. todayat Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home Riggins Road Chapel (877- 8191).

Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 120 W. Park Tallahassee, FL 32301 or Camellia Garden Club of Tallahassee, PO Box 201, Tallahassee, FL 32302. A native of Mendenhall, he had lived in Tallahassee for 12 years. He was an insurance agent and was a Navy veteran of World War II. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Frances Calhoun Lumsden of Tallahassee; a son, Robert S. Lumsden of Tallahassee; a daughter, Becky Davis of Jackson, a brother, Clement Clay Lumsden of Natchez, a sister, Frances Reynolds of Clinton, and four grandchildren. Helen Lentz McKey Helen Lentz McKey, 92, of Tallahassee died Monday. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home (877- 8191).

Memorial contributions may be made to AAUW Scholarship Fund, Tallahassee Branch, or a favorite charity. A native of Mooresville, N.C., she had lived in Tallahassee since 1964. She was a longtime mental health DEATHS: boom, this is what women all over the world want, too," Dame Barbara said in 1977, pointing out that she was a best-seller in Europe, North America, Turkey, Singapore, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. lionaire founder of the Herbalife empire of weight loss and nutritional products, has died at age 44. Hughes Mark Hughes, founder of Herbalife MALIBU, Calif.

Mark Reynolds Hughes, multimil- Hughes was found dead Sunday in his Malibu mansion, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Norine Plett. He died of apparent natural causes but an autopsy will determine the cause of death, she said. Los Angeles-based Herbalife, which Hughes founded in 1980, sells products in 48 countries, according to its Web site. It said Hughes was inspired to found the company by the death of his mother from an accidental overdose of prescription professional in many states.

She was employed by the Bureau of Mental Health and Florida State Board of Health from 1950 until her retirement. She was a Fellow of the American Public Health Association and a member of the AAUW, Soroptimist and the Senior Services Planning Council of Tallahassee. She is survived by a sister, Rachel Moore McKey Higdon of Cooperhill, and a nephew, Robert Giles Lytle Jr. of Mooresville; four nieces, Nan Higdon Harrison of Richland, Sarah Helen Higdon Swain of Lebanon, Jane Moore Higdon Brackett of Blue Ridge, Nancy Lytle Martin of WinstonSalem, N.C. Ruthie M.

Muse Ruthie M. Muse, 72, of Daytona Beach died Fri- day. The service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Strong Jo Funeral Home (224- 2139) in Tallahassee, with burial at Greenwood Cemetery. A native of Tallahassee, she had lived in Daytona Beach since 1950.

She was a member of Mount Zion AME Church in Daytona Beach. She is survived by a daughter, Vorice Woody of Daytona Beach; three sisters, Celestiner Robinson and Julia Davis of Miami, Erica Joy Woody of Daytona Beach; and a grand- Elizabeth Bostick Shaw Elizabeth Bostick "Dib- by" Shaw, 94, of Quincy died Saturday. The service will be at 11 a.m. today at First Presbyterian Church in Quincy, with a private burial at Old Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the Mary McMillan Home in Quincy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 306 N. Madison Quincy, FL 32351 or Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Tallahassee, FL 32308-5428. A native of Quincy, she was a longtime resident of Tallahassee and Quincy. She is survived by a son, Rod K. Shaw of Tampa; a daughter, Mary S.

McMillan of Quincy; a brother, Allan Bostick of Quincy; a sister, Sada Bostick of Quincy; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. (Independent Funeral Home in Quincy, 875-1529.) Eudora Irene Wood Eudora Irene Wood, 95, of Tallahassee died Friday. The service will be at 7 p.m. May 31 at United diet pills when he was 18. Herbalife's 1999 sales totaled $956.2 million.

Loyd Jowers, assassination conspirator UNION CITY, Tenn. Loyd Jowers, the former Memphis cafe owner who claimed he hired someone other than James Earl Ray to assassinate Martin Luther King has died. He was 73. Jowers had lung cancer and had recently suffered a heart attack, said his lawyer, Lewis K. Garrison.

He died Saturday at Baptist Memorial Hospital after lapsing into a coma. Jowers ran Jim's Grill, a cafe on the ground floor of a rooming house from which prosecutors say the shot that killed King was fired on April 4, 1968. In an ABC-TV interview in 1993, Jowers said he received $100,000 from late Memphis produce merchant Frank Liberto to arrange King's murder. He claimed he hired the assassin, but said it wasn't Ray. Jowers and "unknown conspirators" were found liable in December in a wrongful death lawsuit brought against Jowers by the slain civil rights leader's family.

Church, 1834 Mahan Drive, with burial at a later date. A native of Washtenow County, she had lived in Tallahassee for almost five years. She was an office secretary for St. Mark's Church in New Britain, Conn. She is survived by a daughter, Carol Avery of Tallahassee; a sister, Gertrude Kern of Chelsea, five grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren.

(Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, Riggins Road Chapel, 877-8191.) Albert Johnson May 22, 2000 in Tallahassee, FL. The service will be at 11:00 A.M., Wednesday, May 24, 2000 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Tallahassee, with burial at Tallahassee Memory Gardens in Tallahassee. Family will receive friends from P.M., Tuesday, 23, 2000 at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Homes, Riggins Road Chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 241 John Knox Road, Ste. 100, Tallahassee, FL 32303 or Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Tallahassee, FL 32308.

A native of Concord, FL, he was a lifelong resident of the Tallahassee area. He was an Army veteran of World War II, having served in the Pacific Theatre. He was employed with Tallahassee Tire for 31 years and was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Margie Johnson of Tallahassee, FL; a son and daughter-in-law, Gray and Verna Johnson of Tallahassee, FL; a brother, Elmo Johnson of Havana, FL; two grandsons, Bert Johnson and Dwayne Johnson both of Crawfordville, FL; and a great-granddaughter, Donella Johnson of Crawfordville, FL. Culley's Meadowwood Funeral Homes Riggins Road Chapel (850)877-8191 -083603 Albert Johnson, 78, of Tallahassee, died Monday, Muse Muse MYRAL.

LANG Myra L. Lang, 97 of Tallahassee died Saturday, May 20th. The service will be held at 11AM, Tuesday at Waverly United Methodist Church in Waverly, Georgia with burial at Homeward Cemetery in Waverly. A native of Brunswick, Georgia she lived with her family in Tallahassee since 1994. She was the Postmaster of Waverly, Georgia from 1937 to 1968 having succeeded her late husband Issac Ward Lang who died in 1937.

She is survived by a daughter, Virginia Lang Barnes and husband Bill Barnes of Tallahassee, Issac Ward Lang Jr. and wife Marian of Duluth, Georgia, Margaret Lang Mitchell and husband Duane Mitchell of Tallahassee, and Julian Lang of Darien, Georgia. Eleven grandchildren, including Edward P. Creel of Tallahassee, Charles W. Creel and wife Cheryl of Crawfordville, June Vause and husband Eugene of Crawfordville, Jan Condom and husband Dan of Tallahassee and Sherry Bryant and husband Gary of Tallradge, Ohio, 19 greatgrandchildren including Deana Vause of Tallahassee, Bradley Vause of Crawfordville, Colin Hightower and Nicholas Condon of Tallahassee.

Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home in Brunswick, Georgia in charge of arrangements. 036931 In Loving Memory of Sherry Lynn Fulcher "The rose still grows beyond the wall" Love, Mom and Dad and "Nanny and Grampa" Reuse. recycle. TALLAHASSEE DE RAT.