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1-26 of 26
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Randy Parton was born on 15 December 1953 in Sevierville, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for Rhinestone (1984), Dolly Parton & Friends (2007) and The Queens of Country (2009). He was married to Deb Parton. He died on 21 January 2021 in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, USA.- Lori Janney was born on 13 March 1969 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Psychopath (2009) and The Shower Killer (2009). She was married to Steve Janney. She died on 10 April 2014 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Alma Sewell was born in July 1893 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. She was an actress, known for The Conjure Woman (1926), The House Behind the Cedars (1927) and The Dungeon (1922). She was married to James Harvey Sewell. She died on 30 May 1977 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Richard Kirkwood was born on 22 December 1970 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), Geezers (1999) and War (2004). He died in October 2016 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Art Department
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Joseph Ruggiero was a involved in reenacting and living history presentations, portraying various time periods including the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. He was a founding member of the Sea Rats Atlantic, a pirate re-enacting group that was primarily active in the North-Eastern United States. Joe is known for his work on Alone Yet Not Alone (2013), The Siege of Vicksburg, the Confederate Gibraltar Falls (2010) and No Retreat from Destiny: The Battle That Rescued Washington (2006). He died on October 29, 2010 at Carilion Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia, USA following an on-set accident.- Cancer took Carol Wall's life, but it did not take her story.
Even while hospitalized following her third diagnosis of breast cancer, Wall made the final edits on her memoir from her bed at Lewis-Gale Medical Center, dictating them to her husband, Dick. The resulting book, "Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart," told the story of living with life-changing afflictions, yet still finding joy and meaning in living.
The book came out in March of 2014, but Wall was too sick to promote it and revel in the good reviews it received nationally. Her husband and three adult children stood in for her, speaking to book clubs, cancer survivors and anyone who enjoyed a good story.
They will continue to do that even though Wall died later in 2014. Thanks to her writings and her family, Carol Wall's story lives on.
"It's a pretty good gift for her to leave," Dick Wall said. "I think it will be around for a long time."
An author, essayist and retired high school English teacher, Wall grew up in Radford and had lived in Roanoke for nearly 20 years. She was a regular contributor to Southern Living, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other publications.
She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and 2004. When she began her book, she envisioned it as a memoir about living with cancer, her son, Phil Wall, said. However, the story took a turn when she met "Mister Owita," a Kenyan gardener who teaches her that life is fleeting and should be lived and enjoyed to its fullest.
Owita (not his real name; Wall protected his identity) was hired to repair the Walls' neglected yard and landscaping at their southwest Roanoke home. Through the course of the story, Wall learned much about her mysterious gardener. He was an immigrant from Kenya who held a doctorate in horticulture, but he also had an affliction of his own. He had HIV.
The pair built an unlikely friendship, bonding over flowers and supporting each other through their respective illnesses. Before Owita died in 2008, Carol and Dick Wall had helped raise money for his medical bills, assisted with insurance claims and sought to make Owita's final days as peaceful as possible for him and his family.
The book earned excellent reviews when it was released. USA Today's review stated that "[g]race and gardening go hand-in-glove in this fine book about what really matters in life: friendship, kindness and watching a garden grow." The New York Times called it a "beautiful book" and said readers will get a "new appreciation for how far roots can travel for nourishment, especially those that spring from our hearts."
Sadly, Wall's illness prevented her from appearing at speaking engagements and promoting her book. In July, doctors told her family that she had paraneoplastic syndrome, a condition in which the antibodies that were fighting the cancer attacked her nervous system and her brain.
"That's when we knew this would not have a happy ending," Dick said.
In Carol's absence, Dick, her sons Chad and Phil, and daughter Jenny Gelfand, spoke for her. At times, Phil Wall said, filling in for his mother was difficult, but he knew she wanted them to do it.
"The last clear conversation I had with her was in July and the last thing she said was, 'You take care of our book,'" said Phil, a filmmaker in Philadelphia. "Sometimes, I'm bitter. Here's an author who worked so hard to do this and finally see it come to fruition. When she got sick, she said, 'I hate this ... Right when we were going to pick our fruit.'
"But then I think how beautiful it is that this actually came out. She finished it in the final weeks when she was capable of doing something like that on this earth. What happened is extremely powerful."
Wall was born in Radford, where her parents, Evelene and Charles Fretwell, ran the downtown Alleghany Hotel and Newsstand. She and Dick fell in love while both were Radford High School students. They got married in college, when Carol was just 20 years old and Dick 19.
She taught high school English in Nashville, Charlottesville, Radford and at Roanoke Catholic. Dick became a lawyer and a high school basketball coach, including a nine-year stint at Roanoke Catholic, where he guided the team to three Virginia Independent Schools Division II championships. Both Walls retired in 2004, when Carol decided to work on her book. Shortly after retirement, however, she had surgery.
She was well enough to write her book, which was finished in late 2013, but then became too sick to leave her bed. Dick, who said that Carol had been a dutiful, supportive coach's wife in the bleachers for many years, was ready to support her.
"This was supposed to be her time," he said. "This was supposed to be when I'm in the bleachers and I'm carrying the bag."
As it turned out, her family was able to help her and support her in a different way.
"It's surreal to have that book as a tangible piece of evidence for my family to show who my mother was," Phil said. "I have to do whatever is in my power to tell her story, although she'd be a hell of a lot better at it than I am." - Sandy Scott was born on 27 May 1934 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was a producer, known for Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1992), Volunteer Slam (1992) and WCW Worldwide (1975). He was married to Sandra. He died on 11 March 2010 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Reginald Wright Kauffman was born on 8 September 1877 in Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA. Reginald Wright was a writer, known for School for Girls (1934), Midnight Life (1928) and Graft (1915). Reginald Wright died on 25 April 1959 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Larry Jon Wilson was born on 7 October 1940 in Swainsboro, Georgia, USA. He was a composer, known for Larry Jon Wilson - At the Bluebird Cafe (2000), Heartworn Highways (1976) and Shawn Mullins and Larry Jon Wilson @ the Bluebird Café (2000). He died on 21 June 2010 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Jerry Truesdale was born on 20 September 1946. He died on 23 April 1988 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Thomas B. Mason was born on 12 January 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Mississippi Burning (1988), In a Shallow Grave (1988) and Gods and Generals (2003). He died on 8 March 2007 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Jane Stuart-Smith was born on 29 September 1925. She died on 14 January 2016 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Burt Albert was born on 25 September 1941 in Sioux City, Iowa, USA. He died on 19 June 2013 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Nelson Bond was born on 23 November 1908 in Scranton, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer, known for Lights Out (1946), Tales of Tomorrow (1951) and Thriller (1960). He was married to Betty Folsom. He died on 4 November 2006 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Ron Hodges was born on 22 June 1949 in Rocky Mount, Virginia, USA. He was married to Peggy. He died on 24 November 2023 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Byron Nelson was born on 4 February 1912 in Waxahachie, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Caddy (1953), All American Swing Stars (1948) and The Dean Martin Show (1965). He was married to Peggy Simmons and Louise Shofner. He died on 26 September 2006 in Roanoke, Texas, USA.
- Andy Christian died on 23 September 2012 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- William Crowell was born on 20 July 1877 in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for A Son of Satan (1924), Beyond the Great Wall (1920) and Birthright (1924). He died on 30 July 1929 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- George Preas was born on 25 June 1933 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. He died on 24 February 2007 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Allan R. Bosworth was born on 29 October 1901 in San Angelo, Texas, USA. Allan R. was a writer, known for Nobody's Perfect (1968). Allan R. died on 18 July 1986 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Jo Milward was born on 9 June 1898 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Jo was a writer, known for The Devil Is Driving (1937) and The Guilty Generation (1931). Jo died in February 1973 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Marlow Ferguson was born on 28 December 1937 in New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for American Playhouse (1980) and Blue Ridge (2014). He was married to Karen. He died on 19 December 2023 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Actress
Donna Lou Miller was born on 8 November 1949 in Salem, Virginia, USA. She was an actress. She died on 24 December 2003 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.- John Robert Slaughter was born on 3 February 1925 in Bristol, Tennessee, USA. He was married to Margared Leftwich. He died on 29 May 2012 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
- Herschel Sizemore was born on 6 August 1935 in Sheffield, Alabama, USA. Herschel was married to Joyce. Herschel died on 9 September 2022 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.