Obituaries
Margareta Martin, Scandinavian culture expert, dies at 95
Finnish native Margareta Martin helped establish a wide variety of cultural, business, artistic and culinary links between the Nordic world and Atlanta.
Bernard LaFayette Jr., civil rights strategist, dies at 85
The civil rights organizer helped lead the student sit-ins that desegregated Nashville’s lunch counters and later became a strategist in the Southern voting rights movement.
Former DeKalb County sheriff’s death marks end of tragic saga
The flamboyant and mercurial former DeKalb County sheriff died March 2 of natural causes at Augusta State Medical Prison.
Dr. Guy Riekeman, former Life University president and chancellor, dies at 76
An innovator in the chiropractic profession, he increased student enrollment to full capacity.
Coleman Barks, UGA professor and poet who popularized Rumi, dies at 88
UGA poet Coleman Barks, celebrated for his own work and for bringing Rumi’s poetry to modern audiences, died in Athens surrounded by his family at age 88.
Jon Oscher, philanthropist and entrepreneur, dies at 93
The Cartersville resident supported Booth Museum of Western Art, the Tellus Science Museum and the Savoy Automobile Museum
Carolyn Wills, Atlanta arts scene patron and community activist, dies at 89
Known for her work rescuing the Fox Theatre and championing Atlanta arts, Carolyn Wills dies at the age of 89 after a lifetime of civic leadership.
Dr. Gloria Wade-Gayles, Spelman College professor, writer, activist, dies at 88
Wade-Gayles died Jan. 25 of a heart attack, her family said. She is being remembered for her many accomplishments and activism.
Herschel Bloom, prominent Atlanta attorney, dead at 82
Herschel Bloom, an Atlanta attorney with a passion for baseball, has died. Bloom was a longtime assistant coach of the East Cobb Yankees team for older high school players.
