http://www.toledoblade.com The Latest News from Toledoblade.com (v5) Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:24:25 GMT en-us hourly 1 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/21/michael-mike-joseph-sofo-sofo-foods/stories/20261021014 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/21/michael-mike-joseph-sofo-sofo-foods/stories/20261021014#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:47:44 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/21/michael-mike-joseph-sofo-sofo-foods/stories/20261021014 Michael Joseph Sofo, a longtime CEO and co-owner of Sofo Foods, died Oct. 14 at his Maumee home. He was 67. Michael Joseph Sofo https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/14/norm-niedermeier-1934-202-legendary-ottawa-hills-football-coach/stories/20261012105 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/14/norm-niedermeier-1934-202-legendary-ottawa-hills-football-coach/stories/20261012105#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2026 18:37:31 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/14/norm-niedermeier-1934-202-legendary-ottawa-hills-football-coach/stories/20261012105 Norman “Norm” Arthur Niedermeier, a legendary Ottawa Hills High School football coach who also taught biology, died Oct. 5 at Glass Peaks Senior Living. He was 92. Norman Arthur Niedermeier https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/12/breaking-bad-actor-rj-mitte-dead-34/stories/20261012101 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/12/breaking-bad-actor-rj-mitte-dead-34/stories/20261012101#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:02:56 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/12/breaking-bad-actor-rj-mitte-dead-34/stories/20261012101 LOS ANGELES — Actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte, who brought a lifetime of experience with cerebral palsy to fictional family struggles in an essential role on Breaking Bad, died Monday at age 34, authorities and his representatives said. Aaron Paul, left, and RJ Mitte seen at the AMC/IFC Emmy After Party on Monday, Aug. 24, 2014, in West Hollywood, Calif. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/10/james-hartung-1943-2026-embattled-transportation-expert-served-with-joy/stories/20261006105 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/10/james-hartung-1943-2026-embattled-transportation-expert-served-with-joy/stories/20261006105#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2026 03:45:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/10/james-hartung-1943-2026-embattled-transportation-expert-served-with-joy/stories/20261006105 James Hartung, former president of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, died Oct. 2 at his Toledo home. He was 83. James Hartung https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/oscar-winning-actress-bgsu-alumna-eva-marie-saint-dies/stories/20261006107 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/oscar-winning-actress-bgsu-alumna-eva-marie-saint-dies/stories/20261006107#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:37:10 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/oscar-winning-actress-bgsu-alumna-eva-marie-saint-dies/stories/20261006107 LOS ANGELES — Eva Marie Saint, the pale, willowy actor who won an Academy Award for her first movie, On the Waterfront, and starred opposite Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller North by Northwest, has died. She was 102. Academy Award-winning actress and Bowling Green State University alumna Eva Marie Saint speaks to local media in the Eva Marie Saint Theatre at BGSU in 2018. Miss Saint, who graduated from BGSU in 1946, has died at age 102. Eva Marie Saint, an Academy Award-winning actress and Bowling Green State University alumna, has died at age 102. Miss Saint is shown at the Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 2016. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/cleveland-strikeout-king-sam-mcdowell-dies-84/stories/20261006081 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/cleveland-strikeout-king-sam-mcdowell-dies-84/stories/20261006081#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:41:21 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/cleveland-strikeout-king-sam-mcdowell-dies-84/stories/20261006081 CLEVELAND — Sam McDowell, a six-time All Star who led the American League in strikeouts four times before becoming a counselor for athletes suffering from addiction issues and depression, died Monday at his home in the Villages, Florida. He was 84. Former Major League Baseball players Sam McDowell, left, gestures while joking with Steve Garvey, right, before the 22nd Annual Baseball Assistance Team Dinner on Jan. 25, 2011 in New York. Cleveland Indians pitcher Sam McDowell poses on March 12, 1964 during spring training. Cleveland Indians' Sam McDowell shows the form he used to strike out 15 White Sox as he winds up during the seventh inning of a night baseball game in Chicago, May 7, 1970. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-scandals-dies-86/stories/20261006071 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-scandals-dies-86/stories/20261006071#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:37:07 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-scandals-dies-86/stories/20261006071 Jim Bakker, who along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful The PTL Club TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes, has died. He was 86. Jim and Tammy Bakker enjoy a night on the town night of Oct. 24, 1987 as they arrive at the Beverly Theatre to see the show 'The Gospel Truth.' Television evangelist Jim Bakker poses in front of the Water Park in Columbia, SC, one of the attractions at his Heritage USA, on March 19, 1987. Televangelist Jim Bakker, founder of the former Heritage USA resort, delivers his sermon during the MorningStar Fellowship Church New Year's Conference, in Fort Mill, S.C., on Dec. 30, 2005. FILE -FILE - U.S. marshals escort former PTL leader Jim Bakker, center, from his attorney's office to a waiting car Thursday afternoon Aug. 31, 1989 in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File) FILE -FILE - Jim And Tammy Faye Bakker talk to their television audience, Aug. 20, 1986 at their PTL Ministry in Fort Mill, S.C. (AP Photo/Lou Krasky, File) https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/03/dana-marie-slay-1959-2026-police-officer-special-connection-young-people/stories/20261002138 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/03/dana-marie-slay-1959-2026-police-officer-special-connection-young-people/stories/20261002138#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2026 16:55:16 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/10/03/dana-marie-slay-1959-2026-police-officer-special-connection-young-people/stories/20261002138 Dana Marie Slay, the first Black woman to be awarded Badge No. 1 as the Toledo Police Department’s longest-serving officer, died Sept. 26 at her Toledo home. She was 67. Officer Dana Slay speaks during a meeting of the Old West End Neighborhood Initiatives to discuss the distrust between law enforcement and the community at Kent Library in Toledo in 2019. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/26/tom-strain-1939-2016-farmer-love-loyalty/stories/20260927039 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/26/tom-strain-1939-2016-farmer-love-loyalty/stories/20260927039#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2026 15:05:18 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/26/tom-strain-1939-2016-farmer-love-loyalty/stories/20260927039 Tom Strain, a Toledo farmer known for his love for his employees and family, died at his home in Toledo on Sept. 14. He was 87. Tom Strain Tom Strain (1939-2026) https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/12/dr-sharon-erel-founding-medical-director-hospice-northwest-ohio-trailblazer/stories/20260909137 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/12/dr-sharon-erel-founding-medical-director-hospice-northwest-ohio-trailblazer/stories/20260909137#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:30:21 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/12/dr-sharon-erel-founding-medical-director-hospice-northwest-ohio-trailblazer/stories/20260909137 Dr. Sharon Erel, the founding medical director of Hospice of Northwest Ohio, who had beaten the odds to become one of the area’s first palliative care physicians, died Sept. 6 at her Toledo home. She was 91. Dr. Sharon Erel Dr. Sharon Erel, 1935-2026 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/03/gloria-steinem-a-potent-voice-of-us-feminism-and-co-founder-of-ms-magazine-has-died/stories/20260903091 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/03/gloria-steinem-a-potent-voice-of-us-feminism-and-co-founder-of-ms-magazine-has-died/stories/20260903091#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:29:48 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/09/03/gloria-steinem-a-potent-voice-of-us-feminism-and-co-founder-of-ms-magazine-has-died/stories/20260903091 Gloria Steinem, the Toledo native who became one of the most recognizable leaders of the American women’s movement and spent more than six decades advocating for equality as a journalist, author, organizer, and political activist, has died. She was 92. Toledo native Gloria Steinem followed passions as a journalist, author, and advocate to become a feminist icon. CTY gloria02p Gloria Steinem speaks with the media and then with local high school students before the United Way Women's Initiative annual meeting at the Seagate Convention Centre in Toledo, Ohio onMay 1, 2008. Ms. Steinem is a Toledo native who went on to become an international spokesperson for women's rights. The Blade/Jetta Fraser CTY steinem09p Ted Strickland, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, brings his campaign tour to Toledo, Ohio on October 9, 2016. Strickland is touring the state with the slogan "Ohio is Not for Sale." He will be joined at his Toledo stop by Toledo native and author Gloria Steinem. The Blade/Jetta Fraser Gloria Steinem speaks during the 2021 Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony in Oviedo, northern Spain, Oct. 22, 2021. Gloria Steinem, editor of Ms. magazine, presents Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter a copy of the magazine with his mother Lillian on the cover in 1976. President Barack Obama awards Gloria Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in 2013. Gloria Steinem attends an Equal Rights Amendment rally outside the White House in 1981. CTY steinem09p Gloria Steinem, left, says "hello" to Ellin Stoots in Bowling Green via smartphone. Stoots' granddaughter, Kylee Gregg, right, holds the phone. Gregg, a junior at Bowsher High School, says that she and her grandmother had gone to hear Steinem last year for Authors!Authors!, but had not been able to speak with her. Gregg says her grandmother has taught her a lot about feminism. Ted Strickland, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, brings his campaign tour to Toledo, Ohio on October 9, 2016. Strickland is touring the state with the slogan "Ohio is Not for Sale." He will be joined at his Toledo stop by Toledo native and author Gloria Steinem. The Blade/Jetta Fraser In this file photo dated Mar. 26, 1993, Gloria Steinem speaks to an audience at Thackery's Bookstore in the Westgate Shoping Center. THE BLADE CTY RESIDENT07p 03/07/2018 Toledoan Tina Wagner gets a photo with Gloria Steinem at the Toledo Club. Steinem kicked off State Rep. Theresa Fedor's state senate campaign in front of hundreds of supporters at the club. THE BLADE/LORI KING FILE - Feminist Gloria Steinem appears in New York on Feb. 17, 1970. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano, File) https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/26/tim-curry-actor-rocky-horror-picture-show-star-dies-80/stories/20260826081 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/26/tim-curry-actor-rocky-horror-picture-show-star-dies-80/stories/20260826081#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:38:41 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/26/tim-curry-actor-rocky-horror-picture-show-star-dies-80/stories/20260826081 Tim Curry, a character actor who created a gallery of delicious, very loony villains for stage and screen, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died. He was 80. Tim Curry attends the Museum of the Moving Image salute to Alec Baldwin in New York on Feb. 28, 2011. Tim Curry performs a number from the musical 'Spamalot' during the Broadway premiere on March 17, 2005, in New York, Tim Curry participates in the panel for 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' during the Fox Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2016. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-iconic-songwriter-singer-and-actor-has-died-at-80/stories/20260825087 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-iconic-songwriter-singer-and-actor-has-died-at-80/stories/20260825087#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:05:46 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-iconic-songwriter-singer-and-actor-has-died-at-80/stories/20260825087 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80 years old. Dolly Parton at the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Ceremony in New York. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/16/hayden-panettiere-dies-36/stories/20260816139 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/16/hayden-panettiere-dies-36/stories/20260816139#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2026 03:50:38 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/16/hayden-panettiere-dies-36/stories/20260816139 LOS ANGELES — Hayden Panettiere, star of popular television series including “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died. She was 36. Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of "Blonde," on Sept. 13, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/15/george-zilba-1928-2026/stories/20260815047 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/15/george-zilba-1928-2026/stories/20260815047#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2026 18:46:20 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/15/george-zilba-1928-2026/stories/20260815047 George Zilba, a prolific businessman known as much for his generosity as he was for his successes in the hospitality industry, died Aug. 9 at ProMedica Flower Hospital. He was 87. George Zilba, manager of Parkway Place in Maumee, circa 2013. George Zilba, manager of Parkway Place in Maumee, circa 2013. A portrait of George Zilba from his time in the U.S. Army in the 1960s. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/05/rise-of-cyclosporiasis-infections-slows/stories/20260805103 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/05/rise-of-cyclosporiasis-infections-slows/stories/20260805103#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:20:14 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/05/rise-of-cyclosporiasis-infections-slows/stories/20260805103 Lucas County has reported 1,231 cases of cyclosporiasis, while 3,148 cases have been confirmed across northwest Ohio, a regional increase of 29 since Tuesday, according to figures from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/01/jerry-ryan-1930-2026-independent-pharmacy-founder-caring-spirit/stories/20260801015 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/01/jerry-ryan-1930-2026-independent-pharmacy-founder-caring-spirit/stories/20260801015#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2026 19:45:17 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/08/01/jerry-ryan-1930-2026-independent-pharmacy-founder-caring-spirit/stories/20260801015 Gerald “Jerry” Gene Ryan, Sr., who founded a pharmacy on Dorr Street that over 65 years has become a neighborhood fixture, died Sunday at the Crescent in Sylvania. He was 96. He died following a cardiac event, said his daughter, Deborah Schoen-Gedert. Mr. Ryan was born March 15, 1930, Gerald G. Ryan, Sr. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/30/mary-alice-powell-1928-2026-the-blade-s-first-food-editor/stories/20260730086 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/30/mary-alice-powell-1928-2026-the-blade-s-first-food-editor/stories/20260730086#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:13:06 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/30/mary-alice-powell-1928-2026-the-blade-s-first-food-editor/stories/20260730086 Mary Alice Powell, The Blade’s first food editor, who contributed to the Toledo paper for 73 years, guiding home cooks and restaurant diners alike, died Thursday in her Grand Rapids, Ohio, home. She was 98. Mary Alice Powell Mary Alice Powell in her Grand Rapids home in 2017. Mary Alice Powell in her Grand Rapids home in 2017. Blade food editor Maddie Coppel and retired Blade food editor Mary Alice Powell with their White Velvet Cutout Cookies and Fruit Cake Cookies. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/26/jim-findley-1932-2026-obituary/stories/20260723084 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/26/jim-findley-1932-2026-obituary/stories/20260723084#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2026 11:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/26/jim-findley-1932-2026-obituary/stories/20260723084 James Bruce Findley, an entrepreneur who built one of the region’s largest human resources consulting firms and spent decades contributing to public life in Toledo, died July 19 at Brethren Care Village in Ashland, Ohio. He was 94. The cause of death was complications due to pneumonia, his James B. Findley, 1932–2026. James and Sanda Findley pose in this undated photo. James B. Findley James and Sanda Findley https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/25/john-gibbs-rockwood-obituary/stories/20260725008 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/25/john-gibbs-rockwood-obituary/stories/20260725008#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2026 11:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/07/25/john-gibbs-rockwood-obituary/stories/20260725008 John Gibbs Rockwood, a longtime Owens Corning employee best known as a blues ambassador, photographer, historian, author, and musician, died Monday afternoon inside the Hospice of Northwest Ohio facility on South Detroit Avenue. He was 77. John Rockwood sitting on the porch of the Elvis Presley birthplace in Tupelo, Miss., during a 2016 trip with Dave Gierke. John Rockwood, on Aug. 26, 2014, with his three of his photographs and his new book called "Can I get a Witness." The photographs are of rockers Mick Taylor, Peter Frampton and Chester Arthur Burnett, better known as Howlin' Wolf. John Rockwood, left, and Bob Seeman of Blue Suit Records at the controls of WJZE on Nov. 19, 1997. Blue Suit Records co-founders John Rockwood, left, and Bob Seeman are photographed among vinyls, cassettes and posters on Nov. 15, 2022 at Rockwood’s apartment in Toledo. Photograph of John Rockwood's final painting. It was done in June for Dave Gierke. Former members of The Fabulous Haircuts (from left) Johnny Newmark, John Rockwood, Marc Gray, and Larry Gold at Rockwood’s home in Toledo on Aug. 18, 2022. Former members of The Fabulous Haircuts (from left) Johnny Newmark, John Rockwood, Marc Gray, and Larry Gold at Rockwood’s home in Toledo on Aug. 18, 2022.