The following is a list of notable deaths in October 1979. Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence: Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.
October 1979
1 Dorothy Arzner, 82, American film director.Dorothy Arzner Is Dead at 82; Directed in Hollywood in the 30's Sir Robert Cary, 1st Baronet, 81, British politician, MP (1935–1945, 1951–1974). Lucie Chevalley, 97, French humanitarian. Alfred Leland Crabb, 95, American historian and novelist.Crabb leaves legacy Chandra Singh Garhwali, 87, Indian politician. Nikolay Glazkov, 60, Soviet poet. Roy Harris, 81, American composer, stroke.Roy Harris, Prolific Composer of Americana, 81, Dies Yaeko Mizutani, 74, Japanese actress, breast cancer.Exterior Harry Persson, 81, Swedish boxer. Preguinho, 74, Brazilian footballer.JOAO COELHO NETTO
2 Maurice Broun, 73, American ornithologist, botanist and conservationist, cancer.Hawk Mountain Pioneer Dies Jean Bruchési, 78, Canadian diplomat and historian.Deaths Brian Castor, 89, British cricketer. Jan Fortune, 86, American journalist and screenwriter. Henri Galliard, 87, French parasitologist. Ray Genet, 48, American mountaineer, hypothermia.Himalayas claim 2 more climbers Jean Jourlin, 74, French Olympic wrestler (1928, 1936). Kenneth Lamplugh, 77, British Anglican prelate. Nigel Love, 87, Australian aviator.Wing Cdr Nigel Love, pioneer in aviation Joseph M. Marling, 75, American Roman Catholic prelate. Sergio Martínez, 36, Cuban Olympic racing cyclist (1968). Hannelore Schmatz, 39, German mountaineer, hypothermia. John C. Traphagen, 89, American banker.John C. Traphagen, 90, Ex‐Banker Ernst Wulf, 57, East German political activist.
3 John Gordon A'Bear, 66, English rugby player. William Aloisio, 72, American mobster. W. Russell Arrington, 73, American politician and lawyer, member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1945–1953) and Senate (1955–1973).W. RUSSELL ARRINGTON Roy Bence, 79, Australian footballer. Marcos Caplán, 74, Argentine actor. Corky Corcoran, 55, American jazz saxophonist.Corky Corcoran, 55, Saxophonist With James and Dorsey Bands Jordi Folch Pi, 68, Spanish-American biochemist. André Godinat, 76, French racing cyclist. Claudia Jennings, 29, American actress and model, traffic collision.Former actress, 'Playmate of Year' killed in head-on collision Edith Kanakaʻole, 65, American dancer and composer, cancer. Helen Johns Kirtland, 89, American photojournalist.Helen Johns Kirtland Dies at 89 Con Leventhal, 83, Irish literary critic. Dorothy Peterson, 81, American actress. Nicos Poulantzas, 43, Greek sociologist, suicide. Armi Ratia, 67, Finnish businesswoman.Designer dies Jack Smart, 88, English cricketer. Humberto Teixeira, 64, Brazilian musician and politician.Falecimentos Anna Warouw, 81, Indonesian physician. Charles W. White, 61, American artist, heart failure.Charles W. White Is Dead at 61; Artist With Work in 49 Museums
4 Stan Andrews, 66, New Zealand cricketer. Warwick Bastian, 64, Australian Anglican prelate. Sir Natwarsinhji Bhavsinhji, 78, Indian royal and cricketer, maharaja of Porbandar (1908–1948). Les Cocker, 55, English football player and manager.The former Leeds United... Harry Domela, 73–74, Russian-born German royal impostor. Ted Fritsch, 58, American football player, heart attack.Ted Fritsch, 58, Played Fullback For Packers From 1942 to 1950 Fred Graf, 90, American baseball player. Boentaran Martoatmodjo, 83, Indonesian politician and physician. Theo Pabst, 74, German architect. Gerard Rissik, 76, South African banker and economist. P. Subramaniam, 74, Indian filmmaker. Cyril John Vogel, 74, American Roman Catholic prelate, heart attack.Bishop dies
5 Don Magnuson, 68, American politician and journalist, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1953–1963), heart attack.Don Magnuson, an Ex‐Reporter; Served Washington in Congress Joseph Raseta, 92, Malagasy politician.Dr. Joseph Raseta Is Dead at 95; Opposed French in Madagascar Ken Strong, 73, American football player, heart attack.Ken Strong Dead at 73
6 Renato Bacigalupo, 71, Italian Olympic swimmer (1924). Elizabeth Bishop, 68, American poet and author, cerebral aneurysm.Elizabeth Bishop, Won a Pulitzer For Poetry and Taught at Harvard Dudley E. Littlewood, 76, British mathematician. Marshall Allen Neill, 65, American judge, cancer.Lengthy Illness Takes the Life of Judge Neill Kiku Nishizaki, 66, Japanese aviator. Anastasios Orlandos, 91, Greek architect and architectural historian. Ľudmila Pajdušáková, 63, Slovak astronomer. Konstantinos Papaioannou, 79–80, Greek physicist and mathematician. Datto Vaman Potdar, 89, Indian academic administrator and historian. Chapman Revercomb, 84, American politician, member of the U.S. Senate (1943–1949, 1956–1959), pneumonia.Chapman Revercomb, Former Senator, Dies Raymond Wolf, 75, American football and baseball player and coach, cancer.Ex-Gators coach 'Bear' Wolf dies of cancer at 78 Yip Ho Nung, 69, Australian restaurateur and Chinese community leader.
7 Charles E. Bernard, 86, American aviator and businessman. Spencer Block, 71, English cricketer. George Grigor, 63, Canadian ice hockey player. Jerzy Petersburski, 84, Polish pianist and composer. George Retzer, 96, American Olympic wrestler (1912).George Retzer Edwin Schell, 78, American Olympic boxer (1920). Sir Geoffrey Streatfeild, 82, British judge.
8 Sir Brian Edmund Baker, 83, British flying ace and air marshal. H. D. Chalke, 82, British physician and journal editor. Robert Finlay, 56, Scottish rugby player. Emmaline Henry, 50, American actress (I Dream of Jeannie), brain cancer. David Izenzon, 47, American jazz bassist, heart attack.David Izenzon, Bassist; Anti‐Marijuana Adviser Kim Hyong-uk, 54, South Korean general, shot. (death presumed on this date) Sir Norman Martin, 86, Australian politician. Walt McGaw, 79, American football player. Audax Minor, 92, Canadian-American journalist.George Ryall Dies Jayaprakash Narayan, 76, Indian politician, kidney failure.J. P. Narayan, a Revolutionary Hero in India, Dies June Nash, 68, American actress. Carroll C. Pratt, 85, American psychologist and musicologist.Dr. Carroll C. Pratt, a Professor Taught Psychology at 4 Colleges Edith S. Sampson, 77, American diplomat and judge.Edith Sampson, 1st Black Woman Elected to Bench in Illinois, Is Dead Joseph Vandor, 69, Hungarian Roman Catholic priest.
9 József Mátyás Baló, 83, Hungarian physician. Ignatius Bedros XVI Batanian, 80, Ottoman-born Lebanese Armenian Catholic prelate. Leo Binz, 78, American Roman Catholic prelate.ARCHBISHOP LEO BINZ Louis Diage, 74, American set decorator. Theodor Eyrich, 86, Danish Olympic rower (1912, 1920). John Carver Meadows Frost, 63–64, British aircraft designer, heart attack. Ernie Harper, 77, English Olympic runner (1924, 1928, 1936). Maxwell Ralph Jacobs, 74, Australian forester. Friedrich Merz, 94, German pharmacist and entepreneur. Nur Muhammad Taraki, 62, Afghan politician and writer, president (1978–1979), asphyxiated.EX‐AFGHAN LEADER IS REPORTED KILLED
10 Heinrich Behnke, 81, German mathematician. John Nicholas Brown II, 79, American philanthropist and government official, heart attack.John N. Brown, 79, an Ex‐Assistant Navy Secretary Rachel Darden Davis, 74, American politician, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives (1959–1963). Abelardo de Lamare, 86, Brazilian footballer. Charles de Worms, 76, English chemist and entomologist. Zofia Dziurzyńska-Rosińska, 83, Polish painter. Christopher Evans, 48, British computer scientist, cancer. Guido Fanconi, 87, Swiss pediatrician. Fred Graham, 70, American actor and stuntman. Len Hill, 80, English footballer. Margit Ladomerszky, 74, Hungarian actress. Daniel MacDonald, 71, Canadian Olympic wrestler (1928, 1932). Patrick Man, 66, British general. Lewis Allen McGee, 85, American priest and civil rights activist.Lewis Allen McGee, 85, Is Dead; Army Chaplain at Battle of Bulge Paul Paray, 93, French conductor and composer.PAUL PARAY, LEADER OF ORCHESTRAS, 93 Anton Refregier, 74, Russian-born American muralist.Anton Refregier, Murals Painter Chi Che Wang, 85, Chinese-American biochemist.
11 Lou Bastien, 63, American professional wrestler, heart attack. Lennart Bohman, 70, Swedish Olympic boxer (1928). Abe Bowman, 86, American baseball player. Marshall Dillon, 54, Australian cricketer. Joseíto Fernández, 71, Cuban singer and songwriter. Marcus Glasscock, 79, Australian footballer. Roger Hayward, 80, American artist and inventor. Franciszek Leja, 94, Polish mathematician. Andrey Markov Jr., 76, Soviet mathematician. Wylle B. McNeal, 94, American home economist and educator. Nadezhda Nadezhdina, 71/75, Soviet dancer and choreographer. Walt Speck, 83, American painter. Livinus van de Bundt, 70, Dutch artist. Louis Wolfson II, 52, American politician, member of the Florida House of Representatives (1963–1973), heart attack.Louis Wolfson II, executive of Wometco
12 Katharine Burr Blodgett, 81, American chemist and physicist.Dr. Katharine Burr Blodgett, 81; Developer of Nonreflecting Glass Andries du Plessis, 69, South African Olympic track and field athlete (1936). Samuel Fisher, Baron Fisher of Camden, 74, British politician and businessman. Rene Gagnon, 54, American soldier.RENE GAGNON DEAD; FLEW IWO JIMA FLAG Carlos Giudice, 73, Chilean footballer. Turid Haaland, 71, Norwegian actress. Toru Hagiwara, 73, Japanese diplomat. Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha, 60, Indian engineer, cerebral aneurysm. Celia Lovsky, 82, Austrian-American actress.Character Actress Celia Lovsky Dies Jack Lynch, 73, Australian footballer. Molly Macalister, 59, New Zealand artist. V. Manickavasagam, 53, Malaysian politician. Charlotte Mineau, 93, American actress. Michael Pocock, 59, English oil executive (Shell).Michael Pocock Waloddi Weibull, 92, Swedish mathematician and engineer.
13 Chang Kia-ngau, 89, Chinese banker and politician.Kia Ngau Chang, at 90; Economist and Banker Rebecca Clarke, 93, British composer and violist.REBECCA CLARKE Herschel L. Mosier, 79, American football and basketball player and coach.MOSIER—Herschel L. Clarence Muse, 89, American actor (Hearts in Dixie), filmmaker and songwriter.Clarence Muse, 89, actor 50 years founded Lafayette Players, made 219 films Archibald Roosevelt, 85, American soldier, businessman and political activist, son of Theodore Roosevelt, stroke.Archibald B. Roosevelt, a Son of Theodore, Dies at 85 Giovanni Sansone, 91, Italian mathematician. André van Gyseghem, 73, English actor and theatre director. Calixto Zaldivar, 75, Filipino judge and politician.
14 Lasse Dahlquist, 69, Swedish singer, songwriter and actor, laryngeal cancer. Onorato Damen, 85, Italian politician and writer. Viktor Linnarz, 85, German general. Jack Meakins, 44, Canadian football player.Obituary for John R. MEAKINS Arthur Mendel, 74, American musicologist, leukemia.Arthur Mendel, Music Professor At Princeton and Expert on Bach E. R. Moulton, 79, American football and baseball player and coach.Ex-educator E. R. Moulton dies, funeral set Tuesday John Christopher Smuts, 69, South African-born British barrister and politician. Peter Trainor, 64, English footballer.
15 Poppy Baring, 77, British socialite and businesswoman. Gus Cannon, 96, American blues musician. Jacob L. Devers, 92, American general.Gen. Jacob L. Devers Dies at 92; Top Commander in World War II Leslie Grade, 63, British talent agent. Arthur Hilton, 82, British-American filmmaker. Noel Hood, 69, British actress. Yelena Kuzmina, 70, Soviet actress. Ottavio Michelini, 73, Italian Roman Catholic priest. Kathryn Bache Miller, 83, American art collector and philanthropist.KATHRYN B. MILLER, PHILANTROPIST, 83 Mary Kimberly Shirk, 99, American philanthropist and clubwoman.Philanthropist Mary K. Shirk dies in Redlands