Mom and Dad

You can usually count on a nugget embedded in a NYT tribute obituary that reveals the occupations of the deceased's mother and father. This is generally found in the paragraph on the subject's date and place of birth. I've been reading these obituaries for decades now and have only just thought of compiling the various occupations of the parents. For the most part, they do not lead you to expect that anything they did is what made the deceased famous. But not always. There are some apple/tree genetics at work.

Given that most of the deceased are over 70, their moms are generally described as being "homemakers." In the '40s and '50s most women did not have a job outside the home. That of course has changed greatly. Consider:

Ashley Bryan, 98, Who Brought Diversity to Children's Books. Ashley was an artist; his father was a greeting card printer. His mother was a housekeeper and dressmaker.

Connie Hogarth, 95, Tireless Activist Who Led a Social Justice Organization. Her father accompanied silent movies on piano and organ before becoming a film projectionist; her mother was a nurse.

Robert Hicks, 71, Author of Blockbuster and Savior of a Battlefield. Robert's father and mother ran a water-treatment company.

Joni James, 91, Top-Selling 'Queen of Hearts' on the 1950s. Her father sang operas and arias when he was a shepherd boy in Italy, had come to America at 18. (A-ha! A singer begat a singer!)

Ken Duberstein, Adviser Who Helped Reagan Get Second Wind, Dies at 77. His father was a fund-raiser for the Boy Scouts of America; his mother was a teacher.

Jerome Chazen 94, Dies; Original Partner in Liz Claiborne Empire. His father worked in commercial heating. His mother was a seamstress. (Ah! cloth to clothing.)

Jon Zazula, 69, Heavy Metal's Early Ally. His father was a shipping clerk; his mother was a recreational director at a nursing home.

Tony Walton, 87, Whose Distinct Stage and Screen Designs Won Awards. His father was an orthopedic surgeon; his mother was a homemaker.

Walter Mears, 87, Writer Immortalized as Reporter in 'Boys on the Bus' Book. His father was an executive at a chemical company; his mother was a homemaker.

Dennis Cunningham, 86 Civil Rights Lawyer. His father was an author, editor and health care policy consultant; his mother was a homemaker. Close. Apple/tree.

Maggy Hurchalla, 91, Formidable Florida Environmentalist. Her father was a police reporter for the Miami Herald; her mother was a features writer for the rival Miami News. She was destined to stir the drink.

Edmund Keely, 94, Writer and Scholarship Championed Modern Greek Culture. His father was a career American Diplomat; his mother was a homemaker. Undoubtedly brought up in an air of refinement.

Alice von Hildebrand, 98, Conservative Catholic Philosopher. Her father was a deeply religious man who owned a small business. He attended mass every day. Close. Apple/tree.

Lionel James, 59, a Small, Speedy Back Who Left N.F.L. Linemen Gasping for Air. His father was a master electrician; his mother was a high school physical education teacher. Close. Apple/tree.

Andrei Belgrader, 75, director of Future Stars, Dies. His father was an economist; his mother was  a translator.

Kent Waldrep, 67, Athlete Whose Injury Led to Advocacy, Dies. His father was a banker, his mother was a homemaker who later worked on at an airplane repair station owned by her husband.

Conrad Janis, 94, 'Mork and Mindy Actor Who Also Shone in Art and Jazz Worlds. His father and mother owned a shirt -making business early in their married life, which gave them the wherewithal to begin collecting art. His mother also wrote books with the jazz historian Rudi Blesh. Definitely apple/tree.

Annie Flanders, 82,Whose Magazine Ran In a Golden Era Dies. Her father was areal estate agent, an endeavor Ms. Flanders later went into after the magazine business. Apple/tree.

Thomas Demakos, 98; Made a Landmark Ruling in a Marquee Murder Trial. His father owned a restaurant; his mother was a homemaker.

You can go on and on. You get the idea.

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