A Belated Tribute to a Warrior for Justice, Maggie Ritchey (May 21, 1950 ~ August 16, 2022)

I am two years late in posting the obituary of Maggie Ritchey. It is important to include tributes to the lives and deaths of our elders in this archive. International Lesbian Day seems like a good time to honor Maggie. I met Maggie through the Persad ‘Voice for a New Tomorrow’ group. in the mid […]

Father’s Day regrets about my Dad’s obituary

My father died in February of this year. I was unable to provide him a traditional rite of passage – an obituary in our local daily paper. I clung to that void with a firm grip, turning it over in my mind to determine why it troubled me. Sadness that he was denied that final […]

His life was the news obituary that is never written. Jim Kerr (1941-2024)

I went to see my father at the funeral home this morning. I do not feel safe around most of my cousins and extended family because of the secret keeping that ravaged our entire family. So the funeral home permitted me to visit privately before opening to the public. My childhood friend Stephanie offered to […]

My Father Died Last Night

Two years ago this month, I wrote a similar blog post My Mother Died Last Night. I don’t know if it a coincidence or a sign that my father died in the same month. This was a Facebook post I created this morning. I’m posting here to preserve it. I will write a more traditional […]

‘We Just Forgot How to Care for Ourselves’ A Widowed Husband Reflects on the Toll of Alcohol Abuse on His Family

Content Note: Alcohol, depression, death, grief In 2015, a woman named Heather completed the AMPLIFY Q&A and she caught my attention. This response in particular has stayed with me all of these years later. What motivated you to take part in this project? I don’t talk about this part of my life a lot, and when […]

Obituary for Kerry Anne Pryor Kerr 1942-2022

Kerry mother

The obituary that ran for my mother was not what she wanted, nor was it accurate so I am writing this for her and for me. She was born Kerry Anne Pryor on November 1,1942, the oldest child of James Vincent Pryor and Mary Valda Kramer Pryor. At a very young age, she contracted encephalitis […]

My Mother Died Last Night

Updated with final arrangements below. This was a Facebook post I created this morning. I’m posting here to preserve it. I will write a more traditional obituary later. ~ Sue Last night, my mother died of complications from pneumonia. She was 79 years old. Her name was Kerry Anne Pryor Kerr. Final arrangements will be […]

In Loving Memory of Bobby Peck (1965 – 2018)

IN LOVING MEMORY OF BOBBY PECK Rory T Peck, known as Bobby, valued human connection above all else and is grieved by the many people whose lives he touched. He pursued a life mission to live and model the interconnectedness of all things. On November 8, 2018 at the age of 53, he passed away […]

RIP Chuck Tierney (March 29, 1948 – Oct. 11, 2017)

Chuck Tierney

A founding father of the regional LGBTQ community has passed, Chuck Tierney. Chuck was a 1966 graduate of Munhall High School. In 1977, Chuck purchased the legendary Holiday Bar on Forbes Avenue in Oakland, along with Chuck Honse. For 40 years, the bar played host to the city’s LGBT community and kept the secrets of […]

The Full Obituary of Madeleine Hershey

Madeleine Hershey (1963 – 2015)

Yesterday, I read about the death of a member of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ community. Her name was Madeleine Hershey and she was 51 years old. I knew her only very casually, but I was struck by her family’s decision to self-publish her obituary.  This is what I read: Below is Madeleine’s obituary and information about celebrations […]