Those We Lost

 

Kate McGarrigle

1946-2010

Irish-Canadian folksinger and songwriter Kate McGarrigle, mother of singers Martha and Rufus Wainwright, died January 15 at her home in Montreal at age 63. The cause was clear-cell sarcoma, a kind of cancer. McGarrigle’s Irish heritage stems from her father, Frank, who also had musical talents. Raised in St.-Sauveur-des-Monts, north of Montreal, McGarrigle moved to New York City in 1970 and signed a contract with Warner Brothers in 1974 along with her sister Anna. The sisters released their first album, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, in 1976. Their collaboration, which spanned the release of ten albums, earned critical acclaim. Some of their songs gained greater recognition when covered by other artists, especially Linda Ronstadt’s version of “Heart Like a Wheel” and Maria Muldaur’s of “Work Song.” When Kate and Anna toured, which was not often, family and friends often joined them onstage, which furthered the close-knit intimacy that characterized them as musicians.

Martha and Rufus were born of McGarrigle’s marriage to singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III in the 1970s. She is survived by her two children, two sisters and a grandson.

 

Dick McGuire

1926-2010

Richard Joseph McGuire, former player, coach and scout for the New York Knicks basketball team, died February 3 after an aortic aneurysm. Born in New York City in 1926, McGuire grew up in the Bronx and Queens with parents who operated a Bronx bar and grill. He played basketball in high school and in 1944, as a college freshman, took St. John’s University (then in Brooklyn) to the National Invitation Tournament title. After spending time in the Army in World War II, McGuire joined the Knicks in 1949, beginning a long professional basketball career.

McGuire played eleven seasons as a guard for the Knicks and another three with the Detroit Pistons, then went on to become head coach for both teams. He coached the Pistons from 1959 to 1963, then took charge of the struggling Knicks in 1965. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. The epitome of a “team player,” he was defined by his style, which favored passing over shooting.

McGuire is survived by his wife Teri, brother John, sister Catherine, daughter Leslie Dwyer, sons Richard, Michael and Scott, and seven grandchildren.

 

Ralph McInerny

1929-2010

Ralph McInerny, University of Notre Dame professor, novelist and scholar of Roman Catholicism, died January 29 in Mishawaka, Indiana of complications related to esophageal cancer. He was 80. Born to a large Irish family in Minneapolis, McInerny studied at St. Paul Seminary, served in the Marines after World War II, earned a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Minnesota and went on to achieve a PhD in Quebec. He began teaching at Notre Dame in 1955, where he educated students in philosophy and medieval studies as an expert on Thomas Aquinas. He published several works on Aquinas as well as Boethius, Averros and other philosophers and theologians.

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Nster.com