A couple of deaths today caught my attention

Carl Ballantine died at the age of 92. For those not familiar with the name he was a talented comedian and magician that many of us knew from his role as con man Gruber in McHales Navy. He also did a great deal of voice over work and so many knew the voice from cartoons but not the name.

The next name was John J. O’Connor III, the husband of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He died at the age of 79 after a long fight with Alzheimer’s disease. He was a partner at a prominent Arizona law firm when his wife was named to the Court in 1981 and gave up the spot to accompany her to Washington.

When asked how he felt about the role reversal of being a husband moving for his wife’s career he said that “Sandra’s accomplishments don’t make me a lesser man. They make me a fuller man.”

Her resignation from the court was prompted in part by her desire to care for him as his illness worsened.

Deepest sympathies to both families.