Obituaries in the news

Alan S. Geisler

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Alan S. Geisler, the man behind the tasty red onion sauce many New Yorkers love on their hot dogs, died Tuesday. He was 78.

The red onion sauce he created is a New York City culinary icon, commonly used by street-side hot dog vendors.

Geisler died at his winter home in Hernando, Fla., after a battle with a protein disorder, according to Chas E. Davis Funeral Home in Inverness, Fla. Geisler created his famous sauce 44 years ago at the request of one of his customers — hot dog and bun manufacturer Gregory Papalexis, whose Englewood-based Marathon Enterprises Inc. now owns the Sabrett brand.

Geisler's sauce, which includes onions, tomato paste and olive oil, remains in distribution today. It's marketed nationwide as "Sabrett's Prepared Onions," according to the funeral home.

The sauce was such a success that Geisler and Papalexis formed a company, Tremont Foods, to produce and market it.

When Papalexis acquired Sabrett Food Products in 1989, Geisler's topping became the only onion sauce served on Sabrett hot dogs. Tremont Foods, whose only product is the onion sauce, is now a division of Marathon Enterprises.

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Ralph D. "Hoot" Gibson

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Ralph D. "Hoot" Gibson, a Korean War ace and former lead pilot for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team, died Jan. 2. He was 84.

Gibson, an Air Force colonel who founded a Tucson real estate firm after he retired in 1974, died after striking his head while showing a buyer a piece of property, son Scott Gibson said.

Gibson, born in Keensburg, Ill., and raised in nearby Mt. Carmel, joined the Army Air Forces in 1943 and went to flight school, but didn't see combat during World War II. Assigned to the 4th Flying Group during the Korean War, he flew 94 missions in the F-86 Sabre and downed five MiG-15 fighters to become the nation's third jet fighter ace.

In the 1960s, Gibson led the Thunderbirds for two years and flew 104 missions in F-4 Phantoms over Vietnam as a squadron commander, according to an Air Force biography.

Gibson's awards included two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star for valor, a Meritorious Service Medal, 14 Air Medals and an Air Force Commendation Medal.

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Jon Hager

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jon Hager, who performed in the musical comedy duo The Hager Twins on "Hee-Haw," died Friday. He was 67.

Sam Lovullo, who produced "Hee-Haw" and was a friend of Hager, said Hager was found dead in his apartment. He was discovered in bed and apparently died in his sleep.

Lovullo said Hager had been in poor health and was depressed since his identical twin brother, Jim Hager, died in May 2008.

The twins were in the original cast of the syndicated TV show, which debuted in 1969 satirizing country life with a mixture of music and comedy. Both were guitarists and drummers.

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Joe Hirsch

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Hirsch, a longtime columnist for the Daily Racing Form known as the dean of American turf writers, died Friday. He was 80.

Hirsch had Parkinson's disease and was recovering from a broken hip suffered in a fall last spring. He died at St. Luke's Hospital, said Steven Crist, chairman and publisher of the Daily Racing Form.

Hirsch, whose career spanned 55 years, reported on the road to the Kentucky Derby in his "Derby Doings" column, a detailed rundown of Derby contenders as the horses competed in prep races in Florida, California, Kentucky and New York.

He received numerous honors for his writing, including the William May Award from the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the Alfred Vanderbilt Award from the New York Turf Writers Association.

Hirsch wrote or co-authored five books on racing, including "Kentucky Derby: The Chance of a Lifetime" with Jim Bolus.

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Cheryl Holdridge

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cheryl Holdridge, a popular Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" TV show in the 1950s, died Tuesday. She was 64.

Holdridge died at her Santa Monica home after a two-year battle with lung cancer, Doreen Tracey, another former Mouseketeer, told the Los Angeles Times.

Born Cheryl Lynn Phelps on June 20, 1944, in New Orleans, Holdridge moved to Los Angeles when she was 2. She became a Mouseketeer in 1956 at the start of the second season of "The Mickey Mouse Club," which featured 24 young singers and dancers.

Tracey said Holdridge received large amounts of fan mail.

Holdridge played Wally Cleaver's girlfriend for two seasons on "Leave It to Beaver" and had guest roles on shows such as "Bewitched" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

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Dave Roberts

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Dave Roberts, a left-handed pitcher who played for the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates during a 13-year career in the majors, died Friday. He was 64.

Roberts died of lung cancer at his home in Short Gap, according to his wife, Carol, and stepdaughter Kristy Rogan.

Roberts went 103-125 with a 3.78 ERA for eight teams, beginning in 1969 with the San Diego Padres and ending in 1981 with the New York Mets.

The Pirates got him from the San Francisco Giants in a five-player trade in June 1979 that also sent Bill Madlock to Pittsburgh. Roberts went 5-2 for the Pirates and made one relief appearance in the NL championship series that season.

Roberts also played with Houston, Detroit, the Chicago Cubs and Seattle. He finished second in the NL to Tom Seaver with a 2.10 ERA in 1971 for the Padres and set career highs of 17 wins and six shutouts with Houston in 1973.