Vucanovich, Norton, Gorme among notables who left us in 2013

A political trailblazer, a heavyweight champion and a giant of the lounge-singing world were among the prominent Nevadans whose stories came to an end in 2013.

Barbara Vucanovich, the first woman elected to Congress in Nevada, died June 10 in Reno at age 91. The conservative Republican served seven terms in the House after her historic election in 1982, when she campaigned as a “tough grandmother,” a term of endearment given to her by Paul Laxalt, the former Nevada governor and U.S. senator she helped get elected.

Former heavyweight champion and international boxing hall of famer Ken Norton will long be remembered as the man who once broke Muhammed Ali’s jaw. Norton fought seven times in Las Vegas and died in Henderson on Sept. 18 at age 70.

It turned out death was the only thing that could split up one of the most beloved husband-wife singing duos in show business. Eydie Gorme, 84, died Aug. 10 in Las Vegas. The singer of the 1963 hit “Blame It on the Bossa Nova” married Steve Lawrence at the El Rancho Hotel on Dec. 29, 1957. Today would have been the 56th wedding anniversary for the couple the New York Times called “the sweethearts of mid-20th century American pop music.”

Though not a household name, John Sealy Livermore made an enormous impact on the fortunes of the Silver State. The geologist and prospector, who died Feb. 7 at his home in Reno, helped launch the world’s modern-day gold rush when he discovered microscopic bits of the precious metal laced in the rocks of Northern Nevada.

Nevada also said goodbye in 2013 to Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, 59; former four-term Assemblywoman, Boulder City Council member and lifelong Nevadan Gene Segerblom, 94; and the Rev. Marion Bennett Sr., 80, a five-term assemblyman and civil rights leader who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s.

Other former state lawmakers lost this year include two-term Sen. Wilbur Faiss, who died at 102 a year after Theresa, his wife of 79 years, died at 97; Dr. Don Robinson, 89, a longtime Las Vegas optometrist and member of both the Assembly and the Senate; and eight-term Assemblywoman Vivian Freeman of Reno, 86.

Others made headlines in 2013 for how they died:

Michael Landsberry was already well known at Sparks Middle School as an enthusiastic math teacher and former Marine. He was heralded as a hero across the nation when he was killed Oct. 21 trying to stop a shooting spree at the school by 12-year-old Jose Reyes, who then turned the gun on himself. The state’s teacher of the year award has since been named in Landsberry’s honor.

Kenneth Brown, 40, also gave his life to stop a gunman. Brown was fatally shot inside Bally’s on Oct. 21 after he saw Benjamin Frazier, 42, wound two security guards at Drai’s After Hours nightclub. Surveillance video of the incident shows Brown jumping on Frazier’s back and wrestling for the gun before being shot in the neck and upper chest.

Las Vegas police officer David VanBuskirk, 36, fell to his death from a search and rescue helicopter on July 23 after rescuing an injured hiker on Mount Charleston near Mary Jane Falls. About 2,000 people attended the funeral service for the Las Vegas native.

Sarah Guillot-Guyard was also at work when she died. The 31-year-old Cirque du Soleil performer died June 29 when the wire rope from which she was suspended broke, causing her to fall 94 feet to an area below the stage floor, out of the view of the audience for “Ka” at the MGM Grand. The resort and the acrobatic theater company were later cited for nine safety and record-keeping violations by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Other notable deaths in 2013 include:

■ David Atwell, the real estate broker behind some of the biggest land deals on the Strip, age 63.

■ The Rev. Caesar Caviglia, longtime Catholic priest in Henderson, age 84.

■ Clifton E. Dohrmann, 91, William Simshauser, 91, and Jack Leaming, 93, survivors of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, who died separately during the year.

■ Janice “Cinnamon” Steen Fahey, performer and Las Vegas showgirl, age 67.

■ Lance Cpl. David P. Fenn II, 20; Pfc. Joshua M. Martino, 19; Lance Cpl. Roger W. Muchnick Jr., 23; Cpl. Aaron J. Ripperda, 26; Lance Cpl. Joshua C. Taylor, 21; Lance Cpl. Mason J. Vanderwork, 21; Lance Cpl. William T. Wild IV, 21, seven Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina killed in an explosion during training at the Hawthorne Army Depot.

■ Neil Galatz, a personal injury attorney who represented victims of the PEPCON explosion and the fires at the MGM Grand and Las Vegas Hilton, age 79.

■ George Kalb, whose Kalb Construction Co. built more than 200 valley convenience stores, age 68.

■ Kenny Kerr, female impersonator and star of “Boy-lesque” on the Strip, age 60.

■ Edward “Ted” Marshall, former Clark County district attorney who brought Oscar Goodman to Las Vegas, age 82.

■ John McDonald, advocate for at-risk children in sports and the namesake of the John J. McDonald Football Complex at All American Park, age 87.

■ Donald A. Reid, brother of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, age 85.

■ Peter Reveen, hypnotist, magician and manager for Lance Burton, age 77.

■ Retired Air Force Col. Hugh “Slip” Slater, former commander of Area 51, age 91.

■ Michael Washington, who was infected with hepatitis C at an endoscopy clinic run by Dipak Desai, age 73.

■ Vanessa White, 25, Emma White, 3 weeks, and Abigail, 2 months, the mother and premature twin girls whose deaths between June 1 and Aug. 1 prompted accusations of lax tuberculosis procedures — and a lawsuit — against Summerlin Hospital.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Find him on Twitter at @Refried Brean.