OBITUARIES

DEATH NOTICE

George Howard Jr., 86, of Rome, died Feb. 7, 2016. Wright Memorial Mortuary has charge of the arrangements.

George Howard Jr.

Mr. George Howard, Jr., 86 of Rome passed away, February 7, 2016 following a brief illness. Funeral services for Mr. Howard, Jr. are incomplete and will be announced at a later date by Wright Memorial Mortuary, Inc.

Wright Memorial Mortuary, Inc is in charge of the services for Mr. George Howard, Jr.

DEATHS ELSEWHERE

Daniel Gerson

Daniel Gerson, who co-wrote several Walt Disney animated films including “Monsters, Inc.” and “Big Hero 6,” has died. He was 49.

Gerson’s family said in a statement that he died at his Los Angeles home on Saturday after battling brain cancer. Gerson was a frequent contributor for Pixar Animation, co-writing both 2001’s “Monsters, Inc.” and its 2013 sequel, “Monsters University.”

Along with Robert L. Baird and Jordan Roberts, Gerson co-wrote Disney’s Oscar-winning “Big Hero 6,” an animated superhero tale. The New York-born Gerson got his start as a writer for the NBC comedy “Something So Right.”

Gerson is survived by his wife, Beau Stacom, and two children.

Margaret Forster

— Margaret Forster, the author of “Georgy Girl” and more than 20 other novels, has died in London after suffering from cancer in the back and spine. She was 77.

Her husband, Hunter Davies, said she died Monday at a hospice in London. The couple spent much of their time in England’s peaceful Lake District and also in London.

Davies, also an author, said she underwent a double mastectomy 40 years ago and recovered fully, but the cancer returned to her back 10 years ago.

“I thought she was a goner,” he said of her initial bout with cancer.

“It was bad, but eventually she recovered. At age 50 on her birthday, she got up at 5 (a.m.) and ran up Red Pike mountain and then swam in the lake and came back to the house and brought me tea,” he said.

Davies said the cancer made it impossible for his wife of 55 years to sit for extended periods because of the pain, which also prevented her from going out to restaurants and movies.

The Royal Society of Literature issued a statement describing her as “an extraordinarily prolific and gifted writer of fiction, non-fiction and literary criticism.”

“Georgy Girl” was made into a hit movie in 1966 starring Lynn Redgrave, Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates and James Mason. Forster co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which also inspired a bouncy pop tune that captured the exuberance of the times.

Dan Hicks

MILL VALLEY, Calif. — Dan Hicks, a musician whose work in the 1960s helped define San Francisco’s psychedelic sound, has died. He was 74.

The singer, songwriter and bandleader — who led the musically eclectic band Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks_died Saturday after a two-year battle with throat and liver cancer, his wife, CT Hicks, said on his website and his Facebook page.