Memorials & Obituaries
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The Strangest Accidents, Crimes and Tragedies in Baton Twirling History
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Dottie Dunston School of Dance and Baton
Dottie Dunston: A Jersey Shore Original Dorothy "Dottie" Dunston was one of the most influential baton twirling instructors on the Jersey Shore during the Golden Age of baton twirling. A performer, teacher, judge, pageant director, and school owner, Dunston spent...
Old Forge’s First Miss Devilette Has Passed Away
Maryann Beseda Brigido, the original "Miss Devilette" of Old Forge High School, Pennsylvani, has passed away at the age of 87. Her death marks the loss of the first performer to hold a title that has come to define Friday night halftime shows in the small Lackawanna...
Larry Cervi (1936-2026)
Larry Cervi, Pittsburgh State University Drum Major, 1955-57. He earned a full scholarship to the university. He was quoted saying he "started out as a twirler and became the drum major for the next three seasons."Larry Cervi (1936-2026) Larry Cervi died on January...
Obituary: Donald L. “Mr. Baton” Sartell (1928-2025)
Donald L. Sartell, Mr. Baton, age 97, of Janesville, passed away on Sunday, December 7, 2025, peacefully at home. He was born in Janesville on September 18th 1928, the son of Ervin J. and Lutie Dee (Siron) Sartell, Sr. By age eight he was selling popcorn, pop and...
Florence Iva Begay: Navajo Majorette Faced Jim Crow
Florence Iva Begay, a Navajo baton twirler and high school valedictorian from Flagstaff, Arizona, became the subject of national attention in 1948 after an incident on a bus in the Texas Panhandle exposed the realities of segregation faced by Native Americans...
Memorial: Tina Ruizsoriano (nee Escamia)
The former University of Oklahoma feature twirler died after a brief, but fierce battle with breast cancer at age 48. Tina Marie Ruizsoriano (nee Escamia),48, of Mission TX, passed away on 25 May 2025 in San Antonio after a brief but fierce battle with breast cancer....
Diane Remy Baton Twirlers – Sheboygan, Wisconsin (1981)
Students from the Diane Remy School of Dance and Baton stand in front of a wood-paneled station wagon before the Memorial Day Parade, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 1981. Diane Remy (1938-2024) Obituary Diana Veronica Remy (Diane Remy), age 85, passed away at her home on May...
Diana B. Koczon Obituary
Dec. 16, 1931 - Dec. 28, 2024 The world lost another angel on Saturday December 28th, as Diana B. Koczon was called back home. She was a vibrant spirit involved in several community organizations. She was named Citizen of the Year in 1991 and in 2019 by the...
Dottie Grover: Syracuse’s Legendary Baton Girl (1929-2019)
Dorothy "Dottie" Grover, the Syracuse University Baton Girl whose performances captivated football crowds from 1949-1953, was one of the most recognizable collegiate twirlers of her era. She died just five years ago, on October 10, 2019. She was 90. For generations...
Obituary: Vivian Wingard Washington (1933-2024)
Vivian Wingard Washington was born on February 6, 1933, in Columbia, South Carolina She was the daughter of the late Booker T. and Mable Collins Wingard, and the widow of Frank B. Washington, her beloved partner for 71 years. She departed this life on July 9, 2024....
Twirling Legend Major Eugene “Gene” Shea (1928-2015)
The following article is reprinted with permission from the Chicago Sun Times. It was originally published on April 22, 2015. Before World War II, baton twirling was dominated by men. And Gene Shea was one of the best. He twirled across the nation and in Canada,...
Peggy Jo Dodson (1930-2023): RIP Baylor Golden Wave Twirler
Peggy Jo Smith Dodson, 92, passed away October 22, 2023, at Ridgecrest Retirement and Nursing facility. She was born in Amarillo, Texas, on December 16, 1930, to George Garland Smith and Orpah Alice Cayton Smith. She grew up in Plainview, Texas, where she attended the...
The Unsolved Murder of Former TCU Majorette Neota Moad Green, 1963
During the 1953-54 school year, freshman Neota Moad was a "purple majorette" at Texas Christian University. In high school, she played the cornet in her high school band in Cisco, Texas. She was also a majorette. Sadly, in 1963, she was brutally bludgeoned in her Fort...
Victor Faber (1924-2008)
The following information was copied from a website that is using deprecated HTML elements. We've preserved it here for its historical significance. We edited the original for clarity. Victor with his daughters Vicki and Lana. Victor Faber started his baton twirling...
Annabelle “Annie” Dorothy Boucher Casagrande (1942-2023)
Annabelle Dorothy Boucher Casagrande "Annie" was born in 1942 and died in 2023. Her baton twirling claim-to-fame was serving as lead majorette for the Ottawa Rough Riders during the late fifties. Annie's Obituary
Dorinda Wolf
Official Obituary Dorinda Inez Wolf of Kingfisher passed away Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City with family by her side. She was 78. Services are 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Kingfi sher under the direction of...
Irene Garza (1934-1960)
Irene Garza, a Texas school teacher and beauty queen, was murdered by John Feit in McAllen, Texas in 1960. Feit was a Catholic priest at the time and Garza, a devout Catholic, had gone to him for confession. Feit was not convicted of her murder until 2017. He died in...
Remembering Debbie Dolen
1973 Over the last several years, we have spent countless hours researching the history of baton twirling and gathering up stories. Along the way we’ve noticed that men are often the first to share the most historic majorette and baton twirling photos of women. These...
15 Facts About Norman Crider, (1938-2009)
Rural New Mexican Norm Crider was born in 1938 and influenced a generation of French and Italian baton twirlers. Here are 15 facts about the late international champion and college feature twirler. 1 Born in 1938 in Lordsburg, New Mexico, he spent most his childhood...
Helen Mae Turner (1924-2008)
Helen Mae Turner, MajoretteHelen and her younger brothers David and Donald, 1941.Helen Mae Turner's memories of being a majorette for Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho, and other wonderful stories about her life are documented on a beautiful family website, Turner's...
Donna, 1972
Jeannie and Donna, Texarkana Photo Booth, Majorette Camp, 1972 Our Earthly world lost an Angel on Valentine’s Day, and Heaven gained a shining star. Donna and I were Leopard majorettes together and spent time twirling (with fire) and being “typical teenage girls" in...
Annetta J. McGee (1934-2020)
Annetta McGee (far left) Oklahoma State University Twirler, 1950s Annetta J. McGee (far left) was a graduate of Oklahoma State University, late 1950s. Obituary
Anne Arundelettes Majorettes and Drum Corps (1960s)
The Anne Arundelettes Majorettes and Drum Corps of Anne Arundel County and Brooklyn Park, Maryland, were founded by the late Frances Jones (1922-2020). She was originally from Liverpool, England. Very little information is available about her. Click here to view her...
Beverly Sharp Till, (1936-2021)
Beverly Sharp Till, Corpus Christi Majorette, 1950s "Beverly was born in Corpus Christi on the 18th of January 1936, to Naomi Pearl Brown Sharp and William Alexander Sharp. Beverly was a graduate of Ray High School, Corpus Christi, Texas class of 1954, where she was a...
Mary Jane Sorgel: Early NFL Majorette and Founder of the Packers Golden Girls
Official Obituary The Golden Girl, Mary Jane Van Duyse Sorgel, 89, passed away on Saturday, July 30, 2022 in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Mary lived a very blessed life, and her achievements were many. Mary was born on December 29, 1932 in Sturgeon Bay to Frances Lewis Van Duyse...
Barbara Ann (Bauer) Pfaff
TRIBUTE (Obituary) Barbara (Bauer) Pfaff passed away on May 5, 2022. Barb has been a part of the twirling community for the majority of her life. She started taking dance classes from The Norma Valentine School of Dance in Barberton, Ohio at a very young age. The...
Obituary: Ardath L. Franck (1925-2021)
Ardath L. Franck, age 96, of Akron, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Dr. Franck was the Owner and Director of Akron Education Campus and had spent 75 years dedicating her time to teaching. She was also the Founder and President of Twirling...
Major Audrey V. McWhorter (1929-2021)
OBITUARY Audrey Vernell McWhorter, 91, was the beloved wife of Gerald Eugene McWhorter for nearly 60 years; cherished mother of Kathleen and Donald; cherished grandmother of Dannel (Karla) Egert, Christina (Christopher) Delaney, Tiffany (Michael) Hutchens and Brian...
Marlene Harms (1937-2020)
Aransas Pass - Marlene Faye Harms, 83, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away from complications from a major stroke on November 23, 2020 at her home in Aransas Pass, Texas. Marlene was an Independence Day baby, born on July 4, 1937 in Lapeer, Michigan to...
Daley Debutantes Founder, Milwaukee Icon Sherry Daley Jung (1939-2020)
Sharon "Sherry" Louise (Daley) Jung, founder of the Daley Debutantes, was born in 1939 and twirled in President Kennedy's inauguration parade. She also performed on The Ed Sullivan show. The Milwaukee icon was bestowed with the honorary title of "major" by the...
Photo Epigraph
Marsha Anne Cox, Baton Twirler and Dancing Marvel | Mound City, Kansas, c. 1946
HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW BATON TWIRLING ALWAYS MAKES IT INTO SOMEONE’S OBITUARY?
Marsha Anne Cox Dieker, 80, of Upper Arlington, Ohio, passed away on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. She was born on April 12, 1941, in Fort Scott, Kansas, and was married for 44 years to her loving husband, Lawrence L. Dieker, who preceded her in death in 2005. As a child, Marsha enjoyed performing in dance and baton competitions…