R.I.P. George H. W. Bush (1924 - 2018)

Former President George H. W. Bush passed away on Friday, November 30th at the age of 94.  Along with being the 41st President of the United States, he was Vice-President from 1981-1989 under former President Ronald Reagan, Director of the CIA, Liaision to China, Republican National Committee Chairman, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Congressman, and a World War II Naval veteran who survived a plane crash during a mission in the Pacific campaign.

He and his wife, Barbara Pierce, were married for 73 years before she died on June 8th of this year. They had six children, the eldest, George W., was the 43rd President of the United States, making George H.W. only the 2nd man to be father to a President and President himself.

James adds to his lead 4 - 2. With former President Bush's passing, Tomb Bowl history was made as this was the first time in its 15 years that either James or John selected at least four celebrities who have passed in a year. December has been a wild month in the history of the Tomb Bowl, so we should prepare for anything to happen!

May his family find consolation and may he rest in peace.

You can read a biography of Mr. Bush's life on whitehouse.gov linked here.

R.I.P. Stan Lee (1922 - 2018)

Stan Lee, writer, editor and publisher of comics and creator of some of the most beloved characters in American literature, died on Novemebr 12th at the age of 95.

Involved in the comics business for nearly 80 years, Lee is best known for his time at Marvel Comics and creating such classic characters as Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, and the X-Men. In his later years, he was known for his presence on the comic convention circuit and his cameos in every Marvel motion picture.

With Mr. Lee's passing, John draws closer to James 3 - 2.

Rest in peace and Excelsior, Stan!

For a biography of Stan Lee, click here to read his Wikipedia page.

R.I.P. John McCain (1936 - 2018)

Editor's Note: My apologies for the gaps in the three entries that are past due updates. I want to give John his due that he has two names in Tomb Bowl XV.

Senator John McCain died on August 25th at the age of 81 succumbing to complications from brain cancer.  The Vietnam War veteran and prisoner of war and 2008 presidential candidate passed away four days shy of his 82nd birthday.  He is remembered for his sacrifices while held captive for five years in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War as well as one of the few members of Congress who sought bipartisan resolutions to our nation's problems.

With his passing, John has his first movement on the scoreboard. James still leads 3 - 1.

May his family find consolation and may he rest in peace.

For a biography of John McCain, read his entry in Wikipedia.

R.I.P. Joe Jackson (1928 - 2018)

Today, Joe Jackson, rock-and-roll talent agent and patriarch of the Jackson family of popular music, died at the age of 89. He had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer.

In the early 1960's, he managed the act of his sons Marlon, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Michael, and released their first single fifty years ago. When the were rebranded as "The Jackson 5," they signed a record deal with Motown Records and received acclaim for hits like "ABC," "I Want You Back," and "The Love You Give."  Michael went onto international stardom and siblings Randy and Janet went onto successful careers with Joe at the helm.

With Mr. Jackson's passing, James now leads John in Tomb Bowl XV by a score of 3 - 0.  There was a feverish anticipation to see George H.W. Bush's health following a trip to the hospital after his wife, Barbara's, funeral almost locked up this year's competition for James. Former President Bush recovered from his illness and we head to the halfway point of the year with John finding himself in a considerable deficit.

Only time will tell how Tomb Bowl XV will end... 

 May the soul of Joe Jackson rest in peace.

You can read more about Joe Jackson's life in this obituary by Rolling Stone.

R.I.P. Barbara Pierce Bush (1925 - 2018)

On Tuesday, Barbara Pierce Bush, wife of former President George H.W. Bush and mother of former President George W. Bush, died at the age of 92.

She was in the public eye for over a half century and is only the second woman in American history to be the wife of one President and the mother of another President.  Her public career was filled with a passion for developing literacy throughout the country and was seen by many as "America's grandmother."

With her passing, James now leads 2 - 0.  All eyes in the Tomb Bowl remain in Texas to see whether or not the elder George Bush will pass before this upcoming Tuesday. If that occurs, James would not only pick up a 3rd member of his list, but enact the first automatic win in Tomb Bowl history.

For more information on Mrs. Bush's life, read her  obituary in the Washington Post.

The Tomb Bowl members offer their condolences to the Bush family and prayers that Mrs. Bush rests in peace.

R.I.P. The Rev. Billy Graham (1918 - 2018)

On February 21st, beloved Christian minister and televangelist The Rev. Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99.  Dubbed "America's Pastor," he spent nearly 7 decades preaching the Good News and the truth that God loves us all throughout the country.  Due to his large revivals held in stadiums and broadcast around the world, it is believed that he has preached to more people around the world than any other person.

With his passing, the first activity on the Tomb Bowl XV board took place. James has his first point and a 1 - 0 lead one-sixth through the year.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

For more on the life of The Rev. Billy Graham, click here to read this article from NPR.

Tomb Bowl XIV Ties It Up!

We had a little access issue to the Tomb Bowl site, so we weren't able to post earlier that with the  beast of a year that 2017 was giving way to 2018, Tomb Bowl XIV concluded with John winning outright 2 - 1.   101-year-old philanthropist David Rockefeller and  91-year-old actor/comedian/singer/director/all around swell guy Jerry Lewis was all John needed to secure his sixth lifetime Tomb Bowl victory.

Fats Domino's passing on October 25th gave James some proverbial "life" in the contest, but all it did was prevent him from being shutout.  He has yet to win the Tomb Bowl since he moved out of state. (Some writers have begun to call it the "Kenner Kurse", but we will refrain from calling it such.)

With the win, both John and James have identical 6 - 6 - 2 records in Tomb Bowl history.  It is only the second time since they began in 2004 that they are all tied up life time heading into January 1st [Tomb Bowl IX (2009) 4 - 4 - 1 records]

For 2018's Tomb Bowl XV, John, having champion's first pick, added 101-year-old author Beverly Cleary and U.S. Senator John McCain who is fighting another bout of cancer.

James added beloved comedian and actor Jerry Stiller as well as the patriarch of the famous musical Jackson family, Joe Jackson.

Only time will tell whether or not the lifetime record will be unknotted by New Year's Eve.

Stay "tombed"...