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"...

R.I.P. Fats Domino (1928-2017)

Legendary rock and roll artist Antoine "Fats" Domino passed away today from natural causes in his beloved hometown of New Orleans, LA, at the age of 89.  He was a pioneer in bringing New Orleans-style rhythm-and-blues stride piano to rock and roll's early days. Domino is well known for hits such as "I'm Walking," "I Want To Walk You Home," "Ain't That A Shame," "My Blue Heaven," and "Blueberry Hill." 

In his later years, Domino received national attention when he needed to be rescued from his complex in the Ninth Ward due the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005.

With his passing, James gets his first action in Tomb Bowl XIV and now trails John 2 - 1. Since he died well after Mardi Gras weekend, James does not receive double points.

For a local New Orleans obituary on the life and legend of Fats Domino, click the link here.

May he rest in peace.

R.I.P. Jerry Lewis (1926-2017)

After a nearly six-month lull in Tomb Bowl XIV, movement on the scoreboard took place yesterday as Jerry Lewis, legendary comedian, actor, singer, director, entertainer, and philanthropist, died at the age of 91.

Mr. Lewis was a Labor Day staple in our household as his Labor Day Telethon to raise awareness and funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and his rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" to close out the program was an annual event not to be missed for our parents and us.

Jerry Lewis was a "charter member" of the Tomb Bowl, having been on James' list since its inception in 2004. James "released" him from his list two years ago, after 12 Tomb Bowls, and John promptly scooped him up for his roster.  John was two weekends away from receiving a double point bonus had Jerry passed Labor Day weekend.  With Mr. Lewis' passing, John now holds a 2 - 0 advantage over James close to two-thirds of the way through the year.

You can read more about Jerry Lewis' life in this obituary posted in today's New York Times.


We pray that his soul rests in peace.

R.I.P. David Rockefeller (1915 - 2017)

After 2016's 'carousel of celebrity passings,' the 'first quarter' of 2017 was relatively quiet.  There was a brief period of time at the beginning of the year when James almost had Tomb Bowl XIV locked up with George H.W. & Barbara Bush hospitalized at the same time.  However,  they looked quite healthy on the field for the Super Bowl LI coin toss in his home town of Houston, TX.

Today, however, Tomb Bowl XIV had its first action on the board as banker, philanthropist, and Rockefeller empire heir David Rockefeller died at the roubst age of 101.

John now takes a 1 - 0 lead.

To read more on the life and legacy of David Rockefeller, read his obituary in the New York Times.

May he rest in peace.

R.I.P. Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917-2016)

In a year that will be remembered, among many things, for the seemingly high volume of celebrity deaths, Tomb Bowl XIII has remained rather inactive.  James took the early lead with Abe Vigoda's passing in late January, but then there was no movement while major names were leaving this mortal realm left and right.

On December 18th, however, Hungarian socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor died at the age of 99, roughly 2 months shy of her 100th birthday. Zsa Zsa was among the first celebrities of recent history to be famous for no reason other then being attractive, paving the way for empires like the reality television stars of today.

Ms. Gabor's passing gave John his first point of Tomb Bowl XIII and tied the score at 1-1. This was a crucial pickup for John so late in the year as, in the event of a tie, he would still hold first pick in January 1st's selections for Tomb Bowl XIV and he still would retain possession of the coveted Tomb Bowl Tombstone.

However, having lost celebrities like George Michael and Carrie Fisher both within a 48 hour span, anything can happen in Tomb Bowl XIII!

For more information on Ms. Gabor's life, please visit her obituary in Variety Magazine linked here.