Obituaries

James Earl, a physicist and philanthropist who made Annapolis his home in retirement, died March 23 of respiratory failure. He was 92.

George Levi Russell, Jr., the first African American to sit on the Circuit Court in Maryland, died Saturday, friends and family said. He was 96.

Beloved by his community and family, gospel crooner and traveling musician Micah Smith died April 4 at 41 years old.

Vicki Brick-Zupancic, CEO of Brick Bodies Fitness Services chain and a former University of Maryland basketball player, died Tuesday morning of ovarian cancer. She was 43.

Herb Belgrad, the inaugural chair of the Maryland Stadium Authority who oversaw the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, died Sunday. He was 90.

Carlton “Big Bub” Carrington, a staple of Baltimore’s basketball community who also worked in behavioral health services, died March 20 of cancer. He was 53.

Matthew Anacker, the owner of A&A Tree Experts in Baltimore County, died March 14 after going into cardiac arrest. He was 79.

Lt. Raymond Vargas, who spent nearly 12 years with the Baltimore County Fire Department, died March 27 from complications related to leukemia. He was 42.

Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in “Top Gun,” donned a voluminous cape as Batman in “Batman Forever” and portrayed Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” has died. He was 65.

Kim Domanski, a staple of the Baltimore arts community who worked for the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts and later at The Peale museum, died March 7 of a heart attack. She was 52.

Friends and family of Costas Triantafilos, the 85-year-old owner of the beloved Dundalk restaurant Costas Inn who died this week, are mourning the loss of a man described as everyone’s friend.

Frank Cicero, who designed hundreds of eye-catching posters advertising concerts, carnivals, political campaigns and other events during his time at Globe, died March 7 of heart disease.

Myra Harris, the namesake of a Towson residence hall who had an illustrious career in Baltimore schools, died Feb. 1 after a brief illness. She was 87.

Frederica “Freddie” Saxon, a dedicated community volunteer who also worked in construction management, died March 7 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 91.

Longtime political aide Anthony W. McCarthy died Sunday after a lengthy battle with kidney disease. He was 57.

Ron Nessen, a veteran broadcast journalist who was press secretary for President Gerald Ford and sought to restore the integrity the position had lost during the Nixon administration, has died. He was 90.

Plummer, the longtime coach of Woodlawn High School's baseball team, died March 4 of heart failure. He was 73.

Dr. Lillian Blackmon Crenshaw, who spent 25 years caring for babies at the University of Maryland, died Feb. 25 of Lewy body dementia. She was 87.

Fleur Le Faivre, a lifelong Baltimorean who spread joy wherever she went, died in early January. She was 51.

Kevin Braswell, a standout basketball player who got his start at Lake Clifton High School and coached internationally, died Monday. He was 46.