In memoriam 2011

It may not look like it, but 2011 was a brutal year for many.  Here is a list of those who will not see 2012:

Esther Baldwin, 47, of North Augusta.  Murdered by Kenneth Meyers on July 2.

Angela Meyers, 25, of Wagener.  Twin sister of Tabitha Brown.  Murdered by Kenneth Meyers on July 2.

Tabitha Brown, 25, of Wagener.  Twin sister of Angela Meyers.  Murdered by Kenneth Meyers on July 2.

Vicki Brown, 50, of Wagener.  Mother of twin sisters Angela and Tabitha.  Murdered by Kenneth Meyers on July 2.

Kenneth Meyers, 47, of Wagener.  Gunned down the four women mentioned above on July 2, then killed himself in domestic dispute.

Aiken Department of Public Safety Officer Scott Richardson, 33.  Murdered by a 19-year-old career criminal on Tuesday night.

Two-time and 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, 33, of Saint Petersburg, Fla.  Killed in 15-car pileup on Lap 15 of the IndyCar Series "Season Finale" at Las Vegas on October 16.

Rapper Mario Hamilton aka Slim Dunkin, 24, of Atlanta, Ga.  Gunned down in his music studio on December 16.

Kim Jong Il, 69, of Pyongyang.  North Korea's President.

Patricia Dunn, 56.  Main face of Hewlett-Packard's spygate scandal.

Heavy-D, 44.  Pioneer of New Jack Swing, a subgenre of R&B and Hip-Hop.

Joe Frazier, 67, formerly of Beaufort.  A championship boxer.

Randy Savage, 58.  Killed in car accident in South Florida.

Ga. State Representative Bobby Franklin (R-Cobb), 56.  Extremely conservative, he wanted the State to prosecute women for first degree murder for having miscarriages.

Steve Jobs, 56, of Los Angeles.  Founder of Apple Company, iPad computers, iPod music players, Safari web browser and Macintosh computers.

Fred Shuttlesworth, 89.  He was the last of the three icons of the modern civil rights movement.

Arthur C. Nielsen Junior, 92.  Founder of the Nielsen Ratings system used in television for sporting events (like the NHL), television shows (like Dancing With the Stars) and specials (like the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show).

Anita Caspary, 95.  A rebel Catholic nun, she was also a leading figure of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Sylvia Robinson, 76.  Owner of Sugar Hill Records, the first hip-hop record company.

Dan Peek, 60.  Founder of the classic rock group America.

Amy Winehouse, 27.  Singer.

Betty Ford, 93.  Former First Lady of the United States from August 9, 1974-January 20, 1977.

Clarence Clemmons, 69.  The lone African-American and saxophonist of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band.

Jeff Conaway, 60.  Actor featured in the 1978 musical Grease.

Sidney Harman, 92.  Husband of former Representative Jane Harman (D-Calif.).

Warren Christopher, 85.  Helped President Jimmy Carter secure the rescue of hostages from Iran just months after the Shah was voted out of power.

Nate Dogg, 41.  Rapper.

Frank Buckles, 110.  Died on February 27.  Was the last surviving World War I veteran from the United States.

Suze Rotolo, 67.  Appeared on the cover of the Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, both the stereo and mono albums.

316 people killed in April 27 tornados, ages 0-97.  Entire families wiped out in some instances.

Geraldine Ferraro, 75.  Vice presidential candidate in 1984 (I was just four months old when Walter Mondale chose her as his running mate.).