Eva How

Heather Michelle O'Rourke was born to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. She had a sister, Tammy O'Rourke, who was born four years before Heather. She is best remembered for being a popular young actress in the 1980s appearing on numerous television shows and the Poltergeist films where she had the starring role as Carol Anne Freeling. See Heather O'Rourke's Acting Career for a list of Heather's acting credits. Heather was born in San Diego in the final week of 1975: her mother Kathleen worked as a seamstress and her father Michael was a carpenter. Her parents divorced in 1981 and Heather lived with her mother, who remarried a part-time truck driver Jim Peele in 1984. At the time they were living in a trailer park in Anaheim. When Heather's career blossomed the family purchased a home in Big Bear Lake California. It's an interesting story how Heather was chosen for the role of Carol Anne in Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist films. Spielberg was having lunch at MGM's commissary and saw Heather eating with her mother while Heather's sister Tammy was shooting 'Pennies from Heaven'. Spielberg offered her the part after his lunch and the following day she was signed, beating Drew Barrymore who was also up for the role. Heather died at only 12 years old on February 1, 1988 in Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California of congenital stenosis of the intestine. She is buried in Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. See a lovely video showing numerous photos taken during Heather's short life at Heather O'Rourke (1975-1988) and see another video showing her mother talking about Heather's passing, the attorney Heather's mother hired to sue the hospital where Heather passed, and her costar talking about the deaths of other actors after they filmed Poltergeist at Show Biz Today - Memory of Heather O'Rourke - June 14, 1988.

Juan Mercer was born on May 31, 1928, and died at age 60 years old on September 1, 1988. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Juan Mercer.

Paul was a fun person with an amazing personality. He enjoyed living life fully, and was a great brother and friend to many of his classmates and acquaintances.

Tammy was murdered by her older sister Karla Homolka and her fiance at the time, Paul Bernardo. Both Karla and Paul Bernardo are convicted rapists and serial killers. After Tammy's death, they raped and murdered two other teenage girls. On December 24, 1990, the Homolka family was having a Christmas celebration at their residence. Karla and Paul plied Tammy with alcohol and managed to add a sedative drug to the alcoholic beverages. When Tammy fell unconscious late that evening, after the other family members went to bed, Karla and Paul took turns raping her while videotaping the whole thing. At some point Tammy began to vomit and asphyxiated. Karla made a few failed attempts to revive Tammy. By the time the paramedics arrived at the Homolka residence, Tammy was dead. Tammy Lynn Homolka was the third child born to Karel and Dorothy Homolka. Her oldest sister was Karla Leanne Homolka, a Canadian serial killer and rapist. Her other older sister is Logan Valentini (she legally changed her name from Lori Homolka in the year 1996).

Marjorie (Moehlenkamp) Finlay was born to Elmer Henry (1897-1972) and Cora Lee (1900-1962) (Morrow) Moehlenkamp and had a sister Virginia Humphrey (1924-2005). In the 1930 census, when Marjorie was one year old, she was living with her grandparents Henry J. (age 72) and Emma (age 66) Moehlenkamp. Also in the St. Louis Missouri household were her parents and Martin (age 35), Irene (age 35), Ruth (age 16), and Virginia (age 5) Moehlenkamp. Marjorie married Robert Bruce Finlay (1920 -2003) on March 22nd 1952 in Palm Beach Florida. Bruce was president of Raymond Construction Co. See Moehlenkamp, Finlay Wedding in South Mar. 22 for a copy of Marjorie and Bruce's wedding announcement which appeared in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in Missouri. Marjorie had a love and talent for music, especially singing, since an early age. She began her singing career while in high school at St. Charles High School in Saint Charles Missouri. Her first singing teacher was Miss Pearl Walker of Lindenwood College, who she studied under while attending high school, and who she continued studying with while attending Lindenwood. After college Marjorie's signing career really took off. An article in the January 13th 1962 edition of the St Louis Globe Democrat says that Marjorie, a native of St. Charles and former Lindenwood College student sang with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys and the St. Louis Symphony at it's 3rd pop concert of the season. Marjorie was a soprano and sang 2 operatic arias: "Fanciulla Sbocciato d l'amore" (Puccini, "La Rondine") and the "Jewel Song" (Gounod's "Faust"), however, she also sang several popular songs. Marjorie toured after graduation with the "Music With the Girls' network radio show (as a soloist.), and was described in the paper as "the attractive soprano". After marrying her husband Robert, whose work took him to Havana, Puerto Rico, then to Caracas and back to Puerto Rico, Marjorie sang with symphony orchestras and in opera at each city. In San Juan, she had her own tv program called "El Show Pan-Americano". Musical talent (and beauty) obviously runs in the family as she is the grandmother of the famous singer Taylor Swift. Track 13 on Taylor Swifts' album released on December 11 2020 is titled "marjorie" - a song dedicated to and about her grandmother. Read the lyrics: Marjorie Lyrics - Taylor Swift - they embody what all of us feel when someone we love and admire passes and what AncientFaces is all about. Swift said about Marjorie "starring my grandmother, Marjorie, who still visits me sometimes . . . if only in my dreams." In the track, Swift honors her late grandmother, singing, "And if I didn't know better, I'd think you were talking to me now. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were still around." Grandma Marjorie died in June 2003 in Swift's hometown of Reading, PA, when Swift was 13 years old.

Rosemary's father was Edwin Herman Kopplin (1896 - 1971) and her mother was Dorothea Simons (1898 - 1970). She had one (older) brother, Edwin Orlando Kopplin (1924 - 1998). In the 1930 federal census, the entire family lived in Litchfield MN (the town in which Rosemary was buried). Both Mom and Dad said that they had been born in Minnesota. Besides Mom, Dad, Rosemary and an older brother Edwin, Arlene Silverberg, then age 19, all lived together in the household. Her father Edwin was the proprietor of an "oil and automobile" company. Rosemary's mother, on bed rest during pregnancy, began collecting her favorite sayings that she could pass on to her children. She was quoted as saying "The task was to bridge the gap in education not filled in by church or schools. I wanted to leave a chart or blueprint for guiding and teaching such a way of life to my son and daughter." Those favorite sayings became the best selling book "Something To Live By” published in 1945. Rosemary was not expected to live through childbirth. Unfortunately, she passed away from leukemia just weeks before her sixth birthday. Read more of the story Rosemary Louise Kopplin: Personal Life

Betty was the only child of Horace Logan White and Tess (Cachikis) White. She was born in Illinois but the family moved to Los Angeles CA when she was young. In the 1930 federal census, Betty was living with her father, age 36, and her mother, Tess, in Los Angeles CA. Betty was 8 years old and in school. They owned their home which was worth $10,000 In the 1940 federal census, Betty was 18 and still living with her parents in Los Angles. She had graduated high school but was still listed as going to school. Her father, Horace, was still a sales representative in the electric industry. In the 1950's, she produced and starred in her sitcom "Life with Elizabeth", the first woman to do so. That lead her being named honorary Mayor of Hollywood in 1955, Betty was married to Dick Barker (an Army Air forces aircraft pilot) for less than a year. In 1947, she married Lane Allen, a talent agent. That marriage last around 2 years and ended when he wanted her to give up show business and be a homemaker. Her last marriage was to Allen Ludden, most famously host of the tv gameshow "Password". They married on June 14, 1963 - their marriage lasted until his death on June 9th, 1981, from stomach cancer. From Wikipedia: "When asked by James Lipton on Inside The Actor's Studio that should Heaven exist, what would she like God to say to her when she walked through the Pearly gates, White replied: "Hello Betty. Here's Allen."