Deaths in the 1940s
23,000+ memorials
Arthur W. Aleshire
1900–1940 (age 40)
Ferncliff Cemetery
U.S. Congressman who served in the early 20th century.
Béla Bartók
1881–1945 (age 64)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was a renowned Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist born in Sânnicolau Mare, la...
Charles A. Beard
1874–1948 (age 74)
Ferncliff Cemetery
American historian and educator known for his interpretations of American history.
Ballington Booth
1857–1940 (age 83)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Social reformer and co-founder of the Volunteers of America.
Maud Booth
1865–1948 (age 83)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Co-founder of the Volunteers of America and social reformer.
Salvatore Cardillo
1880–1947 (age 67)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Italian-American composer known for his musical compositions.
Lew Fields
1867–1941 (age 74)
Ferncliff Cemetery
American actor and comedian known for his vaudeville performances.
Michel Fokine
1880–1942 (age 62)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Russian-American choreographer known for his innovative ballet compositions.
Maria Gay
1879–1943 (age 64)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Catalan opera singer known for her performances in classical opera.
Johnny Gunther
1929–1947 (age 18)
Ferncliff Cemetery
Son of author John Gunther and subject of the book Death Be Not Proud.
Jerome Kern
1885–1945 (age 60)
Ferncliff Cemetery
American composer known for his Broadway musicals and popular songs.
James Male
1896–1947 (age 51)
Ferncliff Cemetery
American lawyer and New York State Assemblyman.
Truman H. Newberry
1864–1945 (age 81)
Elmwood Cemetery
Businessman and U.S. Senator from Michigan who served as Secretary of the Navy.
Ted Edwards
1884–1945 (age 61)
Rose Hills Memorial Park
American character actor in silent and early sound films.
Nathan Hale
1860–1941 (age 81)
Rose Hills Memorial Park
American politician.
Billy Laughlin
1932–1948 (age 16)
Rose Hills Memorial Park
American child actor in Our Gang films.
Ellen Beach Yaw
1869–1947 (age 78)
Rose Hills Memorial Park
American opera singer known for her extensive vocal range.
George Pardee
1857–1941 (age 84)
Mountain View Cemetery
Governor of California from 1903 to 1907.
George Perkins
1862–1940 (age 78)
Mountain View Cemetery
Governor of California and U.S. Senator.
Elizabeth Short
1924–1947 (age 23)
Mountain View Cemetery
Unsolved Hollywood murder victim known as the Black Dahlia.
James Lippi
d. 1942
Mountain View Cemetery
American-born member of the Royal Canadian Air Force who died in World War II.
Josh Gibson
1911–1947 (age 36)
Allegheny Cemetery
Baseball great of the Negro leagues.
William McNair
1880–1948 (age 68)
Allegheny Cemetery
Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1934 to 1936.
Tisdale Justin Dow
1888–1940 (age 52)
Evergreen Cemetery
Silent film actor.
S. Wallace Dempsey
1862–1949 (age 87)
Rock Creek Cemetery
Republican politician in early 20th century America.
Christian Heurich
1842–1945 (age 103)
Rock Creek Cemetery
German-born American founder of Heurich Brewery.
Edouard Trebaol
1905–1944 (age 39)
Los Angeles
French-born resident of Los Angeles who died in 1944.
Frederick Schiller Faust
1892–1944 (age 52)
United States
Prolific American writer and pulp fiction author who died in 1944.
Leonid Savyolov
1868–1947 (age 79)
United States
Russian-born individual who lived in Warsaw and died in 1947.
Yosef Tunkel
1881–1949 (age 68)
New York City
Belarusian-born writer and educator who settled in New York City and died in 1949.
Mykhailo Haivoronsky
1892–1949 (age 57)
New York City
Ukrainian-born individual who died in New York City in 1949.
Jovita Idár
1885–1946 (age 61)
San Antonio
Mexican-American journalist and civil rights activist from Laredo who died in 1946.
Charles H. Huberich
1877–1945 (age 68)
San Antonio
American lawyer and legal scholar from Toledo who died in 1945.
Florine Stettheimer
1871–1944 (age 73)
Hudson River
American modernist painter and sculptor from Rochester who died in 1944.
Courtenay D. Allington
1884–1946 (age 62)
Detroit
Individual who died in 1946 and was buried in Detroit.
Moses Annenberg
1877–1942 (age 65)
Philadelphia
Prussian-born newspaper publisher and media mogul who died in Philadelphia in 1942.
Gordon Jennings Laing
1869–1945 (age 76)
Chicago
British-born classical scholar and academic who died in Chicago in 1945.
Jonas Šliūpas
1861–1944 (age 83)
Chicago
Lithuanian priest, educator, and cultural activist who died in Chicago in 1944.
Amelia Van Buren
1856–1942 (age 86)
Philadelphia
American woman from Detroit who died in Philadelphia in 1942.
Juozas Brazaitis
1889–1945 (age 56)
Chicago
Lithuanian Catholic priest and intellectual who died in Chicago in 1945.
Antanas Vanagaitis
1890–1949 (age 59)
Chicago
Lithuanian intellectual and cultural figure who died in Chicago in 1949.
Martha Hillard MacLeish
1856–1947 (age 91)
Chicago
Martha Hillard MacLeish (1856-1947) was a prominent New London County resident whose life spanned nearly a century.
John Toman
1876–1946 (age 70)
Chicago
John Toman (1876-1946) was a Cerhonice-born individual who spent his final years in Chicago.
Josephine Knowland Laflin
1862–1949 (age 87)
Chicago
Josephine Knowland Laflin (1862-1949) was a Westmoreland County native and member of a prominent family.
Aurelia Henry Reinhardt
1877–1948 (age 71)
Oakland
Aurelia Henry Reinhardt (1877-1948) was a San Francisco-based woman who became an influential educator and administrator...
Frederick H. Sibley
1872–1941 (age 69)
Sacramento
Frederick H. Sibley (1872-1941) was an Oxford resident whose life and career remain largely undocumented.
Edith Kellogg Dunton
1875–1944 (age 69)
Rutland
Edith Kellogg Dunton (1875-1944) was a Rutland County native who remained in her home region throughout her life.
Henry McKee Minton
1870–1946 (age 76)
Philadelphia
Henry McKee Minton (1870-1946) was a Columbia-born physician and prominent African American medical professional.
Jack Warner
1872–1943 (age 71)
Philadelphia
Jack Warner (1872-1943) was a New York City-born film executive and co-founder of Warner Bros. studio.
Ella Alvira Bennett
1887–1947 (age 60)
Seward County
Ella Alvira Bennett (1887-1947) was a Seward County resident whose early life details remain sparse.