Throat Cancer

Actress Anne Ramsey, 59, who was nominated for an Oscar for her snarling performance in the comedy Throw Momma From the Train, has died of throat cancer. Her husband of 34 years, actor Logan Ramsey, was at her side when she died Thursday evening at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been for about a week, hospital spokeswoman Peggy Shaff said yesterday. The actress often appeared with her husband in projects, including Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can. She also appeared in two Barbra Streisand films, Up the Sandbox and For Pete's Sake, played Nick Nolte's addled mother in Weeds, and starred as the villainous matriarch in Goonies.

Peter Keefe, 57, creator and executive producer of Voltron: Defender of the Universe , a hugely popular 1980s cartoon series that helped prepare the way for other Japanese-style animation in the United States, died May 27 in Rochester, N.Y. The cause was throat cancer, his brother Chris said. The show's giant sword-wielding robot defended the universe from 1984 to 1987; Voltron became the No. 1 syndicated children's show for two years and took in huge profits with merchandise as well.

Richard J. Young was not, as it turned out, unstoppable. But for most of his 52 years, he certainly seemed to be. Persevering through two bouts of Hodgkin disease as a teenager, he pursued his education until he had a master's and worked his way into a top administrative post in the New Jersey court system. Evenings and weekends found him on Moorestown's athletic fields, mobbed by children. In fall, he coached soccer; in winter, street hockey; in spring, soccer again; then baseball and roller hockey.

More than 600 people jammed the West Chester United Methodist Church yesterday for a solemn ceremony to bid farewell to one of Chester County's most influential native sons. Charles Evans Swope was laid to rest in Oaklands Cemetery in West Goshen. Mr. Swope, 73, died Saturday, succumbing to throat cancer after fighting the disease for more than two years. He was buried in his glasses and Marine dress uniform. His coffin had the Marine Corps seal on the inside. His dress cap was placed on his chest; also in the coffin was a photo of Mr. Swope, his son, Charles Jr., and two friends, taken at a Poconos ski resort.

Howard Winig, 71, a real estate broker who leased and developed several million square feet of retail space in Philadelphia and South Jersey, died Saturday, Oct. 27, of throat cancer at Penn Wissahickon Hospice in Center City. During 50 years in real estate, Mr. Winig oversaw projects such as the Holiday Inn at 13th and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, and Lancaster Square Shopping Center in Lancaster. Mr. Winig formed a series of companies, the last of which, HW Associates Realty Corp., specialized in shopping center development in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

Always fancying himself an entertainer rather than an artiste, Rod Stewart has never taken himself too seriously - his career, to paraphrase one of his best lyrics, is one part rhapsody, one part comedy. Saturday night at the Tweeter Center, Stewart's concert started with a humorous, day-in-the-life video segment projected on the big screens on either side of the stage: See Rod kick soccer balls! See Rod blow-dry his hair! See Rod drink beer! Fun is Stewart's business, and at the two-thirds-full Tweeter Center, business was good.

The probe into a suspicious Breeders' Cup bet worth $3 million includes a third former Drexel student, racing industry officials said. The latest person under investigation by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board is Glen DaSilva, of New York, several racing industry officials confirmed yesterday. Two others under investigation already have been identified - Derrick Davis, of Baltimore, the man who made the winning Pick Six bets, and Chris Harn, an employee of Autotote, a company involved in the wagers under suspicion.

Thomas J. Durkin Jr., 49, of Fort Washington, known as a caring physician and instructor in pediatrics, died Sunday of throat cancer at his home. "He was a very caring and loving pediatrician who enjoyed his patients," said his wife of 24 years, Regina Torsney-Durkin, who is also a doctor. "He was an excellent teacher for medical students," who frequently observed him in his practice. Dr. Durkin was affiliated with ABC-Family Pediatricians, which maintains three offices in the Allentown area.

The bodies of an elderly man and his wife, both of whom had been ill for some time, were found in their Whitemarsh Township house yesterday, and police termed the deaths "suspicious. " Police said that Edith Kohl was found lying in her bed, with a bump on her head, while her husband, William, was found in a recreation room at the other side of the large single-story home in the first block of Carey Drive. Edith Kohl was believed to have died a few days before her husband. Both were said to be in their late 70s. While calling the deaths suspicious, police said that there was no sign of a break-in and that no weapon was discovered.

ROCKIN' GOOD DEED Veteran local bass player Paul Kurrey is battling throat cancer - without health insurance. The music community is rallying for a benefit from 4 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. Monday at the Legendary Dobbs, 304 South St. Among those making the scene will be the Peace Creeps, the Last Minute Jam Band and the Nick Clemons Band. Plus a screening of the Dobbs documentary, "Meet Me on South Street. " Tickets are $20, $30 and $35. dobbsphilly.com. CURTIS AT KIMMEL Monday at 8 p.m., renowned Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the Curtis Symphony Orchestra at the Kimmel Center, performing Strauss' Ein Heldenleben ("A Hero's Life")